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Archive for “Youth Sport” Tag

5 Traits Of A Champion That Coaches Love To See

Posted on: March 20th, 2012 by IYCA 2 Comments

 

Youth Sport Coaches Want These Habits

 

By Jim Herrick

 

Youth Sport Coaches

 

Do you want to make the team, get more playing time, or win a championship this season? If you do, stop worrying about ability and start focusing on habit building.

 

Athletic Revolution coaches around the country work hard to instill Champion habits into all the kids who work with us, whether they play sports or not. We do this because we see how important they are to a young athlete’s long-term success on the field, in the classroom, and in life.

 

Kids who focus on winning or other external goals often lose sight of the internal factors that in many cases lead to much more personal and team success in the long run.

 

For anyone going out for a team, remember that by developing these 5 critical habits you will help yourself to get noticed by youth sport coaches, contribute more to your team, and become the best player you can possibly be over time.

 

Attention to detail: There are so many small details that go into the successful execution of a play or game plan. Players who do the little things that most kids overlook send a message to their coach that they are the detail-oriented type that helps teams become more successful. Building this habit during your youth league experiences will make it far easier to succeed as you move through high school and beyond, where sport has just as much to do with execution as it does ability.

 

Focus: Youth sport coaches never have enough practice time to do all the things they’d like to in order to prepare their teams. Players that are focused and attentive help to keep things moving along positively in practices, helping the team as a whole to get more done. And since the habits we all build in practices or training carry over to game performance, improving your focus will help you deal with adversity from opponents, crowds and other distractions that come up during the heat of competition.

 

Passion: Nothing is more infectious than enthusiasm. If you live to play your sport and can’t get enough of it, let it come out! Show energy and excitement at appropriate times. Give 100% in everything you do, from the simplest drill to the toughest physical challenge. Project a feeling of excitement on a regular basis, and your youth sport coaches will surely take notice.

 

Leadership: You do not have to be the star of your team to be a leader. Leadership is about helping to do what is best for the group as a whole, especially at times when it is not easy to do so. When it’s needed, pick up a teammate who is struggling. Let your passion show when the team appears flat. In critical moments where your group needs a leader, step up and be the voice that moves everyone in a better direction.

 

Show Improvement Over Time/Perseverance: The gains you make over the course of a season are a byproduct of your focus, passion, and attention to detail. I mention it separately because it is possible your coaches may not immediately realize the value of all the little things you bring to the table. But with the right habits in place, over time you’re going to get significantly better. And when that happens, I can almost guarantee your youth sport coaches will see it.

 

If you are not getting the playing time or having the team success you wished for right away, hang in there. Keep training and practicing with passion, stay focused and do all the little things you’ll need for success. Often times it takes longer to reach your goals than you realize. The true achievers in this world are those that hang in there and fight through the struggles while continuing to build great habits.

 

Many young athletes simply want to win as many youth sport coaches know, but are either unsure or unwilling to focus on all the critical steps that lead to long-term success. A true Champion recognizes that those who come out on top in the end put in countless hours of focused practice, took hundreds or thousands of small steps forward along the way, and continued to stay energized despite the roadblocks that fell on their path.

 

 

 

Youth Fitness Equipment – Video

Posted on: April 18th, 2011 by IYCA 2 Comments

Youth Fitness Tools

What do you REALLY need to train young athletes properly?

 

What if I gave you an exact template to spend no more than $50, but with that small investment, could stock your entire Youth Fitness & Sport Training business with exactly what you needed to both:

 

Get started now…

 

And, be fully equipped to ‘do it right’?

 

Think I’m crazy?

 

Then watch this short video:

 

 

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Youth Sports Training Technique: Part 2

Posted on: February 16th, 2011 by IYCA 1 Comment

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Group One, Group Two & Group Three youth sports training classifications… But what else?

 

Here’s Part 2:

 

How efficiently an athlete learns the technical skills of a sport, strength training exercise or movement is determined by several variables –

 

Age – Complex skills are often understood and comprehended better by more mature athletes (although individual exceptions certainly apply).

 

Emotional State – Relaxed and easy-going athletes tend to learn and reproduce new skills better than athletes who are uptight and self-critical.

