Top 10 Mistakes To Avoid When Pursuing a Scholarship
We can all learn from mistakes. Here are the most common ones made by student-athletes (and, to some extent, their familes) when pursuing sports scholarships. Avoid this top 10 and your opportunities will increase dramatically: Read more
USA Coach in Chief: Many Opportunities after High School
As a coach and hockey administrator that has worked with juniors for the last 20 of his 50 years in the sport, Al Bloomer is an advocate for making the most of a young athlete’s playing opportunities. Read more
Discover How Parents Can Boost Team Chemistry
It’s a fact proven season after season: The teams that are the most fun for kids are most often the ones where the parents interact well. They form their own team to support their children’s team. Read more
Winning Counts – But Know What We are Trying to Win
America prides itself on all forms of competition. Tracking wins and losses is an ingrained part of the nation’s character. This winning attitude should be carried over into youth sports. But, without understanding what it is we are trying to win, we run the risk of losing and losing big. Read more
What if the Youth Coach Held a Press Conference?
In professional sports, it is common for the head coach to give a press conference after each game to field the ‘tough’ questions and address concerns about the team. In youth sports, there is no need for press conferences. But, if a youth coach did give one after a game, it might go something like this: Read more
How Parents Make a Huge Impact: As Model Fans
Researchers cannot agree on whether competition helps children develop essential social skills, or if it does nothing more than cause conflict and discrimination. Some say that competition is part of human nature, something that is faced in everyday life. These scholars feel competition helps children learn skills that will be important throughout their lives. Read more
How More ‘Play’ in Practice Can Help You Win Games
(By Brian Grasso) A common misconception within the North American youth sporting world is the concept of ‘play’ for conditioning purposes. All too often, well-intentioned youth sport coaches or trainers follow the leads established by the elite members of their respective sports to configure training programs and sessions into hard-driving sessions or ‘endless repetitions of one exercise’ type affairs. It cannot be overstated enough how much this practice is counterproductive and impedes the optimal development of young athletes. Let’s examine that from a variety of perspectives. Read more
Guarantee Better Play with Off-Ice Conditioning
Ice hockey is very physically demanding and tests a player’s stamina. It requires players to be in good health, be able to work very hard for short periods of time (anaerobic conditioning) and be able to recover quickly from physical activity (aerobic conditioning). What’s more, strength, quickness and agility are also desirable. Players must learn to develop their physical abilities in all areas. Read more
Don’t Miss Out: The 40K Car Wash Fundraiser
Here’s a way for your team to “clean up” and everybody wins. Check out this interview with Lamar Slay on how he raised $40,000 in individual fundraisers for youth groups. Read more
Learn to Be Another Gretzky. Is it Possible?
According to a recent article in Wired Magazine, Peter Vint, a researcher with the U.S. Olympic Committee says he believes athletic skills can be learned even to the Wayne Gretzky level of performance. Such talent has long been assumed to be innate. Read more
