It’s one thing to have a good idea or concept; it’s entirely different to have one that can stick. Having a great idea is a good start, but ultimately if the idea isn’t memorable what good will it do in the long run? Made to Stick focuses on different tips to help make an idea stick: simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions, and stories. Having a sticky idea is important in all facets of life whether you are a parent, coach, or player.

There is a common belief that sports help build character. However, more often than not it’s not sports that develop character, but rather the coaches and parents involved that develop character. Because of this influence that coaches and parents have on players, the values and ideals that they hold as important are those that are typically passed onto the players. This article will discuss two different types of character, moral and social, and the impact they have on players both on the field and off.

There might come a day when your son/daughter?s team does not meet their expectations and for various reasons they are no longer happy (e.g., too competitive, not competitive enough, not challenging enough, etc.). This is a time to look at the suggestions below and consider whether or not trying out for another team is right for your family. Below, YSC has outlined some of our thoughts on this topic to help parents and players think through and manage this process:

It’s one thing to have a good idea or concept; it’s entirely different to have one that can stick. Having a great idea is a good start, but ultimately if the idea isn’t memorable what good will it do in the long run? Made to Stick focuses on different tips to help make an idea stick: simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions, and stories. Having a sticky idea is important in all facets of life whether you are a parent, coach, or player.

There is a common belief that sports help build character. However, more often than not it’s not sports that develop character, but rather the coaches and parents involved that develop character. Because of this influence that coaches and parents have on players, the values and ideals that they hold as important are those that are typically passed onto the players. This article will discuss two different types of character, moral and social, and the impact they have on players both on the field and off.

YSC's Director of Sport Psychology, Dr. Cristina Fink provides guidance on positive sports parenting and how parents can play a supportive role in youth athletics.

Research shows that children in today's technology driven world are not spending as much time as past generations outside climbing trees, jumping, hopping and participating in "active play" that enhances coordination, balance and agility. At YSC we have developed Athletic Development Training (ADT) programs to provide children the athletic foundation skills for the future!

Finn Gundersen, YSC’s Director of Sport Education, recently traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana to attend the National Soccer Coaches association of America (NSCAA) Annual convention. Of the 115 classroom presentations, one in particular stood out: “The Future Coach” by Dick Bate, Elite Coaching Manager for the English Football Association (FA). His energy, sharp wit, football wisdom, and entertaining delivery kept a packed house of 600 coaches captivated for long after his allotted one hour.

It’s one thing to have a good idea or concept; it’s entirely different to have one that can stick. Having a great idea is a good start, but ultimately if the idea isn’t memorable what good will it do in the long run? Made to Stick focuses on different tips to help make an idea stick: simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions, and stories. Having a sticky idea is important in all facets of life whether you are a parent, coach, or player.

There is a common belief that sports help build character. However, more often than not it’s not sports that develop character, but rather the coaches and parents involved that develop character. Because of this influence that coaches and parents have on players, the values and ideals that they hold as important are those that are typically passed onto the players. This article will discuss two different types of character, moral and social, and the impact they have on players both on the field and off.

The High Performance Sports’ education goal is to help all coaches become better at their craft. The better you are, the better your athletes will become. In this article, Finn Gundersen, HP Sports Director of Sport Education, will discuss how to assess your coaching skills and how to improve them.

In the school classroom, “one consistent finding of academic research is that high expectations are the most reliable driver of high student achievement, even in students who do not have a history of successful achievement” (Teach Like a Champion).

Recent research on innovative methods for how to teach new, sport specific skills can significantly enhance coaching teaching tools. As sport science continues to discover and unravel how we learn new skills, coaches need to remain open minded while preparing their weekly and monthly lesson plans. (read more)