Basics

Number One Ingredient For Athletic Success Is Passion, Says Mike Boyle

The number one ingredient for athletic success, says top strength and conditioning coach Mike Boyle, is passion. "Find something your kid loves," he tells 4-time Olympic medalist Angela Ruggiero. "You can't want it for them."

Misplaced Priorities: Parents Should Spend More Time Helping Kids Prepare For Life, Less Time Preparing For Next Game

 

American athletics has become so all consuming that many parents have lost sight of the reality of youth sports. What started a hundred years ago in the New York public school system has now morphed into big business, which is feeding unrealistic expectations for parents and kids alike.

Here are a couple of examples, just from today: 

American athletics has become so all consuming that many parents have lost sight of the reality of youth sports. What started a hundred years ago in the New York public school system has now morphed into big business and unrealistic expectations for parents and kids alike.

Tell Girls That Sports As Normal and Healthy For Them As For Boys, Top Female Athletes Say

The co-author of the new book, "Raising Your Game - Over 100 Accomplished Athletes Help You Guide Your Girls and Boys Through Sports," says the female elite athletes she talked to all emphasized how important it was for girls to know that it's just as normal and healthy for them to participate and compete as it has always been for boys. 

Self-Awareness Is Critical To Successful Sports Parenting, Says Author of New Book

Do you possess sports parenting self-awareness?Have you considered how you appear to your child if you look upset, disappointed, or angry at their games? If not, it's time you do. Being mindful of your own behavior and moods are critically important for every mom, dad, grandparent, or anyone else involved in youth sports, says the co-author of the new book,  "Raising Your Game - Over 100 Accomplished Athletes Help You Guide Your Girls and Boys Through Sports."

Moms Can Help Keep Young Athletes Hydrated and Performing At Their Best

Today's sports moms do much more than juggle schedules and drive athletes to and from games. Many also serve as coaches, assistant coaches, and team moms, or volunteer to bring snacks and drinks. Regardless of her role, one of the most important things a mom can do to help every athlete on the team perform at their best is to ensure that they are well-hydrated, before, during and after practices and games.

"Winning Takes Care of Everything" and Other Sporting Myths

Nike's latest edgy ad in which Tiger Woods claims that, "Winning takes care of everything," has evoked a wide range of responses in the media, and, one might hope, around the family dinner table. After all, why miss a teachable moment when you're a parent of a young athlete? But what exactly is Nike's message, wonders one commentator on sports and society.

Louisville's Kevin Ware: Thinking More About His Team Than His Injury Was A Great Lesson For Easter

Is it just me, or did we just see the Easter Story re-enacted during the Louisville/Duke game on Sunday?

Christian parents around the world lovingly take their children to church and celebrate the Lenten season in the hopes that their children will eventually understand the story of Jesus Christ and the gift of Salvation that he gave to humankind. The religious story is simple: he died so that "we" can live on with a rich spiritual life on earth and in Heaven.

That Louisville's Kevin Ware's first thought after suffering a gruesome injury on Sunday against Duke was for his team, not himself, gave Easter Sunday a whole new meaning for one Texas mom and her 12-year-old son.

Sex, Drugs, and Cheating In Sports: Is Money At The Heart Of the Problem?

With much fanfare and publicity, a Minnesota high school hockey coach recently posted his 500th career win. What the articles about achieving the milestone failed to mention was that he is alleged to have racked up all those wins with the help of players he had recruited, a practice which is prohibited at the high school level in Minnesota.  It would seem, however, that only winning matters to most people.

Are an entertainment-driven, winning-at-all-costs society, along with the never-ending quest for money, the root cause of the cheating, lying, alcohol and sexual abuse by coaches and athletes which too often plague today's high school and college sports?

Relative Age Effect Reversal Found At Elite Level of Canadian Hockey

Much has been made of the relative age effect (RAE) - that birth month is destiny for sports achievement - but the evidence is far from conclusive. It is true that some sports team rosters across the globe have a lot of players born in the first few months of the year, but there is more to this phenomenon than originally understood.

Staying Physically Fit During School Year: A Challenge For Many Parents

With the school year beginning, a concern of many parents of youth athletes is how to keep their family healthy, physically and mentally.  You don't have to sacrifice your own mental and physical fitness to maintain the rigorous schedules that school and extracurricular activities demand. Here's how.
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