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Tag: youth sports

  • Help for a "Reluctant Reader!"

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    Author Bio: Jerry Pearlman is the author of the very popular “Tale of A Baseball Dream,” a fictitious story recommended for children 8-12 years old.  He is an advocate for promoting children’s literacy, strong family values, and participates in the movement to eliminate bullying! Jerry can be followed on twitter @taleofabaseball or on his website http://taleofabaseballdream.wordpress.com/ .

    When I was a child, I really did not like to read. I was definitely a “reluctant reader.”

    Judging from my personal experience, I believe that a huge contributor to a child not wanting to read, is that the child is “forced” to read material in which he or she has no interest!

    That leads them to “just wanting to get their reading over with,” and they do not completely focus on what they are reading.

    “Tale of A Baseball Dream” was written with that in mind!

    My goal was for the reader to become completely engrossed in the story, as though they were personally involved in the story! I wanted the reader to experience the twists and turns of disappointments, happiness, determination, and joy, as they “visualize” the story as a movie in which they were participating!

    It is the responsibility of parents and teachers, to provide reading material in which the child will be interested, which in turn will engage their imagination, and result in the child developing a love for reading!

    Once they develop their love for reading, then they will no longer be “hesitant,” to read the material that they are required to learn!

     
     

  • ESPN E:60 Sperm U: Sperm Donors & Youth Sports

    Sperm U (9:19) http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3554822
    With a Sports in Society class, the E:60 Sperm U video segment is a great way to start a discussion about sports in America. The clip really is a “pre-youth” sports lesson, discussing athletic expectations BEFORE the birth of a child.
    The primary question raised during the video is “if you had a choice of genes, would you select athletics over academics?”
    Some other discussion points raised in the video are:

    • Parental hopes / unrealistic expectations for a college scholarship
    • The value society places on athletics over academics
    • Pressure on children to excel – “Valedictorian vs. Tom Brady”
    • Sperm Donors and the possibility of physically testing the candidates

    Pre-video discussion questions
    Prior to watching the video, the students answer a few discussion questions. Here are a few ideas:

    1. List the college scholarship athletes that you know:
    2. If you could pick whether your child would be athletic or smart, which would you choose and why? Give reasons for your choice.
    3. What do you know about in vitro-fertilization (test tube babies)?
    4. Do athletes in high school receive special benefits? Support your position.
    5. How do athletes in America receive special treatment? Why does America value athletes so much?
    6. What type of pressure do parents put on youth / high school student-athletes? Is this pressure healthy? Try to give examples.
    7. FAST FORWARD: You are a parent, what type of expectations do you have of a child and sports. What do you want your child learn from participation in youth sports? List the 3 – 5 things.

    Post-Viewing Questions / Notes: Here are some notes about the content in the video that might be worth discussing.

    • Hope for a college scholarship – at what age should this be discussed? (age 4 seems a little early)
    • Education vs. physical – Dad’s thoughts in choosing a donor / society’s expectations
    • Sperm donor has 16 offspring all around the country. Would you be comfortable being a sperm / egg donor knowing your child is “out there?”
    • Sperm bank has audio of donors
    • Recruit student-athletes through magazines (UCLA, USC, Standford)
    • $75 up to 3 times a week $900 a month ( $10,800 a year)
    • Selby Seims (MA) valedictorian vs. Tom Brady (high school athlete) – incredible parental pressure / expectations at an early age. How would you like to be a child with these expectations?
    • Sperm bank possibly do NFL combine like testing on donors – What are your thoughts?
    • Is it wrong for parents to want the best genes for kids?

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  • Coaching Youth Basketball: Finding the Right Balance

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    Author Bio: This article was written by Kyle Ohman. Kyle Ohman was a thousand point scorer at Liberty University (div. 1), was ranked the 19th best shooter in the country by Fox Sports his senior year. Kyle has also played professionally in Spain. Most recently he coached a high school team that played on a national level and beat the 12th ranked team in the nation. Coach Ohman is the Co-Owner and founder of BasketballHQ.com. Connect with him via twitter @BasketballHQ.

    Being a youth basketball coach requires you to have a delicate balance with your players between having fun and teaching them the fundamentals of the game. If you push the players too much and only do skill development, training, competition, etc. you will burn them out and push them away from the game. It might not happen right away, but the players will never have that time of pure joy and love for the game itself and it will cause them to burn out later on.

