Five Things to Know About Sport Specialization
Research shows that early specialization is unnecessary and may hurt athletes and their performances. Here are five things to know about sport specialization in younger athletes.
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Developing the Person, Not the Player
It is critical that coaches develop the person, not the athlete. Developing the person allows the athletic skills to grow, but the opposite is not necessarily a guarantee.
Excerpt From the Upcoming Coach Academy
Reading is a critical skill for volleyball athletes and coaches. This excerpt from an upcoming Coach Academy module will describe what reading is and how coaches can teach it to their athletes.
What NOT to Do When Helping Athletes Develop Positive Body Image
It can be difficult to know what to do—and what not to do—to best help athletes with issues around body image. This is especially true when even seemingly innocuous comments can lead to issues with negative body image.
Are There Benefits to Drinking Enriched Water?
Alkaline water, mineral water, carbonated water, coconut water: There are so many different water options available that it can feel a bit overwhelming at the grocery store. Which one will serve your athlete best, or is plain old tap water the optimal solution?
Three Easy and Healthy Breakfasts for Athletes
For young athletes, breakfast is an important meal, but it’s also the most likely to get skipped in order to finish that homework assignment or catch the bus. But there are plenty of easy, healthy options that can be prepped ahead of time and only take a few minutes to whip up.
Five Things to Know About the June 15 Recruiting Date
June 15 is the initial contact date for volleyball college coaches at the NCAA Division I and Division II levels to reach out to rising juniors. Once this date hits, more direct communication can begin between college coaches and the student-athletes. What does that mean? We’ll go through five things to know about June 15.
Volleyball Should Not Be Boring
Watching the kids in a small indoor gym training over three nets, I thought of all the lines we put kids into, the way we ignore the net, the way we inflict pain via the forearm pass and the way 6v6 is experienced by beginners. I get angry inside at knowing billions of kids over my lifetime have walked away from our sport for a lifetime because their introduction to the game is BORING. We must do better when we introduce this sport.
Five Signs of Dehydration and How to Best Rehydrate
Hot weather is coming, and that means your athletes are at a higher risk of becoming dehydrated during practices and games. And even mild dehydration can impact athletic performance, as well as an athlete’s general health.
Is My Young Athlete Mentally Well?
Mental wellness can be difficult for parents, coaches and other guardians to cope with when it comes to young athletes. Is a bad grade on a test just because an athlete didn’t study, or is it a sign of something deeper? Coaches and parents should be on the lookout for signs that an athlete’s mental health is suffering, and while they may not be equipped to help the athlete, guardians can help connect an athlete with the right professionals.