How to be the Best Player and Not Make a Team

There are so many different things that coaches look for in building a team. Player skill is just one thing and sometimes not even the most important. Coaches evaluate players on a variety of other criteria including:

• Team Skills - Does the player grasp the way teams work together to win games?


• Relative Physical Development - Is the player physically larger or smaller than his teammates?


• Leadership - In tough game situations, could the player step up as a role model for teammates?


• Listening - Does the player pay attention and understand things quickly?


• Personality - Does the player’s personality fit with the other players selected?


• Mentoring Ability - How much can the player positively impact others on the team?


• Positional Knowledge - How much does the player know about the playing the variety of situations faced in regular game?


• Unselfishness - Does the player make plays for the benefit of the team or build individual stats?


• Level of Effort - How hard does a player work during tryouts?


• Familiarity - Does the coach have experience working with the player?


• Family Involvement - Does the coach have good or bad experience working with a player’s family?


• Team Needs - How many players are needed for each position? Though last on the list, team needs are often the most important.  So even though a player may be a great positional player, the chances of making a team are greatly diminished if the coach prefers another player for that limited need.

While a tryout may look like a skills contest, coaches can observe these factors by the way the skills are carried out. Most coaches believe that skill deficits are much easier to correct than the issues listed above. Coaches will gamble with lesser skilled players that present the best overall package.

Good coaches can develop skilled players. Only the players themselves (with the help of their parents) can make skilled teammates. Special thanks to Sports Esteem for the above article.

How to Recognize and Prevent Heat-Related Illness

As a child once observed, the sun rises in the summer just like the winter, it just rises more so. Too much sun can bring a bad end to a good time. In order to protect kids, parents need to be aware of the symptoms of the three stages heat related problems.



Stage 1 - Heat Stress - At this stage, the body is overworked and having trouble cooling off. When parents observe any of these symptoms, they should immediately get their kids into the shade or an airconditioned car and give them water. Symptoms include:

• Reduced coordination


• Slower thinking


• Less caution


• Cramps

Stage 2 - Heat Exhaustion - At this stage, the body is getting severely dehydrated. Immediate attention is required and parents should consider taking kids to the hospital if any symptoms do not seem to go away after the kid starts cooling down and drinking fluids. Symptoms include:

• Headache


• Heavy sweating


• Intense thirst


• Dizziness


• Fatigue


• Loss of coordination


• Nausea


• Vomiting


• Impaired judgment


• Loss of appetite


• Hyperventilation


• Tingling in hands or feet


• Anxiety


• Cool moist skin


• Weak and rapid pulse


• Fainting

Stage 3 - Heat Stroke - At this stage, the body’s ability to cool off has shut down. This is a life threatening emergency and children should be taken to the hospital at once, time is critical. Symptoms include:

• Dry skin - no sweating


• Red skin


• Rapid pulse


• difficulties breathing


• Bizarre behavior


• Constricted pupils


• Convulsions


• Collapse


• Coma

Kids and parents can both suffer a heat illness, but everyone can take a few simple precautions:

• Condition yourself for working in hot environments - start slowly then build up to more physical work. Allow your body to adjust over a few days.


• Drink lots of liquids. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty, by then, there’s a good chance you’re already on your way to being dehydrated. Electrolyte drinks are good for replacing both water and minerals lost through sweating. Never drink alcohol, and avoid caffeinated beverages like coffee and pop.


• Take a break if you notice you’re getting a headache or you start feeling overheated. Cool off for a few minutes before going back to work.


• Wear light weight, light colored clothing when working out in the sun.


• Take advantage of fans and air-conditioners.


• Get enough sleep at night.

Source: Oklahoma State University

Trying Out for a Select Team – The Parent Quiz

If Your Kid Can Make the Team, Can You? Given the importance of team chemistry, many select and travel teams are starting to evaluate parents as well as the players when making their decisions for limited team spots. Parents who have demonstrated inappropriate behavior or who have caused problems for coaches or staff often put their kids at a disadvantage. Parents who don't have the right perceptions of select sports can also cause problems for teams. Here is a quick questionnaire that teams can use to evaluate the parents of select or travel players.



Instructions: Choose the BEST answer from the list provided. The word "select" can also mean "travel". A hint is provided at the end of the question.

