This week, our players learned that becoming a stronger athlete isn’t just about training hard, it’s also about knowing when to rest and recover!
We related this to how soccer players manage the pace of a game. Sometimes the smartest play isn’t to sprint forward, but to slow the game down, keep the possession, and reset before the next attack.
The same is true in life. Our bodies don’t get stronger during games, they grow stronger after: when we sleep, recover, and fuel ourselves with nutritious food.
We also learned that alcohol and marijuana don’t help the body recover. Instead, they interfere with quality sleep, drain energy, slow reaction time, and make it harder to perform at our best.
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The Play Smart, Live Strong initiative by the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association empowers our youth to make healthy choices on and off the field. Together with the Saipan Soccer School After School Program, we are using the power of soccer to promote substance-free lifestyles and reduce the risk factors related to underage drinking and marijuana use.
Every week we will share about our practical lessons, group discussion highlights, and soccer skills we learned to support our players as they Play Smart, Live Strong!
