Simples ways to beat soccer burn out
Coaches: Give players the resources to cope with the stress of the game: help them focus on the task and what they CAN control (their game, their aggressiveness, their attitude) and not what they CAN’T control (game outcome, play of the other team, environment ) Be aware of outside stressors of your players. Connect personally […]
What Causes Overtraining?
Overtraining injury may be the result of one or several of the following: Activities which require repetitive motion. Increasing intensity or duration of training too quickly. Lack of fitness, especially core strength. Failure to fully rehab after an injury, come back too soon, not allow enough rest for recovery. Poorly functioning equipment. Shoes are generally […]
Signs and Symptoms of Overtraining
Increase in Resting Heart rate (taken before getting out of bed in the morning for at least 10 consecutive days). Persistent muscle soreness. Fatigue. Reluctance to train. Body is tired and heavy. Pattern of skipping practices or games. Sleeplessness: trouble falling asleep, wake during the night. Decrease in appetite. Weight loss. Irregular menstruation in females. […]
If you do player development, you better know child development
When we watch our children learning to play sports, it can be difficult to remember that they are children. We sometimes expect more from them than their chronological age and physical and emotional maturity will allow. Here are some age group behavioral guidelines: Beginners* 6-8: easily distracted, egocentric, cluster, easily fatigued, love movement, need clear […]
Play it safe, but play
Spring is coming! Our kids are streaming back to the playing fields. No one is happier about this than I am. Youth sports have so much to offer our kids – physically, emotionally, socially – as long as they’re not side-lined by injury. Did you know?* Sports injuries to youth (0-14 years) in 1997 cost […]
Whatever happened to the games we used to play?
What ever happened to down time? ~ unscheduled time when there were no camps, no scheduled activities, when there was time to be creative, sit and think, stare at the clouds?? Anna Quindlen, former Newsweek columnist, writes, “I mourn hanging out in the backyard. I mourn playing wiffle ball in the street without a sponsor […]
The key to youth sports success: compete don’t compare
Dear Fellow Sports Parent, What do you want your child to get from playing sports? Why do you sign him up? Drive him around? Go to his games? Cheer him on? Why do we go to the trouble? Because we want to give him the things that sport has to offer: healthy exercise, skill/coordination, confidence, […]