    On the flip side though there are coaches that are only concerned with making it a fun environment for the players and there is no emphasis on developing the players. The outcome of this is players that love the game, but are not able to make the team when they get older because their skill set is so far behind everyone else. They missed out on the chance to build a strong basketball foundation when they were younger and because of this their skill development was stunted.

    These are not situations that any youth basketball coach wants for their players, and that is why it is important to find the right balance between having fun and teaching your players the skills that they need to learn. Here are a few tips to make sure that you are finding the right balance.

    Basketball Drill Selection

    When you choose what basketball drills you are going to do make sure that you pick drills that will challenge the players, but that they will also be able to do. Make sure that you stress effort and not results when doing the drills. As long as the player is giving their best effort that is all that matters. Later on in life results will be stressed more, but it is important that they first learn how to give their best effort.

    Keep the drills fresh and interesting to keep the players motivated and working hard. If you do the same drills every day or every week then the players are going to get bored and turned off. However if you keep a rotation of fresh drills in the mix then they will always be doing something relatively new and interesting. This will keep them excited about working hard and getting better.

    Competition and Fun

    A great way to keep the players motivated and having fun while doing the drills is to turn it into a competition and make it fun. If you are doing a drill that is working on layups then make it a challenge and the first team to make 10 layups wins, or if it is a ball handling drill make it a relay. Whatever you want to do to mix it up and make it more fun for the players is good. You don’t have to do this for every drill, but mixing it into your basketball workouts is key in keeping the players engaged.

    Basketball IQ and Teaching

    A lot of youth coaches neglect teaching their players how to think the game and why they are doing something. When you teach a player a certain skill like keeping their eyes up while dribbling, take the time to explain to them why they are doing it. This will help keep them motivated to do it. Just like you would want to know the reason behind why you are doing something and how it benefits you, your players are the same way.

    In every practice or workout you should take 10-12 minutes to talk about and explain a certain part of the game to your players. Their attention span will not last much longer than 10 minutes so I wouldn’t go much longer than that, but teach them about the game. Explain to them why it is important to space the floor, cut hard, set screens, etc. They may not get it at first, but it will really help lay the foundation for when they get older. If they are only learning about setting a down screen when they get to high school then someone failed them as a youth coach when they were younger.

    Conclusion

    As a youth basketball coach you have a responsibility to your players and what you do could affect the rest of their playing career. You have the opportunity to invest in your players and give them the jumpstart that they need for the rest of their basketball careers.