1. What is the proper role of parents on a select team?

• Help the coach spot flaws in the team.


• Help the coach track playing time.


• Help bring the coach's attention to bad officiating.


• Provide support and encouragement for their child and team.

If parents provide a supportive and nurturing environment for their kids, coaches will have an easier time focusing on player and team skills.

2. If a player starts showing signs of burnout on a select team, parents should:

• Encourage the child to play through the burnout, knowing that it will pass.


• Encourage the child to skip practices to recover.


• Encourage the child to skip games to recover.


• Encourage the child to skip practices and games to recover.

Burnout is a very serious issue. Like an illness, it should be treated immediately with no rush to return the child to a full schedule.

3. When it comes to their child playing other sports, parents should:

• Discourage other sports.


• Encourage other sports.


• Remain neutral.


• Go by the example of other parents.

With the additional dollars and activities of select team participation, it is easy to neglect other activities - especially other sports. Parents should encourage their child to play other sports as way to maintain a balanced life and prevent kids from focusing too early on just one sport.

4. Because playing on a select team costs more money, parents should expect:

• More entertaining games.


• Faster skills development.


• Chances for high school and college opportunities.


• More fun.

Select team participation often costs more than a family vacation. If parents and kids don't have more fun participating than taking those missed vacations, then select sports may not be the best investment of parental dollars.

5. When compared to kids on recreational teams, players on a select team:

• Make far fewer mistakes.


• Make more mistakes.


• Make the same mistakes.


• Make different mistakes.

Kids are going to make mistakes at any level. Any time that kids are developing new skills, mistakes should be expected.

6. Select team success is measured by:

• Regular season wins.


• Tournament wins.


• Both regular season and tournament wins.


• Fun.

Almost any answer on this quiz with the word fun in it is probably the right one and this one is no exception. Fun is an easy way to measure the overall experience including time with friends, the increased confidence that comes from skills development, the satisfaction of team contributions and the improved quality of family time.

7. Playing on a select team means that a player's academic performance is:

• Less important.


• More important.


• Not an issue.


• No change in importance.

If one of the goals of playing select sports is to create the opportunity for post-high school play, then grades become even more important. The competition for college athletic scholarships is so fierce that when players are judged equal in athletic ability, academic performance may become the deciding factor. Colleges look for athletes who can demonstrate the ability handle school work along with athletic participation.

8. Playing on a select team means that player's conduct is:

• Less important.


• More important.


• Not an issue.


• No change in importance.

For the same reason that academic success is so important, a player's conduct can quickly become a deciding factor for post-high school sports. If coaches feel that they need to keep an eye on a player's behavior, they are more likely to look for an equally skilled but less difficult alternative.

9. Team selection by a player and parents should be based on:

• Last season's win and loss record.


• Last season's tournament wins.


• The resumes of the coaching staff.


• The team's ability to have fun and improve player skills.

Youth team success is often determined by having one or more players who are physically more mature than the others in the league. Trying to judge a coach or team by last year's success seldom works since kids continually move up in age categories and other kids continue to develop physically.

10. On a select team, parents should expect their child to:

• Have more playing time than other players.


• Have less playing time.


• Have playing time based on the situation and the score.


• Have equal playing time.

If the purpose of a select team is to develop talent, then all players should receive equal playing time regardless of the game situation. Select teams that do not practice equal playing time do not have player development as their number one goal.

11. On a select team, parents are expected to:

• Help out more than on recreational teams.


• Help out less.


• Rely more on the coach.


• Rely more on the team manager.

More practices, games and activities mean more work. If coaches are to have the necessary time for instruction, parents must pick up the extra load.

12. On a select team, kids should limit:

• Time with friends.


• Overnight activities.


• Trips with family.


• None of the above.

If kids perceive select sports as a reason for not being able to have fun with friends and family, their motivation to play will suffer. Participation always requires a careful balancing of time among all activities.

13. When parents pay more money for sports, they should expect their kids to be:

• More motivated.


• Less motivated.


• Show no change in motivation.


• Rely more on their parents for motivation.

Parent's money is never good motivation as any parent of a college-age child will validate. If kids don't have the right motivation prior to a parent writing a check, it is unlikely they will develop it afterwards.

