Working with children needed specialist knowledge and understanding, which I gained through a mentor working with children and completing children fitness courses.

Coaches need to have a  real understanding of how to bring the best out of young soccer players. The problem is that most of the information out there is based on adult training methods. That’s because the adult body, with regard to training, has been studied pretty thoroughly and that is where the expertise has been developed.

Children have a changing physiology that requires training strategies that adapt and work with a growing body – studies relating to children’s soccer training needs are pretty hard to come by. It’s best to go to specialist sources to put together tailor made soccer training programmes that work with the biomechanics of a growing young body.

Picking up fitness and soccer drills aimed at adults and using them for kids can be damaging and lead to injury problems.

For instance, a child using the wrong running technique can lead to a number of problems including back problems, knee injuries, ankle and hip injuries. Performance is also negatively affected in the areas of speed, agility, strength and explosive power.

The bottom line is, to give children the best chance to play professional soccer, don’t just treat them like mini-me’s or mini-adults. Give them  the best chance by working with their growing physiology.

While all my friends will be enjoying the holidays i’ll be getting on with my soccer training and it just got harder. The sun is hot and the ground is starting to dry up which is tough on the feet.

But the worst thing is the dehydration.

Making sure I drink enough fluids is on top of my list. Sports drinks are best because they replenish the salts and minerals I lose through sweating, Where I was drinking one bottle in the past, i’m going through two in no time at all.

The problem is keeping a balance. If I drink too much I end up with a ‘stitch’, if I don’t drink enough I get tired, feel fatigued and sometimes get cramps which all affect my performance.

The soccer training schedule I follow is pretty intense, so I guess I need to keep an eye on what and how much I drink and I also have my coach to remind me to top up. But if there are any future Asian soccer stars out there, then ramping up the level of training is a must.

Also, when i’m not training and just having a kick-around with my mates in the park the heat gets pretty intense and we need to be constantly topping up on the cool drinks.

Dehydration can land you in hospital on a saline drip (I know i’ve been there and I wasn’t even in training) and really mess with your training, so always remember to top with the right drinks when you’re soccer training.