ACL Injury Prevention
Protecting our Players
Why We're Doing This
Supporting ACL Health: Our Prevention Clinic
Why we brought this ACL injury-prevention warm-up to local student-athletes — and what coaches, athletes, and parents need to know.
Why We Ran This Clinic
ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tears are one of the most common serious injuries in youth sports. They often mean surgery and 9–12 months away from the sport — and female athletes face an especially high risk.
The FIFA 11+ is a warm-up program developed by FIFA's medical research team specifically to reduce ACL and other lower-limb injuries. It's one of the most studied injury-prevention programs, and when teams use it consistently, it's associated with meaningfully fewer injuries.
That's why Dr. Chad Wiebelhaus, DPT, PT of Cardinal Physical Therapy recently led a hands-on clinic teaching the program to coaches and athletes so they can build it into their regular warm-up routine. This page is here as an ongoing reference for everyone who attended — and anyone else who wants to learn more.
About the Clinician
Dr. Chad Wiebelhaus, DPT, PT is a physical therapist with Cardinal Physical Therapy. He leads ACL prevention clinics to help local coaches and student-athletes build injury-prevention habits that carry through the whole season. Chad uses his degrees in Kinesiology and Health Promotion, as well as his doctorate in physical therapy to support athlete health.
What Is the ACL Prevention Program?
It’s a 20-minute warm-up that replaces your normal warm-up — not something extra added on top. It has three parts:
1. Running exercises (~8 min) — raise heart rate and prep movement patterns
2. Strength, balance & plyometric exercises (~10 min) — build control around the hip, knee, and core, done at progressively harder levels
3. Running exercises (~2 min) — game-speed running, bounding, and cutting drills
The two cues that matter most throughout the whole program:
> Knees over toes — never let them cave inward.
> Land soft and quiet — a loud landing usually means poor control, not strength.
The benefit comes from consistency: doing this 2–3 times per week, all season — not from doing it once or twice hard.
For Coaches
- Use FIFA 11+ in place of the usual warm-up — it isn't meant to add extra time to practice.
- Start every athlete at Level 1 of the strength/balance exercises for the first 1–2 weeks, even if it looks easy. Good movement patterns come before added difficulty.
- Reinforce the two core cues constantly: knees over toes, land soft and quiet.
- If a player mentions knee pain, swelling, or a "giving way" feeling, don't push them through it — have them evaluated before returning to play.
- Full video demonstrations are available on the official FIFA 11+ app and website.
For Athletes
- This warm-up isn't about intensity — it's about control. Take it seriously even when it feels easy.
- Focus on form over speed. Slow down until your knees track correctly, then build up.
- You'll progress through three difficulty levels over the season — you don't need to start at the hardest version.
- If your knees ever hurt, swell, or feel like they're "giving way," tell your coach or a parent — don't play through it.
For Parents
If your athlete attended our clinic, their team now has the tools to run the FIFA 11+ warm-up before practices and games. Here's how you can help it stick:
- Encourage consistency. The program only works if it's done regularly — 2–3x per week, all season.
- Take knee complaints seriously. If your child mentions knee pain, swelling, or a "giving way" feeling, have them evaluated by a doctor or physical therapist before they return to play.
- Ask them to show you a few of the balance and landing exercises at home — it reinforces good habits.
- Reach out to us with any questions about the program or to ask about bringing a clinic to your own team.
Learn More
Search "FIFA 11+" or visit the official FIFA 11+ app/website for full video demonstrations of every exercise in the program.
*Interested in bringing an ACL Prevention Clinic to your school or club?