14. If a child struggles with the competitive level of select sports, parents should:

• Consider an aggressive approach to private lessons.


• Stay on the coach to make sure all players get equal playing time.


• Pressure their child to perform at a higher level.


• Consider placing their child in a less competitive environment.

One of the main reasons for select sports is to match kids with other kids who have similar skills. If kids are much above or below average, they either won't be challenged or won't be able to develop the necessary confidence.

15. If kids want to stop playing after parents have paid for a season, parents should:

• Remind them how much participation cost.


• Remind them of how much other teammates are depending on them.


• Try to find out why the sport is no longer fun.


• Let them quit.

There are many reasons that kids may want to quit and parents should investigate to see what the underlying problem is. Simply quitting may not provide a solution.

16. Success of a select team is different from success on a recreational team because:

• Everyone is at a higher skill level.


• Coaches are often paid.


• Teams travel.


• There is no difference.

If select teams are successful, then kids improve as players and people and want to play again next year. These are the same goals for recreational teams.

17. A good select team should win:

• Almost all of their games.


• 50% of their games.


• Doesn't matter how many wins.


• Doesn't matter as long as the team wins tournaments.

If teams are playing at the right level, they should win about half of their games. Too many or too few wins are a good indication that the team is not playing at the right competitive level.

18. The primary reason to travel to games is:

• To create good memories for kids.


• To test the team against teams from across the nation.


• Showcase team and coaching talent outside the local area.


• Get kids ready for careers in professional sports where travel is required.

Although it may be necessary to travel to find competitive games, the overall goal is to create memories. The vast majority of select team players will not get the opportunity to play sports for college or professional teams. Although parents may feel their child is the exception, statistics are against it. If kids don't have good memories to show for their time in select sports, then they are likely to have nothing to show for their time in select sports. Special thanks to Sports Esteem for the above article.

Need Fundraising Fireworks? Try Web, Email Sponsorships

Be sure to read this brief post on how to sell banner sponsorships. It explains how your team can raise more than $3,000 through a simple team banner sponsorship program.



Here's a way to double your revenue. When your parents are selling the banner sponsorship, they can also sell a sponsorship for the team website and team emails. s. Web and email advertising are often highly desirable to local businesses because of their specific reach and direct-to-the-local-customer effectiveness.

Constant Contact is a popular email service used by many nonprofits. Nonprofits, such as youth sports teams, receive a special discount. The service is easy to customize so you can create email groups, including, say, Board Members, Team Parents, Team Managers and more. Here are common questions–and the right answers to get you started:

How does the email and website fundraising work?
When each family is selling the banner sponsorship for $200 per business, they simply ask the business if it would like to receive the special combination that includes the "online sponsorship package." Most teams should be able to sell the combination package (team banner and online) for $400 per business. High School teams and larger organizations should expect more.

So what do you include in the online sponsorship package?

The online package could include:

Website Sponsorship

• Add a sponsor section on your website


• Include each sponsors logo and description on this page


• Link each sponsor logo to a page with that sponsor's special


• Include sponsor logos in header of your website 

Email Sponsorship

• Place sponsor logos in header of email with link back to website sponsor section


• Include sponsor section in body of email with text of sponsor specials (rotate these to fit season schedule)


• Place sponsor logos in footer of email 

You can also be creative and send out a monthly "friends of the team" email to your database that includes sponsor specials exclusively for team families.

Here are some business types and some ideas (in parenthesis) to target as potential sponsors:

• Orthodontist (braces special)


• Pizza eatery (team party- coach eats free)


• Car dealer ($ for test drive, $ to team for car purchase)


• Insurance ($ for new signups)


• Landscaping


• Realtor


• Sports equipment stores


• Sports apparel stores


• Photography

Parent Alert: 12 Secrets to Recruiting Success

The recruiting process requires the involvement of the whole family. Your support, guidance, advice, love and patience will make a world of difference in your son or daughter achieving success in the recruiting game.

As your high school athlete is striving toward independence, this is one of the biggest decisions he or she will ever have to make. And believe it or not, that athlete in your life values your opinion more than anyone else's. It is important that you communicate often and effectively with your teenager. That differs by child and the parent can fill a crucial role by recognizing the best ways to connect with the teen. The family will need to stick together through the ups and downs of the sports scholarship search process.

