Soccer Star Cobi Jones, and Sports Medicine Specialist , Dr.Bert Mandelbaum have partnered with DePuy Mitek to initiate the Sports Injury Prevention Program for young athletes.
I recently had the opportunity to interview Cobi and Dr.Mandelbaum. These two men are very committed to this program and I’d like to introduce you to them both.
Soccer Star – Cobi Jones
(COBI JONES-Quote): “After I suffered a labral tear in my hip while playing soccer, I realized that many sports-related injuries can be prevented and I dedicated myself to helping young athletes learn more about injury prevention. As a player, I was fortunate to work with coaching and medical staffs that underscored the importance of utilizing injury prevention exercises, which contributed to my healthy and long playing career. In working with DePuy Mitek, I’m excited to educate athletes regarding the FIFA 11+ injury prevention warmup!”
Get to know Cobi even better by viewing this video, Cobi Jones-A Day in the Life , sponsored by DePuy Mitek .
Now meet:
DR.BERT MANDELBAUM :
Director of the Santa Monica Sports Foundation and FIFA Medical Officer for the 2012 Olympics.
You’ve heard FIFA mentioned above by both Cobi and Dr. Mandelbaum. “ FIFA (pronounced FE-FAH ) is the acronym for (Quote “The Fédération Internationale de Football Association. ( In English – International Federation Association of Football, and referring to the game of soccer in the U.S.)”
There’s a “warm-up” program called FIFA 11+. It’s goal is to reduce and help prevent injures in young athletes. (Ages 14 and above.) ( Quote) “By leveraging the body’s natural defense mechanisms it helps these athletes become more resistant to injuries by instructing preventative techniques.”
There are free educational clinics in 16 U.S. cities that focus on tools and information from the FIFA 11+ program that are geared to young athletes, parents and coaches that stress the importance of preventing “sports-related” injuries. (Quote) “Cobi can demonstrate some of these “warm-up” moves that kept him on the field, and Dr. Mandelbaum will speak about the importance of preventing and treatment of the sports-related injuries!” There are online videos as well!
For more information about Clinics around the Country and FIFA 11+, I refer you to : http://www.facebook.com/SportsInjuryPreventionProgram
Being able to personally speak with Cobi Jones and Dr.Bert Mandelbaum, I could only imagine what an experience it would be for a young athlete to be able to get FIFA 11+ training and education from these seasoned professionals! They are so energized and focused on total well being and positive encouragement!
When I spoke with Cobi, I had wondered how the FIFA 11+ program was being received. He said that there was a not only a good response from coaches and the young athletes, but from the parents as well. That was great to hear as I think it’s great that there is a program that can instill preventative training into these young athletes that will keep them healthy, and strong and less prone to injuries.
I asked Cobi if he enjoyed doing these clinics, and he “very” enthusiastically shared that he really enjoyed “giving back” by doing what he’s doing. How lucky for a younger athlete to be able to learn from someone who has excelled in his sport like Cobi has!
I was also curious about finding out if Cobi missed playing Soccer professionally. He told me his soccer career was great, but there was no doubt that he would always miss the roar of the crowd during the games.
I needed to move along to Dr. Mandelbaum so I wished Cobi ongoing success and all the best with his many future endeavors.
Dr.Bert Mandelbaum was a joy to speak with, as well. I had wondered if there had been any changes in the FIFA 11+ injury prevention program for younger athletes. He told me that this was a work in progress in Southern California since the 90’s, and percentages have shown that the program is going in the right direction.
I asked him if he does a lot of traveling with the FIFA 11+ clinics. Dr. Mandelbaum, Director of the Santa Monica Sports Foundation, said that he does do some traveling, but works a lot with the local physicians at local clinics.
He was very articulate and clear about the fact that “we are what we eat, drink, and do”!
I believe that is exceptional input for all of us whether we are athletes or not… He also made a point that pulls everything together very nicely, by adding that “it’s all about prevention and enhancing the (athlete’s) ability to play the game.”
Dr.Mandelbaum had such great views, and was so knowledgeable. I really appreciated the time I was able to spend with him, and with Cobi.
I’ll remind you again to visit the Facebook link listed above to get information about the Sports Injury Prevention Program !
The program’s “Twitter Handle” is: www.twitter.com/@MitekSportsMed
To learn more about the DePuy Mitek, a global leader in orthopaedic sports medicine visit:
http://www.depuysynthes.com
(quotes or paraphrased information from PR Fact Sheets, and Wikipedia for the FIFA Acronym.)