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. […]
In Today’s World, Sport is No Longer Optional, It’s Essential
In the wake of the daily headlines, do sports and recreation even matter anymore? What does it matter that I teach kids to dribble, pass, and shoot? What does it matter that they learn to play the positions? What does it matter that I set a line up with starters and subs? play a system, […]
Playing Up: Is developing their skills worth giving up our win?
Cat was her name; she was the ringer on my daughter’s U9 travel team. It was the spring season and they had been a miserable failure (in soccer terms) in the fall. When Cat joined the team mid-year, things had started looking up. This girl was small but fast. And was she ever good. She […]
World Cup Competition: Do You Believe?
How can competition bring out the absolute worst in some and the best in others? One head butts for a red card. The other heads it in for a winner. One crumples untouched to draw the foul. The other stands his ground in spite of the mugging. One bites and… What’s going on? There’s no […]
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 […]
Two Sports in the Same Season: What Can We Do?
Two sports in the same season, it doesn’t end. We just switch which team gets dibs on our kids. Now that fall soccer is over we head into the winter season. The fall soccer players are taking on winter sports, but also playing indoor or futsal, or just plain training outside. Two sports in the […]
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, […]
