Issues & Advice

“There are certain things we can control as officials; That’s being professional, that’s being good communicators and being honest and trying to work the best game we can.” Keith Kaval took his warmup lap on the ice and the only thing he could think about before officiating one of the biggest games of his career […]

“We’ve gotten better when more NHL coaches have gotten involved in the coaching program, gotten more involved in the ADM. We’re better when the college coaches get involved.” USA Hockey continues to use innovative ways to connect coaches to education and resources for the development of young players. First, USAHockey.com has information about the American Development Model […]

The Gipper. Pep speech before every workout. Before main sets. Before pre-main sets. Before warm-up. Swim coaches are a different breed. They work long, thankless hours, often times having to balance their coaching duties with another job. They coach because they love the sport, and we love them right back. Here are 10 different swim […]

It’s critical for coaches set expectations for their team and lead by example. Coaches play a key role in player safety on and off the ice. In fact, they are considered the primary responsible party for the team in the hockey environment – whether they are present or not when an incident occurs. This means […]

This isn’t to say there can’t be tangents, coaches meetings shouldn’t be an all business type of affair, but you should stick to the agenda to keep things moving. The current trend in society is very anti-meeting. Lots of people perceive meetings as a gigantic waste of time that can be avoided through the use […]

Think back to every team you cheered for and try to think of a few things you said or did that you wish you could take back. As I was biking one morning I started thinking about my top five mistakes as a youth sports parent. It didn’t take me long to come up with about […]

The more you follow Occam’s Razor the more success your players will have and the more games you’ll win. Isn’t that really what it’s all about? At some point in your life outside of fastpitch softball you’ve probably heard the term “Occam’s Razor.” No, it’s not a brand of shaving utensil. Instead, it’s a way […]

All sports increase your physical activity to some degree, but soccer offers unique benefits in that arena, especially when considered alongside other sports. Sports and activities have a wide range of positive benefits for children and teens. Participation in a team sport can introduce and foster character growth in your child as well as provide for […]