 

Motivation (more…)

Youth Fitness Business Insider [audio]

Posted on: October 17th, 2010 by IYCA No Comments

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youth fitness business

I start this 60-minute audio interview with the business genius Pat Rigsby by saying:

 

“You’re not going to get this information out of any books and you won’t hear this any other place”

 

This is one of the key elements to how Pat and myself have both built successful Youth Fitness business and Sport Training businesses.

 

LISTEN BELOW, RIGHT NOW:

The State of Youth Sports

Posted on: June 3rd, 2010 by IYCA 20 Comments

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Youth Sports

 

For years, I have had to put up with youth sport coaches and parents echoing the words and mimicking the behaviors of successful coaches such as Vince Lombardi and Mike Ditka.

 

True.

 

You can’t argue with the success those guys had.

 

But do you really think that yelling at 10-year old football players for making a ‘bad play’ or chastising 12-year old soccer players for ‘missing a shot’ is the best and most sane way to coach kids?

 

Unfortunately, my arguments have fallen on deaf ears more than once over the past decade.

 

I just couldn’t make youth sport coaches realize that aggressive and negative behavior can be damaging to young athletes, and that a primary reason why so many kids drop out of sports at an early age is because of the often abusive treatments they get from their coaches.

 

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Physical Education Injuries: 150% Increase

Posted on: August 6th, 2009 by IYCA 41 Comments

Physical Education Injuries alarm bells

IYCA Member, Mike Howard, sent me a link to this incredible article.

 

I was floored.

 

Stunned.

 

And completely annoyed.

 

150% increase Physical Education injuries.

 

Read the article and then be sure to leave me your comments about
why exactly you think this has become such a problem.

 

I feel very strongly that I know the answer.

 

And tomorrow I’m going to tell you what it is.

 

But for now, I want to hear your thoughts.

 

Here’s the article:

 

 

New national study finds increase in P.E. class-related injuries

 

Annual number of cases increased 150 percent from 1997-2007

 

Physical education (PE) in schools is one of the main tools used to increase physical activity and to prevent childhood obesity, and PE-related injuries are on the rise. Although increasing physical activity may reduce obesity, it may also increase the risk of injury. While recognizing that PE classes and physical activity are important components in combating obesity, parents and school administrators should remain vigilant for injuries. A recent study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, found that the number of PE-related injuries to elementary, middle and high school students in the United States increased 150 percent between 1997 and 2007.

 

According to the study, published in the online issue of Pediatrics, the most common PE-related injuries were lower-extremity sprains and strains (23 percent), followed by upper extremity sprains and strains (14 percent) and fractures (14 percent). Middle school-aged children (11-14 years of age) accounted for the majority of PE-related injuries (52 percent). Elementary school-aged children (5-10 years of age) had almost double the odds of a head injury, compared with other injuries.

 

Nearly 70 percent of PE-related injuries occurred while children were participating in six activities (running, basketball, football, volleyball, soccer and gymnastics). Injuries were caused by contact with another person, playing surface, equipment, stationary structures, pulled muscles, overuse and activity-related illnesses such as heat stroke.

 

"The 150 percent increase in PE-related injuries presenting to emergency departments was consistent across gender and age groups. It is unlikely that this increase was attributable to an increase in PE participation," explained study author Lara McKenzie, PhD, principal investigator at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and faculty member of The Ohio State University College of Medicine. "Identifying patterns of PE-related injuries is the first step toward preventing them. Injury prevention education should be made a priority for all PE activities, especially for those activities with the highest injury rates."

 

This is the first published study to examine PE-related injuries on a national level. Data for this study were collected from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), which is operated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The NEISS dataset provides information on consumer product-related and sports and recreation-related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments across the country.

 

Youth Fitness Protocols: Am I Being Unfair?

Posted on: July 9th, 2009 by IYCA 33 Comments

 

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Youth fitness Questions

A great number of posts were placed on my blog yesterday.

 

Some in support of my thoughts regarding the golf video I displayed and some
in complete opposition (calling me, in fact, "mean spirited").

 

Now you know me.

 

I’ve never been one to shy away from a good debate and certainly never afraid
to admit that I’m wrong.

 

But instead of defending my position on yesterday’s topic, I wanted to
encourage you to post your thoughts.

 

Don’t defend me for no good reason.

