How Young is Too Young to Recruit for College Soccer?
Does anyone really think that committing to college soccer as a middle schooler is a good idea? Yet, this is where we are, and it’s getting a lot of attention. The most recent announcement comes from Haley Berg, who verbally committed (as an eighth grader) to play for the University of Texas Longhorns in the fall of 2017, […]
Taking Action Against Concussions: 8 Things You Can Do with Your Team Right Now
Concussions are a terribly important issue in sports today. You’ll get no argument from me. I came into the conversation early digging up the facts and shaking out the recommendations. Read my investigations here: Concussions: Not Just a Bump on the Head Concussions: What Parents, Coaches and Players Can Do The conclusions: We need to […]
Three strategies to help avoid soccer injuries: Safety, Gear, Move
It’s one of the great moments in a new soccer career: getting the first pair of cleats. Then you send them out onto the pitch and the little running feet in the scrum of kids are a veritable rainbow of color. It doesn’t take long until somebody’s laces come untied. Then someone else. Before you […]
What are you Buying When you Pay for a Coach?
This continues the conversation from Dr. LeBolt’s last post, “How much is a good coach worth?“ It’s more important than ever that team parents and administrators who are making the decision about finding and hiring a coach know what they’re getting. Your kid is a precious commodity; you want the best for him or her. […]
How Much is a Good Coach Worth?
How much do you really know about that guy or gal who showed up to coach your team? With the explosion of youth soccer in the United States, many clubs are beating the bushes for coaches at the grassroots level. Thousands of well-meaning, servants of the game check the “I’ll be head coach” box. Thank […]
The Key to Keeping Your Resolve: Find a Good Coach
Making resolutions is easy. Keeping them is hard. Why? Because we are very clear on where we’d like to end up, what we’d like to do, how we’d like to look or act or feel. We see people accomplishing things all around us. Success stories that we find inspiring and motivational. If they can do […]
Raising an MVP: How Does Your kid Measure Up?
How does your kid measure up? That’s a pretty dangerous question, but we keep trying to find an answer. Not just height and weight for the annual physical. But how are their grades and scores, tests and evaluations? What are their rankings, percentiles, competitive finishes, selections, special mentions? We just keep measuring. The reason for […]
Help, My Kid is Home for Winter Break!…10 Ways to Train the Mind and Body While Saving Your Sanity
So, you’ve got an active kid who is home for the holidays. Yeah, a few days engaged with the new toys and they’re bouncing off the walls. Or, whining that they’re bored, bored, bored. These days, the “boredom” sends kids to their screens. TV, computer, smart phone, ipad. You know the drill; it’s a sign […]
Avoid Injuries: Take Time Off
“But we can’t afford to rest. Our archnemesis has indoor space and they’re training twice a week. Plus, they’ve registered for two indoor leagues and a futsal session. We can’t rest; we’ll lose ground.” If this is going through your head, you’re not alone. It’s the “keep up with the Joneses” mentality that is rampant […]
GotSoccer is Now Ranking U9 and U10 Teams, Got a Problem with That?
Many are taking aim at the recent decision by GotSoccer.com to rank U10 and U11 teams. Why not rank ’em? We’re a country that ranks and compares. We boast and brag. We compete. I’ll be happy to tell you that… I graduated ____ in my high school class, or with _____ honors from college. I […]