it pains me to say this as well but...+1 as well. I've always loved soccer, so it's tough to stay away, but I used to tweak this and that whenever I played. However, I have found that since I've incorporated a plyometrics workout into my training, I've been able to play soccer injury-free. Getting your body used to quick changes of direction and landing in a very high impact manner can help avoid injuries.

+1, and

4. drink plenty of water to flush your system
6. Eat a Healthy diet regularly.

I second that...but it also depends on how one defines active recovery. Active recovery should be integrated into workouts and training sessions. If your Active Recovery is a light workout on a rest day, then it's not active recovery but just another training day.

Rest days are vital to staying healthy and are essential in maintaining your body's energy and ability to improve.

Massage and good nutrition are also useful tools, but I would emphasize appropriate rest.

Of course, having improper bike fit or running shoes can cause injuries regardless of how much you train or rest so I'd start with that analysis.

I am living proof... I played basketball in high school and college. I've had six knee surgeries, all bb related to some extent. Your knees take too much pounding cutting and jumping. All those small knee pains you had when you were 20 come back to haunt you when you're older!

Sadly +1 to this as well. I dislocated my thumb a couple of weeks ago in volleyball, and I've given it up for the last month because my back is tweaked (not from a volleyball injury though, I might add). One of my good friends is nursing a broken foot from volleyball, and I heard yesterday that another one broke his hand (can you say we're a bit of a competitive bunch, LOL) Still, I can't stay away! Some day I might have to, but that day is not yet here.

Since I am now in the 40-44 AG, I really must stretch! A message, which can be a painful thing, does seem to help too. On top of the list is keeping up on the running shoes(w/orthotics). I feel nagging aches and pains when the shoes need replaced. Good luck this season.

I played soccer for year and tore my ACL and continued playing for a few year until it just hurt too much.

I decide to get into running and triathlon. My knee still bothers me a bit but I have gotten used to it and seems to hurt less now that I have several years of consistant mileage on it.

in the winter i run 30-40 miles and only bike 3 times on a trainer, none of which are long rides. once i get into my 'training' I only run 20-30 miles a week and up the biking a lot. this seems to be a really good balance for me.

So what does everybody tell their kids? My 8 yr old son is just getting into ball sports. He is trying out flag football, soccer, and basketball. Do I steer him towards wrestling or something else to protect his knees for adulthood, or is ruining your knees in ball sports a rite of passage for young men?

I will encourage my kids to play whatever sport they are interested in without worrying about their knees.

Personally, the problems with lateral movement occurred after years of running. Building up the muscle groups that propel you solely forward took away my ability to plant my foot and change direction quickly. This is a vital part of most ball sports and also the part where the knee is most vulnerable. The other problem is the ability of my knees and lower back to absorb the cushioning when jumping repeatedly, specifically in basketball. My last two years of competitive baseball where also my first two years of marathoning. Playing a baseball game in the afternoon after running a 20 miler in the morning was just not a good idea, but I did it anyway. The problem with combining endurance and baseball was the cool down periods in between sprints. I tightened up like crazy every inning.

Bottom line is much of this is attributable to wear and tear and also to age. There is a reason most pro ball-sport athletes retire in their early 30's. And they aren't competing in triathlons at the same time.

Let the kids play whatever they want...they need to be kids, AND they recover from small injuries much better anyways. It's one thing to monitor their activities and make sure they're being safe, but the last thing we need is parents limiting kids' activity choices, making the couch and videogames all that much more appealing.