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 […]
Want to help your female athletes think and play with confidence? Write it down
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 […]
Picking Out Cleats: How in the World Do I Choose?
Have you shopped for cleats lately? Kids’ cleats? It’s a pricey experience and quite an education. With a whole wall of the things in front of you, how do you know which pair is right? Recently we went to a local soccer store which supplies uniforms and equipment to lots of area teams. There were […]
Helping Our Female Athletes Be Confident, not Cocky
Talk about being surrounded by beautiful women… John Daly is loving this. He would tell you so; the ladies would just nod and smile – and defer to their teammates. Here’s how I know. I got to enjoy the company of four of these young ladies over brunch at the William and Mary Celebration of […]
Thank you, Vienna Youth Soccer Striker Parents
Author’s note: I just finished six weeks working with the Vienna Youth Soccer (VYS) Strikers, 3 teams of U14 girls soccer players who compete in WAGS and ODSL. They are professionally trained by Gerardo Ramirez, Elise Fasick and Andon Tsarev. They invited Fit2Finish to introduce soccer-specific fitness and injury prevention. Dear Striker Parents, You have a […]
Youth Soccer Players: What College Coaches Want You to Know
Are you ready for big time soccer? Here is what Diane Drake, head women’s soccer coach at George Mason University, has to suggest to the player investigating the college soccer ranks. Know the rules for contacting coaches and when they can contact you. You can contact college coaches with your interest or questions at any […]
Youth Sports: What Happens When Money Wins?
How much is your kid worth? Surely, there’s no answer to that question; they’re priceless. But what I am seeing in youth sports clubs lately makes me think that priceless is getting more expensive. We’re paying for them to do everything and at younger ages. The gear, the fees, the uniforms, and the professional trainers. A few […]
Team Tie-dye Bonds Girls into a Winning Mosaic of Fun
A dozen girls from the CSC Inferno were tie-dying t-shirts in my driveway last weekend. This weekend, they recorded their sixth win in as many games. They’re undefeated in the division of the Old Dominion Soccer League. Now, I’m not taking credit for those wins. But I do know that bonding as a team off […]
Young Athlete Says the Key to a Good Coach is…”He doesn’t yell.”
I met a lacrosse player yesterday who was aching to be released from physical therapy and get back on the field. This is his senior year in high school and college coaches have shown an interest in him. I ask him how he likes his coach. “He’s okay,” the kid says, but his frown tells me otherwise. […]
Coaching Well: Why Do We Coach?
This article was originally published in The Fairfax Times, June 2010. It so saddens me to read the endless stories of remarkably talented athletes like Tiger Woods and Ben Roethlisberger behaving badly– these lives, full of potential, are then misspent by their worst natures. We are left asking: “How did we let these athletes get […]