The athlete is the one most in control of his or her recruiting process. But a strong, supportive "Dream Team" can be a huge support every step along the way. This is where you, the parents, come into the game and this should be your "12 Secrets" game plan:

1. Be supportive without being pushy. Do not push your child so hard to play for a top team that, in the end, he feels he failed you if he does not get an offer. Your pushing could affect your child adversely for the rest of his life. There is a fine line between firm support and being an additional stress factor. Check yourself. On the other hand, do not be so easy-going that you miss opportunities to help your child fulfill his dream of becoming a college athlete.

2. Be sure that it is your child's dream to play in college–not yours. Let him know that, if he decides not to play at the end of this process, you will support him 100% percent in that decision. Remember, he is going to college to get an education first!

3. Be realistic about your child's skill level. You need to seek objective opinions from outside sources, such as college coaches, former or current college players, specialists in a specific sport and more

4. Keep the focus on academics. Education is the first priority to consider when choosing a college. Your child will be an athlete for only a short time, but he will need a good education to get through the rest of life. Injuries can and will happen in college sports, so he needs to be content with his college choice even if not playing. Encourage your teen to keep his high school GPA as high as possible because, many times, academics is the determining factor for a coach who must choose between two athletes with similar talent. Meet with your child's academic advisor to make sure he is on track to graduate and within requirements of the NCAA. Once your athlete is in college, you must remind him that getting good grades from the start is important. You do not want him to spend seven semesters trying to make up for the poor GPA he "earned" first semester of his freshman year. This is a very common problem for freshmen … both athletes and non-athletes.

5. Do the research necessary on camps, recruiters, schools, coaches and special programs. Some "elite athlete" activities are a waste of time and money, while others are well worth it. Find out the details on any "invitation" that your child receives to attend a "selective" camp, etc. Many of these events are held purely to make money and will not give your athlete a higher level of training or the exposure needed in front of college coaches. The key is for the athlete to display his skills in front of as many coaches and scouts as possible, so that he will have many prospects from which to choose. Talk to other parents, coaches and athletes about their experiences with various camps. Do not be afraid to ask!

6. Visit as many colleges as you possibly can with your child. The top regret of the former college athletes who we surveyed was that they did not visit more colleges before making their decision. Keep your options open. Have a travel schedule for the remaining years of high school and the summers between. Plan your visits around tournaments and family vacations. The more universities you visit, the more confident your child will feel about his final college choice.

7. Be proactive in helping your child formulate his "Top 25 Target List" of colleges. Athletes need their parents' input. Take time to discuss the options with your teenager. Be honest about what you can afford if no scholarship is offered. Decide what factors are important to you as a family when looking for a college. Search the Internet for information on each college and their sports program. 

8. Keep track of important dates and deadlines. Your child is much too busy being a student and athlete to keep track of all the important dates. You must help monitor the dates for ACT/SAT applications and test dates, college applications and notification dates, signing dates, scholarship application deadlines, financial aid deadlines, etc. If these dates are overlooked, you could be bypassing thousands of dollars worth of scholarship money.

9. Keep an accurate filing system. You will need to keep records and files for your child's pertinent information and for each of the 20-25 colleges on his target list. Sports Scholarship Pro has developed an easy and organized method of filing information. This system will set you up for success and save you an immense amount of stress and frustration.

10. Take an objective look at your behavior during your child's sporting events. Are you positive and uplifting in your comments from the sidelines? Do you support the coach and his decisions when speaking with other parents? Do you embarrass your child with your antics and tantrums? Honestly evaluate your behavior to ensure that you are a help, not a hindrance, to your athlete's success. College coaches will not look positively on an athlete whose parents are ill-behaved. Coaches have been known to stop considering a star athlete if the parent's behavior is over the top. You could cost your child a scholarship in the end.

11. Know the rules of recruiting. Become very familiar with the NCAA Guide for College-Bound Student-Athletes. It can be found at www.ncaa.org. The rules change every year, and it is up to you to be aware of the regulations so that you do not inadvertently jeopardize your child's eligibility to play in college. Division I and II rules are quite strict, while Division III, NAIA and NJCAA are more relaxed. Be informed!

