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Teaching Individual Game Skills

Individual skills are the foundation for the next level of coaching, which are Game Skills. Many players are utilizing skills coaches to help them throughout the year. Goalies are often working with a goalie coach, and there are many programs devoted to off-ice training and strength training and conditioning. In order to take advantage of higher skilled players, youth and high school coaches are faced with a challenging proposition about how to best teach their players how to use these individual skills to play the game effectively as a team.

Just as head coaches rely on assistant coaches and private skills trainers they should also reach out to professionals and experts to help them with the professional mental training and on ice effectiveness training systems.

NOCSAE Meeting: Lots Of Questions, But No Answers

Last Friday, I attended the summer meeting of the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) at the Boston Harbor Hotel. It was hard to be inside on such a spectacular summer day, but made easier by the location of the meeting: in the Atlantic Room, directly above Rowe's Wharf, with a view of a sparkling Boston harbor filled with sailboats and power boats. Boston harbor skyline with Rowes Warf

The summer meeting of the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) was held in a room overlooking Boston harbor, but the view was about the only thing that made it worth attending, says Brooke de Lench.

Back in Action, If Not In The Game: A Halftime Report On A Teenager's Recovery From A Stress Fracture Of His Spine

First, a thank you

In my last blog I wrote about my son's back injury and the start of physical therapy, but before I report on his progress, I want to extend a special thank you to everyone who contacted me after reading my blog post. My intuition told me that the fractured spine he suffered is an injury that has affected many other youth athletes and families. I was completely overwhelmed by the number of people who called, emailed, IM'd, commented on the blog site, or ran me down (figuratively, at least) in the grocery store to ask about my son. Thank you all so much.

After suffering a stress fracture of his lumbar spine, a 13-year-old Texas football player begins rehabbing his injury with rigorous physical therapy. His mom provides a halftime report from the sideline.

Should Kids Play Multiple Sports or Focus On One Year-Round?

Parents often have a hard time understanding the extent and breadth of youth sports that their kids are involved with. As the child progresses the parents get advice from other parents, coaches and sport organizations. At some point most parents’ start questioning the information and seek answers elsewhere.

One of the most common questions is: Should my child play one sport year-round?

This seems like a simple question but the answers are often times conflicting so it depends on who is asked. Sometimes it is hard to get an informed answer from someone who makes a living on training and coaching kids in sports.

The question of whether multiple sports or a single sport is the right path for a youth athlete is a tough one to answer, but parents shouldn't expect an honest answer from someone who makes a living on training and coaching kids in sports.

More Than International, Federal and State Laws Needed To Keep Kids Safe Playing Sports

This week and last, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Child is meeting to review the progress made under provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. 194 nations will participate, except for three, which have yet to ratify the CRC: Somalia, South Sudan, and the United States.*Convention on Rights of the Child @ 25 poster

With the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Child meeting to review the progress made under provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), MomsTEAM's Brooke de Lench talks about the importance, not of just laws and treaties, in keeping kids safe playing sports, but of voluntary safety programs, such as the SmartTeam program being developed for introduction in Fall 2014.

Youth Sports Hero of the Month: Bram Miller (Falkville, Ala.)

When Falkville High School's Bram Miller received his gold medal for winning the Class 1A state high jump title on May 2, the public address announcer told everyone in Selma Memorial Stadium that the sophomore had set a state record by clearing 6 feet, 8 inches.

The state title alone was quite an accomplishment because Bram had practiced with the track team full-time for only two weeks since finishing the spring JV baseball season. Setting the state Class 1A record added luster.

When an Alabama high jumper won the state title everyone thought he had set a state record. But he knew better. What he did next made him this month's Youth Sports Hero.

The Road To Varsity: Helping Other Women Along The Way Is Not Just A Goal But A Responsibility

 

On May 7, Helena Costa became the first female to coach a professional men's soccer team in the history of the sport in France. I was thrilled to read the announcement, not only because its historic importance, but because of what did not include: completely absent from the article was any mention of her height, body style, hair color, fashion sense, or other meaningless traits too often included in articles involving women. Even better, there was no suggestion that Costa was bossy; at least not yet, and hopefully  not ever! Bravo, Coach Costa! Bravo!

Just as important to a longtime female high school basketball official as reaching her goal of varsity status is helping other women succeed along the way.

Six Years After: Concussion Risk Management Still A Work In Progress

 

It is hard believe that it has now been six years since I gave the keynote address at the National Sports Concussion Summit in Marina del Rey, California. Harder, yet to think we have been leading this charge since 2000.

Minnesota Wild - Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup Series: Valuable Lessons For Youth Coaches

 

The six-game Stanley Cup conference semi-final series between the Minnesota Wild and the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks was really exciting, no matter how disappointed fans in Minnesota were at the outcome (the Blackhawks won the series, 4 games to 2).

As a longtime student and teacher of the game, I had to admire the level of play and skills on display night after night. It was high speed chess, as the home team coaches tried to match lines and get an edge over the other team.

A longtime student and teacher of the game of hockey says the Stanley Cup playoff series between the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks taught some valuable lessons for youth coaches in terms of the system discipline and hard work the players showed at both ends of the ice.

17th Annual Mother's Day Wish List from Brooke de Lench

It's Mothers Day once again. Time for spring sports, warmer weather, longer days, planting gardens, and, of course, watching kids play sports. Each year for the past seventeen years, MomsTEAM has published my Mother's Day Wish list. As you will see, many of the wishes on this year's list will look very familiar to long-time visitors. But a couple are brand spanking new:

Every year for the past 17 years, MomsTEAM Founder Brooke de Lench has issued a Mother's Day wish list. Here's this year's list.
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