The Path To Athletic Success: Play More, Compete Less

SmartTeams Short Talk: Best Predictor of Whether A Child Will Play College Sports Is Parent Or Sibling Who Played College or Pro

Loyola of Chicago's Dr. Neeru Jayanthi says three studies of college athletes shows that the best predictor of whether a youth athlete will play sports in college is genetics: whether they have a first degree relative (i.e. parent or sibling) who played college or professional sports.

SmartTeams™ Talk: Dr. Neeru Jayanthi Explores The Myths And Dangers Of Sports Specialization

A pediatric sports medicine expert asks parents not to buy into the idea that sport specialization will increase their chances of playing sports in college, to listen to the data linking specialization and increased risk of serious overuse injury, and recommends that kids not play sports more hours per week than their age.

SmartTeams™ Talk: Rosalind Wiseman Offers Parents and Coaches Ways To Use Sports To Teach Important Life Lessons

In an entertaining and informative SmartTeams Talk, best-selling author and parenting expert Rosalind Wiseman provides concrete advice to youth sports parents and coaches on how they can help nourish and maintain the relationship youth athletes have with adults.

How to Improve Youth Sports Safety: Focus On Protecting The Whole Child

As a woman and mother fighting to keep kids safe playing sports for the past twenty-five years, MomsTEAM Founder, Brooke de Lench, knows that, just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes the involvement of every youth sports stakeholder to protect children at play from abuse, not just physical abuse, but emotional, psychological and sexual, and from sports injuries, many of which are preventable.

Summer Camp Benefits Kids In Lots Of Ways

The director of a co-ed summer camp in Maine lists the many reasons why a sleep-away camp experience is so valuable for kids.

Burnout In Youth Athletes: Risk Factors, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

While geared to sports medicine professionals, a new position statement from the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine provides helpful guidance to sports parents on the causes, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment of burnout in youth athletes.

Five Snow Day Activities For Parents and Kids

Snow days can provide a surprisingly productive opportunity to build upon your child's social, emotional learning and resilience skills. Here are five ways parents can use snow days to help build their child's resilience.

Twelve Signs of A Good Youth Sports Program

The very best youth sports programs, says Brooke de Lench, share 12 characteristics.

Excessive Adult Praise For Youth Athletes Can Backfire For Those With Low Self-Esteem, Study Suggests

Parents and other adults are inclined to heap the highest praise on children with low self-esteem who are most likely to actually be hurt by the compliments, finds a new study, with important implications for youth sports parents.

Hal Tearse