Facilitating the Mental Game with Athlete Journals
Have you ever noticed that girls like to ponder things? Me too. Have you ever wondered what they’re thinking about? Me too. Do you know the best way to find out? Ask them. But don’t expect it to be that easy. You have to read between the lines. Which means…get it in writing. I’ve had some […]
Raising Capable Kids in a Competitive Setting
So, if everyone in your class gets an A, what will you work on next semester? I asked of the PE teacher I addressed in the previous post Why All A’s is Failing Our Kids? “Integrity. Respect. Confidence. Protecting others,” he replied. How would he grade those? He didn’t really know. That’s because character is meant to develop organically, […]
Why All A’s is Failing our Kids
Kids today are the most evaluated generation ever, but are they any better prepared than we were? A Facebook friend who teaches in the local schools recently posted a photo of his grade book with names primly truncated. There was not a grade below an A, with several achieving the superlative A+. It was captioned, “Never […]
Can a US Soccer Girls Development Academy Prevent Overuse Injuries?
Did you know there is yet ANOTHER league to consider if you’re interested in high level girl’s soccer these days? Yep. US Soccer has announced that it will be launching a Girls Development Academy in the Fall of 2017. This will book-end the boy’s Development Academy (DA) which they formed in 2007, created then to address […]
Taking the Fear out of Post-Concussion Syndrome
It seems like nearly every soccer-playing kid has had a concussion these days. And even if we’re lucky enough to have kids still in the clear, we’re set on edge by the looming fear that the succession of “sub-concussive hits” now under intense scrutiny may be just as damaging as that one big blow that […]
The Secret to Sports-based Youth Development: Kids Working as Hard in the Game as they do On Their Game
What does the phrase, sports-based youth development, mean to you? We talk a lot about developmental soccer. We have developmental programs and developmental leagues designed to help kids make progress on their skills, fitness, mental toughness, and game play. We develop the sport, but what about developing the youth? It was something I had to take […]
Spring is for Training, Find Your Seat
I was so excited to go see my first Spring Training baseball game, the Orioles vs the Braves. I’m not really a fan of either team. I’m a fan of the game and the sport. I love being at the ball park, which brings back great memories of the days my mom and I saw […]
Four Signs that Kids Sports Are Actually Hurting Them
When I was growing up playing sports, nobody ever got hurt, at least not seriously. I don’t remember a single teammate ever complaining of knee pain, shin pain, heel pain or hip pain. Today nearly all young athletes eventually experience at least one of these maladies. What has changed since the “good ole days?” Plenty. […]
Why Fit2Finish? Because it Starts and Ends with Healthy Kids
I often get asked, “How did you get started with Fit2Finish?” It’s a pretty good story… It was a sunny Sunday afternoon and I was watching my oldest daughter play a mid-season soccer game. The two teams were evenly matched and battled valiantly, contending for every ball – as only ten year old girls with […]
The Joy of Movement: Have You Ever Watched a Child Dance?
Early athletic success may have been the worst thing that ever happened to me. Things came easy. Classwork came easy. Grades? No problem. Even playground games were a delight because I could hit, catch and kick with minimum effort and much success. Who wouldn’t love to play games they are good at? And I did. Lots […]