As a coach, you play a large role in your athletes’ lives, and helping them set realistic, meaningful goals as a team and as individuals is one of the most important parts of a successful season. While athletes should feel ownership over both individual and team goals, you can help them optimize [...]
As national statistics and stories continue to unveil, young athletes are in crisis in the U.S. right now, thanks in large part to a plethora of pressures placed on them. With this in mind, how can you best support their mental wellness while helping them grow as people and athletes? Here, one [...]
Deborah Gilboa, MD As a coach, your goals probably extend beyond getting your team to win games. Most coaches are also trying to teach athletes how to think for themselves, navigate challenging situations, and take on positions of leadership. All those life skills require athletes to develop resilience, both as [...]
More conversations are happening about the importance of mental wellness for student-athletes, and mental health is increasingly talked about in similar ways as physical health. But how are communities, schools, trainers, parents, coaches, and even the athletes themselves best able to support mental wellbeing within youth sport? It’s not an issue that [...]
TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer When chilly fall weather hits, there’s no meal that’s more comforting and satisfying than a hearty soup or stew. And with your athlete in the middle of a competitive season and busy school year, soups are also a simple option for parents who are simply too [...]
TrueSport Expert Nadia Kyba Social media usage amongst young athletes is all but guaranteed, and as a coach, you have the difficult task of ensuring that your athletes are using it to enhance team culture rather than spread negativity. It’s tempting to ignore how athletes approach social media, but because [...]
Concussion research is a rapidly evolving field, and over the past several years, there have been a lot of changes in recommendations regarding concussions and their treatment. Newer research shows that some prior recommendations, including prolonged periods of rest, were not helpful for recovery. Given that concussion treatment today is very different [...]
TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer Cooking for hungry young athletes can get expensive fast. But there are a few simple ways to get smart about saving, even as food prices continue to stay high. Here, TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer, a registered dietitian and board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, shares a few [...]
As a parent, you may not realize that your young athlete’s school or sport program may employ an athletic trainer. In fact, you may have never even heard the term “athletic trainer” before! These trainers serve an important role in your athlete’s development, and they can be your athlete’s greatest advocate in [...]
Are you finding that some of the athletes you coach are suffering from stress fractures? Perhaps you’re hearing about athletes from other sports at your school also suffering from stress fractures. If so, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, stress fractures are very common in young athletes particularly in runners, dancers and female endurance [...]
Being an athlete comes with a certain element of risk: Some sports are more injury-prone than others, but any athlete can potentially develop an acute or chronic injury. Many injuries are preventable, though. Here, Dr. Michele LaBotz, a TrueSport Expert and sports medicine physician, explains how you can be your own greatest [...]
For young athletes, maintaining a positive body image is difficult at the best of times, but when a competitive team atmosphere is added into the mix, that positivity can become even harder. No matter how much you talk about the importance of pulling together as a team, your athletes are going to [...]
TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer Calcium is the mineral that is most critical for bone health, no matter an athlete’s age. But is your athlete getting enough calcium in their daily diet? It can be tricky to make sure that they are eating enough to hit the 1,300-milligram per day recommendation, [...]
Young athletes are highly susceptible to negative thoughts around body image—and those thoughts can balloon into serious problems for your athlete’s health if not addressed early. As a parent, what should be considered a cause for concern or just a typical young person’s angst? Here, TrueSport Expert and licensed clinical psychologist Dr. [...]
From an offhand comment about what an athlete is eating for breakfast on race day to referring to one athlete on the team as having ’the right build for the sport,’ even casual references to an athlete’s body can have long-term consequences. Here, TrueSport Expert and licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Melissa Streno, [...]
The past few decades have seen incredible shifts in recommendations regarding the benefits, and potential risks, of different stretching protocols for athletes. Unfortunately, individual studies can have highly variable protocols that may lead to conflicting results and confusion for practitioners and their athletes. Several recent systematic reviews can help sort out some [...]
TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer While June 21 is National Smoothie Day, every day can be a good day to have a smoothie! This is especially true for busy athletes, as smoothies can be easy to prepare and deliver nutrient-dense meals and snacks in an easy-to-drink and easy-to-digest format. Whether your [...]
You may be hearing a lot of buzz around sweat testing for athletes, especially as more companies bring out sweat testing patches that are easier to wear during practice and competition. But does sweat testing actually make a difference for the average athlete? Here, TrueSport Expert Stephanie Miezin, MS, RD, CSSD and [...]
There’s a reason that if you watch the Olympic Games closely, you’ll notice that some teams aren’t just swigging water from water bottles. Rather, they appear to be sipping slushies—that refreshing combination of water and ice that many of us remember from when we were kids. It turns out that this frozen [...]
Kevin Chapman, PhD Now more than ever, young athletes are feeling pressure: Pressure to perform in sport, to have a certain image on social media, to get good grades, to do extracurricular activities, and to get into a certain school on a scholarship. These pressures often lead to performance anxiety, [...]
TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer Walking through the aisles at the grocery store, you’re confronted with dozens of terms and phrases that are all trying to suggest that a certain food is healthier than another. Some are labeled clean, some are labeled paleo-friendly, some are labeled GMO-free or organic. But what [...]
Charron Sumler, LPCC Whether in high school or in college, your athletes are probably not getting enough sleep to maximize their potential at practice and on gameday. As a coach, this can be frustrating, since it can seem out of your control. In fact, even athletes themselves have little control [...]
Kevin Chapman, PhD It can sometimes feel like you’re under pressure in every aspect of your life, from your grades to your sport to your social life. And to some extent, pressure is a normal and even positive part of your life, pushing you to reach your potential. But there [...]
Talking about diversity, equity, and inclusion can feel tricky as a coach: You want to get it right, but you’re not sure what exactly to say. And it’s understandable: The language used in the DE&I space evolves, and you may be worried about getting something wrong. But ignoring the topic entirely can [...]
Kevin Chapman, PhD TrueSport Expert Nadia Kyba Unfortunately, the world of sport is not without risk: Even the most highly monitored athletes can fall victim to illness and injury. When Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field, eventually recovering consciousness days later in [...]