 

If you feel I’m being overly harsh, please say so.

 

Unfair, too critical…. Lay it on.

 

If you think I’m correct in my assessment, explain why.

 

I love good, healthy debate and firmly believe that a revolution won’t have near
the impact it could unless disagreeing sides can be fostered, each given the
opportunity to convince the other.

 

I’m going to stay out of it… All I want to do is read and learn from what you
have to say.

 

(more…)

Youth Fitness: The "Quality vs. Quantity" Mistake

Posted on: June 23rd, 2009 by IYCA 1 Comment

 

 

Here’s what IYCA Member Paul Clarke had to say in response to my
question about the biggest problem in youth fitness and sport training:

 

"The major problem in youth fitness as I see it is coaches that advocate and live the
mantra of working harder instead of smarter. Invariably this leads to
a quantity over quality approach."

 

I couldn’t agree more with Paul.

 

It’s being popularized in a different circle right now, but for roughly
ten years, I’ve been saying….

 

Any fool can make a young athlete tired, but it takes a real COACH
to make them better.

 

My first job out of college was as a Performance Coach at a training
center for professional, Olympic and National Team athletes in Canada.

 

We also did a lot of work with young athletes.

 

One of my first meetings as a staff member at this facility is a moment
in time that I will truly never forget.

 

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Fitness Training For Youth: What More Do You Need To Hear ?

Posted on: January 16th, 2009 by IYCA No Comments

 

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Fitness Training For Youth Is Booming

 

Short and to the point.

 

I may even say something that offends you.

 

But in the end, trust me when I say you need to hear this…

 

You don’t make enough money.

 

You simply don’t earn what you’re worth.

 

That’s not a matter of greed or indulgence.

 

It’s just a fact.

 

The fitness training for youth and youth sport training niche is the fastest growing
portion of our entire industry.

 

Worth more than $4 billion annually in the United States alone.

 

Parents are willing to pay top dollar for Personal Trainers who
can rid their children of excess body weight.

 

Parents are happy to shell out thousands to qualified Performance
Coaches in order to improve their child’s athletic ability.

 

And yet there you sit.

 

Wondering why you’re still working from 5am – 8pm as a Fitness
Professional, training unmotivated and unhappy adults.

 

Jealous as you read the stories of other professionals who
have found the fitness training for youth ‘system’ to success and are now working
less hours for more money.

 

Concerned if all your effort and passion for this industry is
ever going to be enough and finally provide the career you
so desperately want… and need.

 

All religious aspects of this story aside, I’m sure you’ve heard
this tale before –

 

A town was flooding and its citizens were evacuating with
great haste.

 

One man decided not to.

 

He opted to stay in his home and wait for God’s help.

 

As the water rose, he was forced to climb on top of his roof.

 

While there, another man in a row boat came by.

 

"The town is flooding. Here, get in my row boat and I’ll take
you to safety."

 

"No thanks" said the man. "God will help me. I am waiting
for Him."

 

A few minutes later, an emergency craft sailed by.

 

"The town is flooding" the officer said. "Let us throw you a
line and we can take you to safety".

 

"No thanks" said the man. "God will help me. I am waiting
for Him."

 

Several minutes later a helicopter flew by and paused over
the man’s house.

 

From the speaker, the pilot called down.

 

"The town is flooding. Let me cast down a rope for you. I
will fly you to safety."

 

"No thanks" said the man. "God will help me. I am waiting
for Him."

 

Not too long after that, the man drowned.

 

When he arrived in Heaven, he said to God, "I believed in
you. Why didn’t you save me?"

 

God answered.

 

"I sent you a row boat, an emergency ship and a helicopter.
What more do you want from me?"

 

You don’t earn the living you deserve.

 

You don’t have the career you want.

 

And yet the youth niche is flourishing.

 

You need new information, a fresh perspective and exact
blueprints of success from some of the most successful Fitness Training For Youth
professionals in this industry.

 

I write you emails.

 

I tell you what you’re going to be missing by not coming to
the IYCA International Summit in February.

 

More than 150 other professionals from all over the world
have already registered.

 

What more do you need to hear?

 

– Brian

 

 

P.S. – Click on the link below to register for my International Summit now –

 

http://www.iyca.org/2009summit