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    by Kyle Ohman

    www.BasketballHQ.com

  • Go Green Death: Controversial Youth Soccer Email

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    The following email from a Scituate youth soccer coach to parents is a great introduction to a discussion about youth sports. Congratulations on being selected for Team 7 (forest green shirts) of the Scituate Soccer Club! My name is Michael and I have been fortunate enough to be selected to coach what I know will be a wonderful group of young ladies.  Chris Mac will also be coaching and I expect the ever popular Terry to return to the sidelines.  Our first game will be Saturday April 4 at 10:00AM.  There will be a half hour of skills followed by a 1 hour game, so total time will be 1.5 hours.  All games will be played on the fields in the front of the High School.  Each player will be required to wear shin guards and cleats are recommended but not required.  A ball will be provided to each player at the first meeting, and each player should bring the ball to games and practices.  There is no set practice time allotted for the U8 teams, but I will convene with the coaches to determine the best time and place.  If there are cancellations due to rain, all notices will be posted via the Scituate Soccer Club website, no calls will be made (though I will try to send an email).  Attached is the Schedule and Code of Conduct.  After listening to the head of the referees drone on for about 30 minutes on the dangers of jewelry (time which I will never get back), no player will be allowed to play with pierced ears, hairclips, etc.   We used to tape the earings, but that practice is no longer acceptable.  Please let me know if your child has any health issues that I need to be aware of.  My home phone is 781 XXX XXXX, my cell number is 781 XXX XXXX, and I check my email frequently.  According to my wife, my emails get too wordy, so for those of you read too slowly, are easily offended, or are too busy, you can stop here.  For the others…… OK, here’s the real deal:  Team 7 will be called Green Death.  We will only acknowledge “Team 7” for scheduling and disciplinary purposes.  Green Death has had a long and colorful history, and I fully expect every player and parent to be on board with the team.  This is not a team, but a family (some say cult), that you belong to forever.  We play fair at all times, but we play tough and physical soccer.  We have some returning players who know the deal; for the others, I only expect 110% at every game and practice.  We do not cater to superstars, but prefer the gritty determination of journeymen who bring their lunch pail to work every week, chase every ball and dig in corners like a Michael Vick pit bull.   Unless there is an issue concerning the health of my players or inside info on the opposition, you probably don’t need to talk to me.  Coach MacDonald has been designated “good guy” this year. Some say soccer at this age is about fun and I completely agree.  However, I believe winning is fun and losing is for losers.  Ergo, we will strive for the “W” in each game.  While we may not win every game (excuse me, I just got a little nauseated) I expect us to fight for every loose ball and play every shift as if it were the finals of the World Cup.  While I spent a good Saturday morning listening to the legal liability BS, which included a 30 minute dissertation on how we need to baby the kids and especially the refs, I was disgusted.  The kids will run, they will fall, get bumps, bruises and even bleed a little.  Big deal, it’s good for them (but I do hope the other team is the one bleeding).  If the refs can’t handle a little criticism, then they should turn in their whistle.  The sooner they figure out how to make a decision and live with the consequences the better.  My heckling of the refs is actually helping them develop as people.  The political correctness police are not welcome on my sidelines.  America’s youth is becoming fat, lazy and non-competitive because competition is viewed as “bad”.  I argue that competition is good and is important to the evolution of our species and our survival in what has become an increasingly competitive global economy and dangerous world.  Second place trophies are nothing to be proud of as they serve only as a reminder that you missed your goal; their only useful purpose is as an inspiration to do that next set of reps.  Do you go to a job interview and not care about winning?  Don’t animals eat what they kill (and yes, someone actually kills the meat we eat too – it isn’t grown in plastic wrap)?  And speaking of meat, I expect that the ladies be put on a diet of fish, undercooked red meat and lots of veggies.  No junk food.  Protein shakes are encouraged, and while blood doping and HGH use is frowned upon, there is no testing policy. And at the risk of stating the obvious, blue slushies are for winners. These are my views and not necessarily the views of the league (but they should be).  I recognize that my school of thought may be an ideological shift from conventional norms.  But it is imperative that we all fight the good fight, get involved now and resist the urge to become sweat-xedo-wearing yuppies who sit on the sidelines in their LL Bean chairs sipping mocha-latte-half-caf-chinos while discussing reality TV and home decorating with other feeble-minded folks.  I want to hear cheering, I want to hear encouragement, I want to get the team pumped up at each and every game and know they are playing for something. Lastly, we are all cognizant of the soft bigotry that expects women and especially little girls, to be dainty and submissive; I wholeheartedly reject such drivel.  My overarching goal is develop ladies who are confident and fearless, who will stand up for their beliefs and challenge the status quo.  Girls who will kick ass and take names on the field, off the field and throughout their lives.  I want these girls to be winners in the game of life.   Who’s with me? Go Green Death! Below are a few questions to start a class discussion.   Name period Youth Sports: Go Green Death
    1. What is your initial reaction to the letter sent out to parents? Would you want your child to play on this team? Why or why not? Explain your reasons.
    2. Contrast the opening of the letter (1st paragraph) with the remainder of the letter
    3. The coach who sent this letter is no longer coaching. The league dismissed him. Do you support this decision? Support your position.
    4. What are the 3 most important goals of youth sports?

  • Youth Sports: A Parent Talks to a Child Before the 1st Game


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    This is your first game, my child. I hope you win.
    I hope you win for your sake, not mine.
    Because winning’s nice.
    It’s a good feeling.
    Like the whole world is yours.
    But, it passes, this feeling.
    And what lasts is what you’ve learned.

    And what you learn about is life.
    That’s what sports is all about. Life.
     
    The whole thing is played but in an afternoon.
    The happiness of life.
    The miseries.
    The joys.
    The heartbreaks.

     
    There’s no telling what’ll turn up.
    There’s no telling whether they’ll toss you out in the first five minutes or whether you’ll stay for the long haul.

     
    There’s no telling how you’ll do.
    You might be a hero or you might be absolutely nothing.
    There’s  just no telling.
    Too much depends on chance.
    On how the ball bounces.

     
    I’m not talking about the game, my child.
    I’m talking about life.
    But it’s life that the game is all about.
    Just as I said.

     
    Because every game is life.
    And life is a game.
    A serious game.
    Dead serious.

     
    But that’s what you do with serious things.
    You do your best.
    You take what comes.
    And you run with it.

    Winning is fun.
    Sure.
    But winning is not the point.

