Nobody wants to lose valuable training time, or take time off during a sports season, and (frankly) our culture glamorizes playing through the pain, so it’s often easier to just sit back and ignore it. However, injuries left untreated can make matters worse and even lead to long-term issues. Does this situation sound familiar? You […]

NCSA Power Rankings are based on proprietary analysis of NCSA Favorites data obtained from the college search activity of the over 2 million student-athletes on the NCSA recruiting network, U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges list, IPEDS graduation rates and IPEDS average cost after aid. The goal of these rankings is to help families […]

The five most common recruiting myths explained.

Though that first season may have not been the most enjoyable experience for a young Thompson, he’s forever grateful for his early playing days. Now, being at the highest level of football, he understands the impact it had. Maybe Chris Thompson was always destined to end up with the Washington Redskins. When the running back […]

Abuse Prevention Training has resulted in increased safety and participation for young athletes.

Rather than have assigned positions, the best way to coach a youth baseball team is with a roster loaded with utility players. While assigned positions and defined roles become important to winning at the higher levels of baseball, coaches of younger teams should allow players to develop and try all positions to become more well-rounded. […]

For athletes today, experts emphasize training harder and more often. While this may be true, the rate and quality of recovery play just as important a role in helping enhance athletic performance. A variety of recovery techniques exist, from hydrotherapy to active or passive recovery, and compression equipment, to name a few. There is no […]

1. “WHAT HAPPENED?” Especially in younger children, fact-finding as soon as possible is important to help understand the context of potential injuries. Details can be skewed or forgotten over time. If your child can’t remember when the pain started, it doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t injured. 2. “WHERE DOES IT HURT?” Soreness from overuse typically […]

Making a prospective coach spend a season as an official before qualifying for a license would solve more than one problem in youth sports. As someone who has coached and officiated baseball, soccer and basketball since the late 1970’s, I thought Ron Kramer’s “Maine Voices” piece regarding youth sports reaching a potential tipping point due to […]

12-year-old Manning Bradley has overcome physical limitations to become an up-and-coming baseball star Manning Bradley wasn’t alive for Jim Abbott’s 1993 no-hitter – a day that lives in baseball infamy. That, however, doesn’t stop the 12-year-old baseball star from garnering comparisons to the former Major Leaguer.   Abbott, a 10-year major league veteran, and Bradley […]