Want to be a Champion? Learn to be a Good Loser
All of the golfing world felt for Jordan Spieth as his ball splashed into the creek on the par three 12th at the Masters this weekend. When it happened a second time, I actually had to walk away from my t.v. set. I just couldn’t bear to watch as the kid collapsed in the biggest moment of […]
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 […]
The Killer Dynamic Warm Up in 5 Simple Steps
Confused about getting your dynamic warm up right? It’s the first thing I do with every youth team, no matter the sport, is make sure they perform a complete dynamic warm up before every practice and every game. A regular dynamic warm up, done with dedication and proper form, has been shown to reduce the chance […]
Pre-season Tournaments Beat Kids Up: Rest Days Allow them to Return to Full Strength
Are your players full of energy and enthusiasm at the beginning of practice? Or, are they pooped from school starting or the tournament weekend they just toughed it through? We all like those high energy days because we know that’s when we can really challenge them toward peak performance, but we are leery of pushing past […]
ACL Risk Assessment: 5 Simple Tests Every Parent and Coach Can Do
Do you want to know if you kid is at risk for an ACL tear? You don’t need a special assessment program or highly trained health professionals to run an assessment. You can evaluate your own kids to decide whether there is cause for concern. Here are five tests every coach and every parent can and […]
How to Put the SHOW in Showcase
Showcase…just the word puts you on guard. You’re the center of things. On the big field, the feature field, the stadium field, the special turf. Coaches come from far and wide to watch you play. You know who they are, even behind their shades, because they are standing there with their clipboards and game sheets, […]
US Soccer Has a Player Development Problem: Julie Foudy offers new/old perspective
What if the best way to get your kid on the U.S. National Team was to not attend their games? Or allow them to quit soccer for a season or two on a whim? Both of these techniques worked for Julie Foudy, one of the most capped U.S. players in history (271) and a leading […]
Videos for the Fit2Finish Book
Here are the video links for my new book Fit2Finish: Keeping Your Soccer Players in the Game. Find your age group. Find your fun. Try it out. All the Fit2Finish games are fueled by the science of healthy sports but designed to blend performance into your practice. (Just don’t tell them it’s good for them!) […]
Are Youth Soccer Coaches Smarter than Little League Coaches?
Throwing too many pitches is injuring our little leaguers. The scary thing is, coaches know this and are still putting young players at risk. A group from Case Western Reserve reports, While 100% (of coaches) were aware of the need to limit the number of pitches thrown by young pitchers to prevent overuse injuries, only […]
Perfect Training, Puppy Style
When life gives you a puppy, make him a training game. I had no choice as I tried to escort Buddy, my new little Brittany, in from his fence. He wanted to dart this way; I wanted him to go that. Oh, but this was a game. If I ran, he ran. So I dashed […]