TrueSport Expert Stephanie Miezin, MS, RD, CSSD Pre-exercise hydration can be a confusing topic for youth sports parents and coaches. Most people know that it is important, but the specifics of ‘why’ can seem murky. “How much water should my athletes be drinking before practices and games?,” “How can an athlete [...]
TrueSport Expert Stephanie Miezin, MS, RD, CSSD Artificial food dyes have received plenty of attention in recent years. Some headlines suggest they may increase hyperactivity in children, while others argue they’re simply unnecessary additives that we don’t need in our food. As a caregiver, it’s natural to wonder how concerned you [...]
TrueSport Expert Stephanie Miezin, MS, RD, CSSD High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has been making headlines for years—and usually not in a positive light. Often used as a replacement for cane sugar in sodas, candies, and other sweet snacks, it’s frequently viewed as the “less healthy” option. For coaches working with [...]
Deborah Gilboa, MD As a coach, you may assume that your role is to protect athletes from failure, make the decisions that you feel are in the best interest of the team, and generally keep the team’s results steady. But viewing your role in this way may be holding your athletes [...]
Amy Eichner, PhD Supplements targeted to athletes are everywhere, and they're becoming increasingly popular thanks to social media. As influencers and ad campaigns speak specifically to teens about recovering faster, gaining more muscle, or even shedding fat, your young athletes may be curious about supplements to boost their performance on the [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 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 [...]
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 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 [...]
Where do macronutrients come from? What role do they play in overall health and athletic performance? Here, TrueSport Expert Stephanie Miezin, MS, RD, CSSD, the Director of Nutrition for the NWSL team, KC Current, is explaining macronutrients and breaking down the difference between fat, protein, and carbohydrates so you can help your athlete eat the right [...]
Deborah Gilboa, MD You may assume that student-athletes simply develop leadership ability by participating in sports, and it’s true that statistics suggest participation in youth sport is one of the top predictors of leadership capability. In fact, 94 percent of female CEOs were student-athletes. However, while youth sport is a great way for [...]
TrueSport expert Betsy Butterick Think back to when you were in school: Is there something you remember a coach or teacher saying to you that's stuck with you for decades? Is it a positive or negative memory? Likely, that coach doesn't remember telling you that you were too lazy to [...]
Deborah Gilboa, MD Boundary-setting is a tough topic for coaches, many of whom wear a lot of hats. However, learning how to set boundaries is critical to a coach’s personal well-being and their management of a team. Coaches also have the opportunity to lead by example, setting boundaries that reflect [...]
Dr. Charron Sumler, PhD, LPCC Social media is part of nearly every young athlete's life. It's how they connect with friends and teammates, see what other athletes are doing for training, and find like-minded communities that help them deepen their sense of self. These apps can be a positive force, [...]
Kristen Ziesmer, MS, RDN, CSSD, LDN Breakfast is still the most important meal of the day, especially for busy athletes balancing sport, school, extracurriculars, and social activities. And unfortunately, breakfast is also an easy meal for athletes to skip, especially when the day starts with before-school practice or an early [...]
Dr. Melissa Streno Self-care is important for everyone, from coaches to athletes to caregivers. However, self-care can go too far, especially when an athlete is using it to strive for optimized performance. Here, TrueSport Expert and licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Melissa Streno, is sharing the 'red flag' behaviors that can [...]