Issues & Advice

If run well, youth sports tournaments can be great for athletes, parents, and organizations. Follow these tips to make sure your next tournament stands out for all the right reasons.

It’s up to the coaches to create situations that allow student-athletes to develop imperative communication skills. In fact, students who play sports are less likely to develop social anxiety. Coaches are more than just sports-focused leaders who see their student-athletes a few hours every week. They play a vital role in athletes lives — as […]

This is a good practice until he gains experience in pre- and post-snap reads is the beginning of a good teaching tool for all coaching staffs and quarterbacks. There are many types of reads for quarterbacks to learn during their football career. Here, I will cover and explain some of the basic reads. First, quarterbacks […]

Many in the game will tell you that mental toughness is a determining factor that that can separate the average from the good and the good from the great. I was recently contacted by a coach of a 12U baseball team who wanted to know what he could do to increase mental toughness among the […]

“If pucks start going in, it doesn’t matter,” he laughs. “You take your helmet off, you take a look and you go, ‘I need another one. What am I doing wearing this one?’ “ When the St. Louis Blues take the ice Monday, they may look a little green. This series against the Boston Bruins […]

Every parent wants to know how their kids are doing at a swim meet. I think we can all agree that not all parents are on the same level when it comes to the intricacies of swimming. Have you ever been on a summer swimming pool deck and wondered? When is my child swimming? How […]

Make sure it’s clear that communication is necessary and expected. An athlete should feel comfortable talking to you anytime, not just at the start of the season. Serious student-athletes are being pulled in so many directions now: from academic responsibilities, to school and club sports with seasons that often overlap. Everyone wants those teams to […]

Today’s athlete uses technology in all aspects of their life. Youth sports programs can leverage this fact to better engage their players and grow their programs. If you’re also a member of an older generation, you probably see how different today’s youth sports environment is in comparison to the when we were kids. Playing multiple […]

Realize now there will be conflicts coming up during the next few weeks, and try to decide how you are going to handle them before the day of the conflicting activities. It’s this time of year when social calendars are filled with end-of-school-year activities, retirement parties, and graduation celebrations–and, is it me, but couldn’t Grandma […]

Fun is vague and subjective. It is defined by the swimmers themselves. For one swimmer, it may be playing with friends. Every once in a while, we, as a team, revisit our mission, our vision, and our goals. This year I decided to try to articulate some reasons behind them. On our team, we have […]