When Life Deals You a Bad Season
Judging the success of a season is something that is easy for parents to do at any time. If kids are playing in a safe environment that is fun and is teaching the kids to be better people, then the season is going well. If, however, the kids are at risk for injury, they want to quit playing, or they are learning the wrong life lessons, then the season is not only bad, it is on the verge of disaster. Read more
Is Your Child Specializing in Hockey Too Early?
In this article for parents, youth sports expert Brian Grasso discusses the trend in the U.S. for specializing in one sport at an early age. Brian provides invaluable insight for parents when deciding at what age to have kids specialize in one sport. Brian also looks at the trends in other countries as well as explains the theory of multilateral development and how it can help our kids. Read more
How to Help Your Child be More Competitive
In this article for parents, youth sports psychology expert Patrick Cohn answers a reader’s question. The question submitted by James W is: “What is the best way to get your kids to be more competitive?” Read more
Win or Lose, Build a Young Player’s Confidence
Kids who are taught to overvalue winning might feel bad about themselves as athletes when they lose. As part of the All Star Season program, Darrell Burnett, a leading youth sports expert, identified two questions you can ask your player after a loss. Dr. Burnett stated, “Get their mind off of a loss by asking specific questions.” Here are the questions: Read more
Hockey Peer Pressure: Help Your Child Overcome It
Many hockey players today worry too much about what others think of their game. I call this social approval, which you probably know as peer pressure. Young athletes often worry too much about what others might think about their game and thus what judgments people make. Read more
Specializing in Hockey is No Guarantee of Success
Don’t allow your child to specialize in hockey too soon. Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. says his dad insisted that Cal and his brother, also a former major leaguer, play more sports than just baseball as kids. And that was even though Cal Ripken Sr. was a lifelong professional baseball man. Read more
5 Steps to Getting Your Kids Off to a Good Start
The first few weeks that kids spend playing a sport often determines how long they will continue. If the first few weeks are fun, then kids will stay with it. If not, kids will quit and find other ways to spend their time. Parents can help get their kids off to a good start by following these 5 simple tips: Read more
7 Strategies to Help Your Athlete Be More Confident
In this helpful article for youth sports parents, Dr. Patrick J. Cohn, a leading youth sports psychology expert, discusses 7 steps parents can take to help their child perform with more confidence. Read more
Trying Out for a Select Team - The Parent Quiz
If Your Kid Can Make the Team, Can You? Given the importance of team chemistry, many select and travel teams are starting to evaluate parents as well as the players when making their decisions for limited team spots. Parents who have demonstrated inappropriate behavior or who have caused problems for coaches or staff often put their kids at a disadvantage. Parents who don’t have the right perceptions of select sports can also cause problems for teams. Here is a quick questionnaire that teams can use to evaluate the parents of select or travel players. Read more
How to Make Tryouts Less Stressful
Below is a special article by Keith Andresen who has been involved with USA Hockey and coaching youth hockey for the past ten years. In this article, Keith discusses travel team tryouts and how parents can keep this process in perspective and make it less stressful for the family. Read more
