Issues & Advice

It’s up to the coaches to create situations that allow student-athletes to develop imperative communication skills. In fact, students who play sports are less likely to develop social anxiety. Coaches are more than just sports-focused leaders who see their student-athletes a few hours every week. They play a vital role in athletes lives — as […]

“If pucks start going in, it doesn’t matter,” he laughs. “You take your helmet off, you take a look and you go, ‘I need another one. What am I doing wearing this one?’ “ When the St. Louis Blues take the ice Monday, they may look a little green. This series against the Boston Bruins […]

Many in the game will tell you that mental toughness is a determining factor that that can separate the average from the good and the good from the great. I was recently contacted by a coach of a 12U baseball team who wanted to know what he could do to increase mental toughness among the […]

Every parent wants to know how their kids are doing at a swim meet. I think we can all agree that not all parents are on the same level when it comes to the intricacies of swimming. Have you ever been on a summer swimming pool deck and wondered? When is my child swimming? How […]

Realize now there will be conflicts coming up during the next few weeks, and try to decide how you are going to handle them before the day of the conflicting activities. It’s this time of year when social calendars are filled with end-of-school-year activities, retirement parties, and graduation celebrations–and, is it me, but couldn’t Grandma […]

Fun is vague and subjective. It is defined by the swimmers themselves. For one swimmer, it may be playing with friends. Every once in a while, we, as a team, revisit our mission, our vision, and our goals. This year I decided to try to articulate some reasons behind them. On our team, we have […]

There are no secrets in sport. There are no more secret sets or special practice sessions that you and you alone know. Everyone knows what you know. Creativity – along with the ability to inspire change through emotional connection – is a coach’s most powerful tool. Now that coaches all over the world can get anything […]

Getting stuck at the end of the bench does not foster participation. And we all know greater participation is sorely needed in youth sports. Under which condition is it “fair” to use equal playing time and under which condition is it “fair” to use unequal playing time? That’s one of the questions asked in a […]

“This about developing character and how sports teach us values that create good citizens that know how to follow rules, compete, and how to win and lose with dignity.” The new president of Mexico has made one thing very clear in his first six months in office: He wants to see more baseball played south […]

On the 40 NCAA Division I women’s college hockey rosters last season, there were 157 Minnesotans, which led the country by a considerable margin. Massachusetts was second with 106. While the Minnesota Gophers women’s hockey team fell one game short of bringing another NCAA title to Minnesota in March, the overall state of hockey for […]