TrueSport Athlete Ambassador Abby Raymond As an Olympic weightlifter, setting incredibly specific goals is nonnegotiable for Abby Raymond. Because a single pound of weight on the bar could be the difference between a win or a loss, the granular focus on numbers is key to success. But it's not always easy [...]
Since he was only a few years old, Trevon Jenifer has focused on athletic goals and how to achieve them. With that focus and some strategic goal setting, Jenifer has gone on to become a four-time Paralympian in the sport of wheelchair basketball. While his goals in life and sport have changed over [...]
Chris Mazder - Olympian and TrueSport Ambassador Chris Mazdzer is no stranger to goal setting. The now-retired luge athlete competed in four winter Olympic Games, winning the silver medal in 2018 and becoming the first non-European racer to ever medal in the men's single luge. Since he retired from the sport [...]
Deborah Gilboa, MD Change is inevitable, but for a young athlete, even a positive change can bring up feelings of stress and anxiety. For caregivers, it can be tempting to try to step in and solve every perceived problem or issue your athlete has, but if an athlete is going to [...]
The headlines of wellness, fitness, and nutrition coverage have been shouting about the difference in fueling for males versus females in recent years, and as a caregiver for a young athlete, it can feel confusing. There are already so many other aspects of fueling to consider, but if your athlete has big goals, [...]
Deborah Gilboa, MD As a coach, helping athletes learn how to handle adversity is essential, both for their own growth and the success of the team. And change is often equivalent to adversity, especially for young athletes. Here, board-certified family physician and TrueSport Expert, Deborah Gilboa, MD, explains exactly how change [...]
Deborah Gilboa, MD Change is inevitable, but it’s also scary. Whether you get promoted to team leader or cut from the starting lineup, your brain is programmed to produce stress. However, it's possible to become more skilled at dealing with change by building your resilience muscles. Here, board-certified family physician and [...]
TrueSport Expert Nadia Kyba Bullying is a huge topic in schools, on playgrounds, and in youth sports. And while parents are generally aware bullying is a problem, the natural tendency is to focus on our own children – both in terms of making sure they are not bullied and that they [...]
A dedication to sport is great, but an all-encompassing obsession isn't. In many cases, that obsession can lead young people to only see themselves as athletes, with no other identity outside of sport. And when sport goes away—whether it’s because of injury, high school graduation, or any other reason—that can leave your child [...]
Dr. Melissa Streno Your role as a coach doesn't begin and end with practice and game days, and your responsibilities extend far beyond skills, drills, wins, and losses. When it comes to keeping athletes healthy and motivated, boundaries are essential and you can help athletes create boundaries for themselves, as well [...]
Dr. Melissa Streno As an athlete, you likely know the importance of physical recovery. You know that rest days are important opportunities for your body to recover after hard competitions or practices. But if those rest days are jam packed with the rest of your life—homework, extracurriculars, work—you may not be [...]
Ian Goldberg, Founder and CEO iSport360 As a coach, you witness a lot of sport-related decisions and coaching strategies: You may see other coaches in your area encouraging athletes to specialize in one sport or to train year-round with no breaks. You may also experience parents who are dreaming of college [...]
Prioritizing personal safety while training has been making headlines in recent months. How can athletes stay safe when training solo, especially if they're running alone at night or in unfamiliar areas? How can athletes stay healthy in a sport culture where the demands have never been higher? For student-athletes, sometimes these situations are [...]
MICHELE LABOTZ, MD, FAAPSports Medicine Physician, InterMed Sports Medicine Clinic Muscle soreness is part of being an athlete: It's almost impossible to train in a way that improves strength or fitness without feeling sore. Most of the time, soreness isn't a bad thing. However, there's a delicate balance. If every workout [...]
In recent years, coaches across the U.S. have been forced to contend with increasingly severe heat waves, as well as episodes of poor air quality due to wildfires and pollution. It can be hard to know how hot is too hot or how smoky is too smoky before it's a potential health risk [...]
Dr. Charron Sumler, PhD, LPCC Family units are the first teams that children engage with, and the skills that they learn from being part of a family are the skills they will bring to their sports team. But how do you model good teamwork for your athlete at home? Here, Dr. [...]
Dr. Charron Sumler, PhD, LPCC Being a culture chameleon, or being able to adapt to different environments and social groups, is a skill that often benefits student-athletes who find themselves in a wide range of sport environments. And while the ability to be flexible is important, staying true to your core [...]
Dr. Charron Sumler, PhD, LPCC Are you wondering about the concept of 'psychological safety'? Coaches can help build psychological safety on their teams by creating a supportive environment based in trust and respect, which benefits both the athletes and the performance of the team. Here, Dr. Charron Sumler, TrueSport Expert and Assistant Director [...]
Dr. Charron Sumler, PhD, LPCC Choosing a college can feel like a monumental decision for both student-athletes and their caregivers. And in many cases, everyone isn’t on the same page about what to consider and what to prioritize. That’s why it’s so important to decide what matters most, ask lots of [...]
Laura Lewis, PhD Measuring fitness is tricky as a coach: Should you be testing youth athletes for metrics like VO2 Max, doing lactate testing, checking body composition, timing them in a mile run, or doing a beep test? Do you need to know their maximum power or rep capability in the [...]
As a caregiver, you may read or hear about a lot of different nutrition "rules," especially for athletes. Recently, a lot of those rules and taboos are around processed foods. However, healthy athletes require a lot of fuel to maintain their energy for peak performance, and often, processed foods play a role in [...]
Kevin Chapman, PhD As caregivers, you want your athlete to perform at their best and achieve excellence in their sport, at school, and in their other extracurricular activities. But while striving to be their best is important, sometimes athletes can take these behaviors too far and end up hurting themselves as [...]
Kevin Chapman, PhD As a coach, are you thinking about helping your athletes form habits? It’s easy to be consumed by making it through the next practice, game, or competition, but in many cases, taking the time to focus on good habits can make your team run a lot smoother and [...]
Kevin Chapman, PhD Have you waited until the last night before a report is due to write it? Or delayed doing laundry until you don’t have any clean clothes left? That’s procrastination, and it’s very common! While it doesn’t always lead to bad outcomes, procrastination often comes with negative side effects, [...]
Being a plant-based athlete can be complicated, but it’s a choice that many athletes have made. If you’re considering switching to a plant-based, vegetarian, vegan, or flexitarian diet, there are a few things to consider, especially if your goal is peak athletic performance. “A plant-based diet is not inherently better or worse for health or [...]