12. Keep everything in prospective. It is easy to get swept away by all the attention that coaches may shower on your child. Keep in mind they are giving the same attention to many other athletes. It is important that you and your child remain in control of the recruiting process and you do not let it carry you away. Stay grounded and focus on what your priorities are for a college program. Try to look past the hype and keep your options open. Do not put all your eggs in one basket. Players who do this usually end up with no scholarship.

Editor's note: Thanks to Sports Scholarship Pro for this valuable article!

Raise $10,000 to $20,000 with a Golf Tournament Fundraiser

You can tee off on team budget needs with a well-organized golf tournament fundraiser. In this Interview with Mike Stefani of Allen (TX) Eagles Hockey, discover how one youth association raised more than $10,000 in one event:



Q: Would you please provide a brief bio of yourself?

Mike: I have been involved with youth hockey in the Dallas area for the last 10 years. Presently I am an Assistant Coach for the Texas Aces Midget Minor A team. I am also a board member for Allen High School in the capacity of fundraising. I am also an Assistant Coach for the JV Gold Team.

Q: What fundraising programs have you implemented in the past?

Mike: This year we did our 1st annual “Allen Eagles Hockey Golf Tournament.” We raised a little over $10,000.00. I would highly recommend a golf tournament. Being this was our first one, we realized many mistakes we made. There are changes we can make next to double our income for the afternoon. 

Q: Can you give us a brief overview of the suggested program?


Mike: The golf tournament was a learning experience. To do it right, you need to coordinate group leaders that can then get parents to help each individual group. You need to have leaders for the following: Tournament Director, Public Relations, Sponsorship, Players & Guests, Entertainment, Gifts & Prizes, Volunteers. The Sponsorship Group and the Gifts & Prizes groups need the most people to make it work.

Q: Do you have any other suggestions for other teams and their fundraising programs?

Mike: Stay away from the small things that generate nickels and dimes. For instance, we did a fundraiser 3 seasons ago where we purchased 100 cases of Salsa. We still have 15 cases left over. Fund 2 large projects to do a season and put all of your focus and efforts into those large projects.

Q: What is your favorite thing about youth sports?

Mike: I have coached my son now for 10 years. I love being a part of his and his friends’ lives.


Q: What advice do you have for parents involved in youth sports?

Mike: Put your heart and soul into your kids. Remember that it is about having fun. As they get older, the sport becomes about learning life lessons. Teach them to love the sport and respect it and to give it everything they have.

10 Must-Dos on Your Recruiting Checklist

Here's a checklist you won't want to misplace or ignore. Marking off each item will move a prospective a long way toward success:

1. Maintain academic excellence throughout high school. Grades can make or break your chances when it comes to staying on a coach's "A" List.

2. Objectively evaluate your talent. Parents and coaches can sometimes inflate ability and skill levels. Be realistic! Seek impartial opinions. There will always be recruits who are more talented and recruits who are less talented than you. A good attitude with a willingness to learn and improve, combined with being a team player, will get you farther than just excellent skills.

3. Develop your dream team. You must surround yourself with people who will help you during this scholarship search process. You must establish a game plan and work together to get it done. Parents are your top ally, and they will be doing a lot of the work for you. Coaches and academic counselors will also be very helpful. You must make them aware of your goal and enlist them in helping you succeed. This will be your "dream team."

4. Initiate the recruiting process with all of the colleges on your "Top 25 Target List." When a university sends you a letter inviting you to its camp, it does NOT mean that you are being recruited. They send out hundreds, sometimes thousands, of brochures in order to fill their camps and make money. Unless you tell the school that you are interested in its program, the school will not know.

5. Promote yourself. After you make the initial contact with a university coach, you must continue to promote yourself on a regular basis. It's not about ego, it's about being an advocate for yourself. Keeping the coaches posted on your latest achievements and schedule can give you the edge over other athletes competing for your same position.

6. Continue working on developing your skills. Coaches love to see that their prospective athletes are trying to improve their game. Just playing on your school team is not enough. Club teams, travel teams, special tournaments, private lessons and conditioning programs are all important in raising your skills to the collegiate level.

7. Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. If you want to participate in NCAA Division I or Division II programs, you MUST be registered with and certified by the NCAA Eligibility Center. Your eligibility is based on grades, core course requirements, ACT/SAT scores and so on. The colleges must request information regarding your eligibility directly from the Eligibility Center. If you have not registered, they cannot continue to recruit you–plain and simple. Go to their website for more information. https://web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/common/.

8. Respond promptly to requests for profiles or questionnaires from colleges. You may receive a request to fill out a questionnaire from a university that you know you are not interested in attending. Please take the time to respond to their request and thank them for their interest. The college coaching world is a very tightly knit group, and they will share recruiting information. If they have info on an athlete who they do not have a place for, often, they will pass the name along to a colleague who might be recruiting for that position.

9. Ask questions. Lots and lots of questions! You want to be informed about the colleges, the programs, the players, and the coaches. Having enough information will help you make the best college choice for you.

10. Trust your gut. You will know when the college is right for you.

Editor's note: Thanks to Sports Scholarship Pro for the valuable article!

Myth Busted: Yes, You Can Train Your Players Too Much

(By Brian Grasso) I have long supported the notion that the zeal many trainers and coaches show with respect to conducting high intensity training sessions for young athletes is akin to the unsure actor who feels a need to ‘over-do’ his or her role in a given appearance for fear that the audience may disapprove of his acting ability.

Almost like a “they paid for it and now I must deliver it” mind set.

As a coach, you sometimes feel as though you must have your athletes walk away from a training session dripping with sweat and barely able to open their car doors.  After all, if they don’t feel as though you are “training them hard enough,” they may opt to go and seek the services of a different coach.

The problem is that overtraining syndromes can easily develop with adolescent athletes and must be recognized as an issue with respect to programming.

To explain, let’s just say that if your athlete walks into your training center at what would constitute a normal biological level, and if your training stimulus was at an intensity that would enable the athlete to dip below this normal biological level, but not be too much so as to not be able to ascend into a level of super-compensation, then, well... that would be good.

But there are energies in the world that affect an athlete’s recoverability from a training session (you know... recovery... that’s the part of the training routine during which your athlete’s body actually makes improvements and gains). For example: Nutrition, emotional stress and sleep. Let’s consider each individually.

Nutrition

I communicate with my athletes daily as to what they should be eating and when.  The problem is that they are teenagers who don’t always listen to everything as much as they should!  Also, they are not solely responsible for this particular issue in their lives.  Mom or Dad have a strong say in what the food selections are in a given week (‘cause they are the ones who typically pay for the groceries).  More over, my teenage athletes don’t often cook dinner for themselves and very often have to deal with hectic class schedules and sometimes teachers who restrict snacks in class, both of which serve to make eating meals at regular intervals difficult. 

I am not embarrassed to say that even though I have very open lines of communication regarding nutrition and other issues, I too have athletes walk into my facility who haven’t eaten anything for 5 hours.  Maybe not the time for an “ass-kicker” of a work out??!!

Emotional Stress

I have brought this point up far too many times and had adults tell me something to the effect of “kids don’t have stress... wait until they’re out in the real world.”  That is shear garbage.  First off, think back to when you were in high school.  Assuming you took your academic life seriously, how stressful did you find tests, exams, term papers? I know I felt a great deal of stress in my adolescent years due to school pressure (you wouldn’t know that to look at my high school report card, but I digress...).  Add to that dealing with boyfriends and girlfriends... you know the one... she was the one you were going to marry, remember?  Dare I say, the adolescent years are chalked full of emotional tugs-of-war that are exasperated by these two relatively forgotten points:

     1.  Kids are kids.  They don’t have a ton of life experience so the stress they are facing is the most severe they know. You can look at your life and think high school was a breeze compared to what you’re going through now, but teenagers don’t have this reflective capability... their frame of reference is restricted to their experiences.

     2. Teenagers, in most cases, have not yet developed certain life coping skills that see them through particular issues.  As an adult, I can talk with my young athletes about their problems and offer solutions that they couldn’t see because my coping skills are more advanced than theirs. Emotional stress is a papably real concern in the life of a teenager and can dramatically affect their ability to recover post workout.

Sleep

The two best examples I can give with respect to sleep (or more appropriately, sleep depravation), happened with a few of my athletes over the past couple of weeks. 