     
    Wanting to win is the point.
    Not giving up is the point.
    Never being satisfied with what you’ve done is the point.
    Never letting up is the point.
    Never letting anyone down is the point.

     
    Play to win.
    Sure.
    But lose like a champion.

     
    Because it’s not winning that counts.
    What counts is trying.
    – Unknown

  • Coaching Youth Basketball: What's Your Philosophy?

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    Click here for more ideas on coaching youth basketball.
    Preparing for a basketball season at any level takes a great deal of preparation. Among the many organizational concerns are: determining practice facilities, practice times, and team expectations.
    Before taking care of the countless details of your responsibility as a coach, it is important to establish a personal coaching philosophy.
    What do you need to consider when developing a philosophy? How do you develop a philosophy?
    I would recommend reading some books and speaking with other coaches. A few books that I have found extremely helpful are:
    Inch And Miles A childrens’ book written by John Wooden and Steve Jamison. (Both authors pages for additional resources.)
    Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court Written by John Wooden and Steve Jamison. (Both authors pages for additional resources.)
    Coaching Basketball Successfully 2nd Edition by Morgan Wootten, Dave Gilbert (With), John Wooden (Foreword by) (This is a great resource for coaching high school basketball and may be a little advanced for youth coaches.)
    Youth Basketball Drills: 110 basic to advanced drills by Burrall Paye and Patrick Paye.
    These books will not only provide philosophy ideas, but drills as well.
    The biggest thing when developing your coaching philosophy is to make sure the philosophy is consistent with your personality. Do not try to be something or someone that you are not.
    Good Luck!

  • Coaching Youth Basketball: Be a Good Teammate

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    Click here for more ideas on coaching youth basketball.
    Coaching youth basketball can be a very rewarding experience. I recently coached my first youth basketball practice. It was a little overwhelming.
    I was given one hour to:

    • Introduce the coaches
    • Handout shirts
    • Run 30 minutes of skills
    • Play a 30 minute game

    To have the players get the most out of each weekly session, the coaches felt it might be a good idea to introduce a “theme of the week.” Each week we will introduce a new theme. Themes can focus on a sport-specific skill, fundamental, or other area such as developing a positive team culture.
    Since most of the players are participating on a team for the first time, our first theme of the week was “being a good teammate.” Being a good teammate is something that we will discuss each week as the season progresses. Having good team chemistry is essential to having a positive experience for the players and coaches, that is why we choose to emphasize this concept as soon as we could.
    What exactly does it mean to be a good teammate?
    Since we were going to be working together for the next few months, the coaches felt it was important to stress that each player learn the names of all the players and coaches.
    Before teaching skills, we wanted to develop a positive team culture. We placed labels with the players names on the back of each shirt to help us learn the names more quickly.
    As we called the team together for the first time, each player introduced himself with the following information.
    Name:
    Grade:
    School:
    During our time together, the coaches always try to address each player using first names. Over the next few weeks we will call on different players to test their ability to name all the members of the team.
    We hope to have a great season and will share other themes as the season progresses.
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    Jerry Pearlman is the author of the very popular "Tale of A Baseball Dream" fictitious story recommended for children 8-12 years old.  He is an advocate for promoting children's literacy, strong family values, and participates in the movement to eliminate bullying!

    Jerry can be followed on twitter at http://twitter.com/TaleofABaseball or on his website http://taleofabaseballdream.wordpress.com/ Check out his book on Amazon!

    I believe it is extremely important to find a good tutor if your child is struggling in school.  Almost every child has the capability of learning what they need to know to do well in school.  Many children fall seriously behind in their understanding, which leads to tremendous discouragement, which will in turn lead to them becoming uninterested in school.

    In my eyes this is tragic!  We can’t change the past, but we can start today and find  a personal tutor which can change everything!

    Many children need to have the information broken down and presented in a way in which he or she can understand.  Each child is unique and learns in a different way, but the bottom line is that they are capable of learning the material.

    Too often, teachers or professors expect the student to understand the information from reading it out of a book, or they explain the material in a manner in which only some students can grasp.  Many students struggle to learn in this manner, but it does not mean that they are not smart, it only means they need someone to take a personal interest in them to do well.

    Similar to the young baseball player that does not think he is a good batter, yet only needs someone to help make a small adjustment to start crushing the baseball, your child may be only a little help away from becoming a great student and loving school!
    Even if your child is far behind, DO NOT give up on your child!  Find a good tutor, and turn their life around!