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A PRIMER ON HOW NOT TO RUN UP THE SCORE

I really do not know how to begin this article.  I suppose I could start with pithy statements about how demoralizing blowouts can be, but I won’t (of course, I just did).  What is more important is that you, the coach, know how to prevent a blowout with dignity.  In the list below, I will […]

A Synopsis on Stretching

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I just read an synopsis of an article from the Clinical journal of Sports Medicine involving stretching. The author, I. Shrier , did a major review of the literature and went through 138 articles involving stretching and sports. Of those 138, only 12 had control groups (one group with stretching and one without). In summary there is […]

A Primer on how not to run up the score

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I really do not know how to begin this article.  I suppose I could begin with pithy statements about how demoralizing blowouts can be but I won’t (of course I just did).  What is more important is that you, the coach, know how to prevent a blowout with dignity.  In the list below I will […]

Some of Mark’s Remarks

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Some of Mark’s Remarks Field Size: Since before 1984 when I started my coaching in the Yuba Sutter area we have successfully used the following field  sizes and numbers: U-8– 7 on a field which is 25-30 X 50 yards Goals are 5′ X 15′ with a 6 X 15 goal/”penalty box U-10– 9 on […]

Coach’s Survival Manual

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Coach’s Survival Manual  Coaching is a blast.  In the ideal world you will show up to practice 5 to 10 minutes early to greet the little bastions of soccer as they come to play.  The kids will all show up on time, listen to every word you utter, immediately grasp the theme of the practice, […]

Asthma: The Silent and Not So Silent Wheezer

by  Leonard Marks, MD Last fall, about 3 weeks after the soccer season began, Amber (name changed) was brought to my office by her Mom. Amber is a cute 11 year old athlete with a twinkle in her blue eyes and a perennial smile on her face. She stated that her new coach did a […]

A Different Perspective

by  Leonard Marks, MD When I initially read this I thought it was so-so; however, the more I thought about it, the more I enjoyed it. It grew on me. It hits a point – there are so many ways to view a situation. Do we want people who only agree with us or who […]

Egotistical Parent Story

by  Leonard Marks, MD The king (queen) of all self-centered, egotistical parent stories: I was at the Sunstroke Classic this past weekend getting ready to check in my team. While we were organizing we noticed the Assistant Referee (AR) of a U19 boys game signal an off-sides on the white team (white was off-sides). This […]

Less Glitz & More Play -Thank You!

by  Leonard Marks, MD The battle for truth, justice, and the American way, space age style: During the heat of the space race in the 1960’s, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration decided it needed a ballpoint pen to write in the zero gravity confines of its space capsules. After considerable research and development, the Astronaut […]