Save the Knees: Beating ACL Injuries with Prevention
On July 10, 2011, Ali Krieger pounded home the penalty kick that advanced the U.S. Women’s National Team past Marta and the Brazilians in the 2011 Women’s World Cup quarterfinals. Remember? We couldn’t stop watching the replays. Now, it’s 2012 and time for Olympic gold, but where is Ali? Out with an ACL, an anterior […]
5K Run Training Plan: This Schedule Will Get You Across the Finish Line
Your fitness needing a little boost? Signing up for a fall 5K race is the perfect motivator. Are you hesitating? Maybe you’ve never run a 5K? Or maybe you’re thinking about getting into (or back into) running, but you’re asking how will I ever run 3.2 miles? Glad you asked. You need to set up a schedule […]
5K Run Training Plan: This Schedule Will Get You Across the Finish Line
Training for a community 5k is a great way to boost your fitness and contribute to a terrific causeYour fitness needing a little boost? Signing up for a fall 5K race is the perfect motivator. Are you hesitating? Maybe you’ve never run a 5K? Or maybe you’re thinking about getting into (or back into) running, but […]
Interval Train to use Recovery as a Training Tool
Recovery. Every athlete needs it. Suzy Germain says it’s missing from her son’s topnotch team and that’s taking a toll. Wayne Goldsmith, in his January 4th blog post, has a great mnemonic to help us think about how recovery – that is, time off from sport-specific conditioning and training – re-charges the elite athlete so he can go […]
The “Coach-Athlete” Conversation about Playing Time
One of the hardest issues for kids in today’s competitive youth sports setting is playing time. No one likes to spend time on the bench; the fun is in playing the game. But, the more competitive the team, the more important the win. Coaches whose jobs and reputation depend on fielding a winning team play their starters. Maybe only […]
We Need to Give Kids a Break in the Season
Here’s a riddle: What do you call something you do almost every day, all week, year round? … work, right? What do we call it when our kids do it? … sports. Is anyone laughing? Neither are our kids. They’re paying the price in exhaustion, stress, injury, and burnout. The scenario sounds very much like the […]
Teaching Throw ins: Kids Learn by Doing, Not Watching
Kids don’t learn by watching. They learn by doing. It was amazing to me that these 8 and 9 year old boys stood so politely watching their coach demonstrate and listening to their coach describe what they are to do with their throw ins. The coach was kind and pleasant and fun, but he went […]
No Child Left Behind: Let’s Get Physical
A lot of political capital and many educational dollars have been invested in keeping our childrens’ minds up to speed. The solution may be fitter bodies. Two studies at the University of Illinois make the case. Scientists grouped 9 and 10 year old kids by their levels of aerobic fitness. In one study they evaluated the kids’ performance on cognitive attention tasks; […]
Resistance Band Fitness for all ages
Resistance bands are one of the best training tools for the fitness games we play and home exercise programs we teach and recommend. Bands are perfect because they are portable, inexpensive and adaptable. Purchased in 3-4 foot lengths or cut to this length from 75 foot rolls, we use them for both upper body and lower […]
Why “you can be anything you want to be” may be the wrong advice
I took my 14 year old daughter to see Wicked at the Kennedy Center this week. What an incredible show. What an incredible message. Young people everywhere are walking away with the courage to take on the world. Tapping into the ‘something that’s changed within them.’ Why not throw off what holds them down? Defy […]