Professor Mark De Set Croix has published over 100 articles and presented at over 100 conferences across the globe. He works predominantly in football, identifying injury risk via screening and implementing prevention programmes. A key focus of his work is to help coaches develop their understanding of prevention strategies.

After undertaking his teacher training degree he knew he had an interest both in children’s sport and physical activity and a growing interest in science. He completed a PhD exploring how children’s muscle strength changes with growth and maturation and is now using that knowledge to explore how to reduce injury risk in youth sport. This has provided him with opportunities to work with some of the world’s leading football clubs.

Mark has just led an Erasmus+ European-funded project with partners in Spain and the Czech Republic to explore the knowledge and understanding of grass root coaches in terms of youth injury prevention. He has also obtained funding from FIFA, UEFA and the English FA to explore injury risk in female youth football, and works with organisations such as the England and Wales Cricket Board, Athletic Club Bilbao Football Club and Bristol City Football Club.

In this episode Mark discusses:

• The many factors that should be considered in an injury risk reduction program.

• The importance of Training Quality as well as Training Age.

• Why Coach Education programs need to be more accessible for grassroots coaches.

• Is asymmetry as detrimental as people suggest?

• What does neuromuscular control really mean?

• Are kids affected by fatigue the same way as adults?

• Is there any truth to the concept of "Windows of Trainability"?

You can keep up to date with Mark's research via the University of Gloucestershire Repository, his Research Gate page here, as well as via his Twitter account: @destecroixmark .

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