     1. Over the winter holidays, I noticed many of my teenage athletes coming to my facility for a 2 p.m. workout looking absolutely exhausted.  Upon probing them for information as to why, their response was that they had just woken up.  Because of the holidays, they were staying up until 4 a.m. and not waking until 1 in the afternoon. Fast forward to three weeks later, now these very same athletes are still looking exhausted because once school started again, they couldn’t seem to re-regulate their bodies to going to bed at a reasonable time and waking up at 6 a.m.  

     2. Connect that example to the fact that finals have just concluded in the school district nearest my training facility.  Like many students, many of my athletes spend hours studying - very often at the expense of sleep.

The reality is that I counsel my athletes daily as to nutritional habits, sleeping patterns and stress reduction, but they are still teenagers and in many cases are going to do what they want.  The one leverage I have however, is their training routine.  I control the strings on intensity!!

This is an important issue to reflect on however.  How many young athletes in our culture are overstressed, overtired and nutritionally deficient? 

Now, how many trainers and coaches could not care less and still program nothing but intense-filled training sessions?

Thanks to Coach Brian Grasso for this valuable article. 

The Performance Edge of a One-Piece Stick

One-piece sticks are the biggest technological advancement in sticks. There are two types of sticks. One type is fused, which means the blade and shaft come from two different molds and are permanently fused together.



The second type is uni-mold. That means the complete stick comes from a single mold. The advantages of the true one-piece sticks is there is no hosel inserted in the shaft so the kickpoint is at the lowest possible spot on the shaft. The stick offers the best feel. One-piece sticks offer the highest performance at the lightest weight.

Performance

Ultimate performance is the design goal of OPS's (one-piece sticks). OPS's offer players the ability to store power up in the shaft, then release at the optimal time during a shot or pass.

Weight

OPS's are lighter than ever. The top sticks are now under 450 grams and feel as light as feather. There are still some players that use slightly heaver OPS's as they desire more feel in their hands. When choosing a stick you want to find the one that feels good to you.

Balance

Balance is an important characteristic in he OPS. Some players like a stick that has a little more weight in the blade and others prefer the stick to be as balanced as possible. Each player has a different and intuitive perspective of what the optimum balance should be.

Material

OPS's are generally made with two types of material. The top performing sticks will be full carbon graphite. Entry level sticks will have some carbon but mainly use a higher content of fiberglass.

Carbon fiber offers more consistency in production, higher performance attributes and is lighter. Fiberglass is more durable than carbon, but it is a heavier material and not as consistent in the manufacturing process. Carbon fiber is graded by its weave thickness, weight and tensile strength. The highest grade carbon is aerospace-grade. Even though it is the most expensive, aerospace-grade carbon will offer the greatest consistency, performance and durability compared to other types of carbon.

Construction

The two most common manufacturing processes are compression molding and bladder molding. Compression molding is achieved by using a mandrel, then wrapping it with the desired material and applying the resin. The mold is then compressed to form around the mandrel. The shape of the mandrel will dictate the handle style.

Bladder molding uses an air bladder with the material wrapped around it in a mold. The air bladder is then inflated to press the resin into the carbon fiber against the inner walls of the mold. This process allows for a more consistent resin transfer into the carbon.

Compression molding can cause some irregularities and the resin can be thicker in some areas and thinner in others. The bladder molding process will be more consistent and evenly distributed.

Shaft Style

Every manufacturer will offer different shaft shapes. The shape of the shaft is again a personal preference. Some shafts will have standard corners while others will have rounded corners, dog bone-shaped corners or perhaps asymmetrical where the one side is concave and the other is standard.

Taper

OPS's get thinner as you go down the shaft toward the blade. This is referred to as the taper. Tapers vary in length and thickness from model to model. The design of the taper is to lower the kickpoint of the stick. The lower the kickpoint, the more power, consistency and accuracy the stick will give you.

Flex

There are two big misconceptions in what flex you should use. The first is that the more flexible a stick is, the easier it will break. This statement is simply false.

Second, we see coaches telling 10-year-old players (and their parents) to use an intermediate stick because of the bigger blade. Even though the blade is bigger, using an intermediate stick will do a young player more harm than good. To start, the stick will be too stiff, then it will have to be cut down to size. This will make the stick even stiffer, the player will not be able to flex the stick and this will lower his shot velocity.

