Built by Borda

ACL tears are a BIG deal in female athletes. And while we can’t prevent every injury, there is a lot we can do to reduce risk.

Especially for girls playing sports with jumping, landing, cutting + quick changes of direction…soccer, basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, field hockey and more.

This is why I care so much about girls learning HOW to train their bodies, not just getting stronger for their sport.

We can work on:
⚡️ landing + jumping mechanics
⚡️ hip, glute, hamstring + core strength
⚡️ single-leg stability + balance
⚡️ deceleration + change of direction
⚡️ foot + ankle control
⚡️ confidence moving under speed + pressure

And these aren’t things we should wait to work on until AFTER an injury happens.

We should be teaching girls this stuff now.

So… ACL Bootcamps are BACK. 🩷

Our next one is THIS SUNDAY at 11 AM at Built by Borda.

This is for female athletes ages 12–18 in ANY sport. You do NOT need to be a gymnast. In fact, if your daughter plays soccer, basketball, volleyball, lacrosse or field hockey, I especially want you to consider getting her in!

One ACL injury can change an entire season—or more. Spending an hour learning how to move, land, cut and get stronger is a pretty worthwhile investment in keeping those knees healthy.

Strong girls don’t just perform better. We want them available to PLAY. 💪🏼

Send this to the parent of a female athlete who needs to see it. 💗

👉 Next ACL Bootcamp: Sunday @ 11 AM. Comment ACL for details!

Being strong is one of the most important things an athlete can be.

And I don’t mean strong just for the sake of lifting more weight.

I mean having a body that is physically prepared for what you’re asking it to do.

Every sport asks something different of the body.

Some athletes need more power. Some need more speed. Some need more endurance. Some need extreme levels of control or mobility.

But underneath all of it?

Your body still needs enough strength and capacity to handle the demands of your sport.

If you’re not strong enough to produce the force, absorb the force, control the positions, tolerate the repetitions, and recover from the work your sport requires… eventually that becomes a problem.

And this is why I think strength training for athletes needs to be taken more seriously.

Not as an extra. Not as something we do when there’s time.
And definitely not as a random collection of exercises designed to make athletes tired.

It should be part of how we physically prepare athletes for sport.

If you’re local, my Built by Borda strength classes are open to athletes who want to get stronger and better prepared for their sport.

And if you’re a gymnast looking for more gymnastics-specific strength work, I have virtual programming designed specifically for you.

Comment STRONG for info!

We talk a lot about wanting our girls to be confident. But confidence doesn’t really come first. It comes from doing the things that feel hard, especially when they aren’t totally sure they can do them yet.

Trying something new, struggling a little, failing and trying again, getting stronger, coming back after an injury, or speaking up when something doesn’t feel right. All of those experiences are giving them evidence that says, “I can handle hard things.”

As a mom, coach, and PT, I don’t think our job is to make everything easier for our girls. It’s to give them the tools, support, and opportunities to figure things out and realize just how capable they are.

Because the hard things are going to look different as they get older. And I want them to already have that voice in their head that says, “I can figure this out. I can get back up. I can do hard things.”

That’s the confidence I want us to help them build.

It’s that time of year…

Some of you may already be back at school, and around here, most kids are heading back this week. And I’m feeling it a little differently this year because I’ll officially have a kindergartner. 🥹

Back to school is exciting, but for athletes, it’s also a BIG shift in routine.

Earlier mornings. Long days at school. Homework. Practice. Less downtime. And somehow we’re still expecting our bodies to recover and perform at their best through all of it.

So as schedules start filling up again, these are 4 things I want athletes (and parents & coaches!) thinking about:

⚡️ Sleep
⚡️ Stress
⚡️ Strength + prehab
⚡️ Eating!

None of these have to be perfect. But having a plan, and building some consistency, can make a huge difference in how you feel, recover, and perform.

I’m going to spend the next few weeks sharing more practical back-to-school tips for athletes, and I want to make them things you actually need.

What would be most helpful right now? Sleep? Managing a crazy schedule? Stress? Strength/prehab? Eating during the school day? Something else?

Tell me below & I’ll use your answers to help plan what I share next! 💕

Coachable athletes need coachable coaches. 👏

I really think that part of the conversation matters.

It’s easy to say, “She doesn’t listen.” “She won’t make the correction.” “Her attitude is the problem.”

But coaches …before deciding an athlete is simply “uncoachable,” we also have to be willing to look inward.

Am I communicating this in a way she understands?
Have I explained the why?
Do I know what might be behind her reaction?
Have I built enough trust that she knows my corrections are coming from a place of wanting to help her?
Is there another way I could teach this?

Sometimes the athlete needs to adjust.
And sometimes the coach does.

And athletes … this goes both ways.

Your coach is there to teach you, challenge you, correct you, and hopefully help you become better. You’re not going to love every correction. You might be tired, frustrated, embarrassed, or having a bad day.

Those feelings are valid. But you still get to choose how you respond.

Listen. Ask questions. Try the correction. Give effort. Speak respectfully. And remember that being coached isn’t a personal attack, it’s part of becoming better.

The best coaching relationships aren’t built because one person does everything right.

They’re built when BOTH people are willing to listen, communicate, adjust, and keep showing up for each other.

That’s where growth happens.