Kids have access to every kind of information imaginable on a daily basis. And the opportunity to scour the internet for whatever curiosity they have isn’t diminishing anytime soon. So we might as well start working with what we have on our hands: web doors …
As a coach and long-time softball player, I know that one of the biggest issues come practice time is the ability to keep every athlete engaged and motivated throughout the duration of our two to three-hour session. And sometimes, it can be hard to keep …
Unconventional Team Motivation Ideas: 4 Ways to Keep Your Players Engaged Read More »
Cheerleading is one of the most popular sports for kids and teens with almost 4 million participants in the USA alone in 2017. When it comes to competing as a cheerleader, it’s about more than just athletic ability. Of course, your jumps and your throws …
In my opinion, most of the ATP and WTA professionals you watch on television did not demonstrate early phenomenal promise. They simply were solid athletes, with “potential who were nurtured the love for the game twenty hours a week. The best players were motivated by …
If your child has a reoccurring nightmare of losing to pushers in tournaments, how is spending 6hours a day drilling the ball back and forth in an academy going to help? It’s not! After tournament matches, the parent has to provide detailed information to the coach. …
Quantity of Court Time Is Not Equal Quality Court Time Read More »
If your players can hit side to side and up and back, they have the ability to exploit their opponents by hitting to their weaknesses. This could be as simple as identifying that the backhand is weaker than the forehand and directing most shots to …
Playing on a hockey team is supposed to be a great experience for the kids, guiding them into all sorts of positive character traits, improving their technical skills, and giving them plenty of opportunities for exercise and fun. Coaching a hockey team or even being …
Michael Jordan once said, “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” Great coaches know that, while skills, drills, and practice are very important, it truly takes a team that is willing to work together through thick and thin to make a successful season. …
10 Awesome Ways to Improve Team Morale & Encourage Teamwork Read More »
Being a good team player is one thing, but being a great soccer team captain is another. Very few players will have this golden opportunity in taking up such an important leadership role. However, if you are fortunate to take up the role of a …
10 Useful Tips to Train Yourself to be a Soccer Captain Read More »
When children are very young, they may enjoy a Shangri-La sports experience – no one is cut from the team, equal playing time is enforced, and everyone receives a participation medal. Are those idyllic days now behind you? It’s OK that they are. Sometimes riding …
Is Your Child Riding the Bench? Here’s How to Parent Through It Read More »
When kids join sports teams it is important for them to remain physically fit throughout the season. If exercise is neglected, injuries are more likely to occur. Since teens and younger children have a tendency to spend a little too much time playing video games …
I was at a team mom meeting for our baseball league last year. All the basics were covered, like team pictures, uniforms, schedule, etc. Great, I was ready to wind up the meeting when a doctor from our local hospital began to hand out some …
It’s the start of a new travel sports season and you happened to draw the golden ticket of all parent tasks! YEP, you get to plan the travel for out of town tournaments. It’s complicated! You are trying to manage ten to twenty-some families, keep them …
In youth soccer the players need to be able to demonstrate certain skills in order to secure themselves not only a spot on the team but also a particular position. Those positions require specific skills and these skills can be evaluated in a competitive way. …
Coaching youth soccer can be rewarding and entertaining at a beginning level as you can influence and teach a young peer something new and you can enjoy the success at a different level. There is a great amount that can be learned from coaching including …
Youth soccer players are in a phrase where learning is critical and students learn through various methods. One that is critical to youth soccer is demonstrations. You can tell a youth player 100 times and they may still not understand the skill until they get …
We have all done it, being that soccer kid in the backyard dreaming of hitting the winning goal in extra time. We run around daydreaming we are our dream soccer athlete because we just saw them on TV. Kids need to remember that soccer drills …
The fun in soccer comes from being able to move the ball around and control where you want the ball to go. Players, even the newest ones, must start working on skills from day one and if they work on soccer skills, they will see …
People who are interested in the career of becoming a soccer coach or part time coach need to prepare themselves to take on such an endeavor. Many coaches of youth league are thrown into the position of head coach because their kid’s team needed a …
Soccer players are required to have high levels of fitness and athleticism combined with technique. Soccer practice is how we develop those skills and techniques while having a built in fitness program while doing that. Soccer practices need to have a main objective of what …
How do we make a better passer, shooter and dribbler during soccer practice? We develop both feet and when developing both feet in a soccer player, the earlier the better. This development needs to be implemented within the first year of soccer practices for youth …
How And When To Coach The Right Soccer Skills During Practice (Part 2 Out Of 2) Read More »
In youth soccer what is the best player on the field always have in common? We must look at the game and the best player always has one quality skill that most the other kids (under 10 leagues) have not developed yet. What is it? …
How And When To Coach The Right Soccer Skills (Part 1 Out Of 2) Read More »
Too often the phrase “student of the game” is related to players. We hear it on the sports news and relate being a student to being a player. Coaches must learn the game in order to teach it and that is obvious, but what is …
Youth Soccer Coaching: Become A Student of the Game Read More »
Whether you are watching on TV or bought a ticket, let’s look past being just a spectator. This is how coaches watch games and it is much different than when others do. There are so many skills and strategies being played out away from the …
INSTRUCTIONAL SOCCER PRACTICE FORMAT: WARM UP (roughly 5 minutes) This segment should include general body movement and coordination exercises that may be or may not be with a ball. Without them being aware of it, this introduces players to the demand to bring up body …
