S C I R

Strength and Conditioning / Injury Reduction

"The greatest ability is availability"

We are excited to announce the next phase of Marin FC Strength & Condition Injury Reduction (SCIR 2.0). This season marks the advancement of our centralized training program where players will meet and utilize the facilities at our partner site, College of Marin. Marin FC has secured dedicated indoor space as well as a small outdoor training turf surface. The SCIR Program is a critical element in fostering health and wellness in our players by featuring consistent language, coaching, equipment, curriculum and ultimately learning outcomes.

The 45 minute SCIR sessions occur on Tuesdays, 4:30-5:15 pm and 5:45-6:30pm for our U12-U14 players, and Thursdays, 4:30-5:15 pm and 5:45-6:30pm for our U15-U19 players. The schedule is designed to allow time to get to a late team training session from the early SCIR Session or time to get to the later session from the conclusion of the usual early training session ending of 5:30pm.  All sessions are centrally located at the College of Marin’s PE Room 22. Morgan Fones directs the program bringing a depth of sports science and rehabilitation knowledge that help our athletes improve their performance, keep them on the field, and out of the doctor’s office.  Morgan is both an athletic trainer and physical therapist.  He works locally as the founder of Total Athletic Movement Physical Therapy and a senior physical therapist with Kaiser Permanente San Rafael.  Morgan is passionate about sports and supporting athletes achieve their goals, including the work he does with the U.S. Ski Team all over the world.

SCIR’s focus stays ever evolving and today includes four pillars: Nutrition, Mindset, Movement and Recovery. The program mission is to help Marin FC players understand the interconnectedness of the pillars and create opportunities for our athletes to make measurable gains among all four pillars.  For example, we know daily nutrition impacts our mindset which influences movement potential and our recovery. A winning mindset is supported through healthy nutrition choices and understanding how fuel choices drive training, competition and our recovery potential. Moving well and recovering fully will not happen without healthy nutrition behaviors and a winning mindset.

As for SCIR training details and how we will focus 45 minute sessions -- during pre-practice sessions, SCIR strength coaches will focus on a player's joints with a goal of helping players move freely through full range of motion. Coaches will support players activating muscles often “asleep” from a full day of sitting. During post-practice sessions, SCIR will focus on injury reduction with an emphasis on building strength and power. We will teach functional movement while supporting individuals with smart progressions and regressions. Activities will include learning hip hinging, jumping and landing mechanics, pushing, pulling and building core strength.

Throughout the program SCIR will introduce a common language and further an athlete's learning around the following:

  • Prioritizing spinal mechanics
  • Understanding positional integrity
  • Foam rolling, static stretching and dynamic stretching progressions
  • Exploring optimal breathing patterns
  • Lengthening muscles
  • Building the metabolic engine
We are excited about this next chapter and thank you for your support as we further invest in the health and wellness of our players.