The shaft is also thicker, which means the shaft will not fit comfortably in their hands and will be too bulky. Newton 's second law of physics states, “The acceleration of an object as produced by a net force is directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force, in the same direction as the net force, and inversely proportional to the mass of the object.” In hockey terms this means, the more you can flex the stick, the more energy or forward force you will generate to produce harder, faster shots.

We suggest using the most flexible shaft you can, without overpowering it. This will help you maximize your shot velocity. Most NHL players use 100-flex shafts except the real big boys. Brett Hull used an 80-flex. Why do you think he could flex the sick so much?

Length

Every player likes their stick a different length. As a rule of thumb, your stick should be anywhere from below your chin to about your nose. A shorter stick will make stickhandling easier and offer more accuracy for wrist shots and snap shots. A longer stick will be better for stick checks and slap shots because it will be easier to load the stick for more power.

Grip

Some shafts come with a grip coating. There are many different variations available. Grip coatings will keep the stick from twisting in your hand during shooting and stickhandling. That gives you more control.

Editor's note: Special thanks to HockeyX for this article.

Fitting a Player in the Right Shoulder Pads

When looking at which shoulder pads to buy you will want to ask yourself a couple questions.



1. Analyze your playing style. Are you a defense specialist, finesse forward or power forward? There are pads for each of these styles. 

2. The second question is what level of play are you competing in? A beginner, a travel player or higher, or are you an old timer? The answers to these questions will dictate the type of shoulder pad protection you need. Feel free to ask teammates, other parents, coaches or others in the know what pads they like and/or recommend.

Shoulder pads come in various designs. Some are bigger for the big hitter and others are lightweight and offer total mobility for the playmaker, but at the expense of protection. You need to find which works for you. There is always a trade-off between mobility and protection. There are many features and designs that are available for any type of player.

Foam Type

Shoulder pads are built with various foam structures that offer different levels of protection and weight. The most common foam types are explained in more detail below.

Single-density – The single-density foam is most widely used in lower-end shoulder pads. It is a softer foam that is comfortable and fairly light. The single-density foam will offer the least protection.

Dual-density – Dual-density foams are a combination of softer single density foams joined together with a harder, lighter and more protective closed-cell foam. The softer foam will be closest to your shoulder to keep the comfort level high, while the harder foam is on the outside. Dual-density foams come in various protection levels depending on the amount of each foam that is used. Dual-density foam is the most widely used foam type as it offers the best combination of protection and weight at the best price.

HD foam – HD or high-density foams are becoming more widely used, in part because it allows manufacturers to bring down the price. HD foams are highlt protective and light. This foam offers the highest protection of the three types of foam and is normally used in conjunction with a much softer foam for comfort because HD foams are stiff and do not bend easily.

Shoulder Caps

All cap designs on shoulder pads are made from high impact plastic. There are different sizes for different types of players. The big hitter will need a bigger shoulder cap to give full protection and maximum use of higher level protective characteristics. The finesse player will look for a pad that has smaller, low-profile caps to maximize agility and mobility. An important factor in the fit of the caps is how they are attached to the pad. Some are attached directly to the pad. Others are attached with short tethers; this design allows for more fluid movement and actually lets the cap float with the shoulder.

Bicep

Some cool features are emerging in bicep protection design, such as heat moldable pads. Other cool features include innovative attachment designs and segmented pads that act as an armadillo shell to maximize coverage and mobility.

Sternum and Spine

The sternum protection is the most important part of a shoulder pad. This pad will protect the heart from taking a direct hit from a puck. There are various protection designs from the use of different foams to air or gel bladders to absorb the shock. The more segmented the sternum, the more mobility you will have. The spine is important for the players who are playing at a higher level or occupy the real estate in front of the opposing team's net. Repeated cross checks can take a toll on your back and you will want shock-absorbing materials to withstand season after season of punishment. Like the sternum protection, the more segmented this pad, the more mobility it will offer.

Clavicle

More thought has also gone into the clavicle design to help protect you from odd-angle hits and falling into the boards when hit from behind. Clavicle protection comes in various forms with some offering additional features like heat moldable pads.

Abdominal Pad

Most shoulder pads come with an adjustable/removable belly pad. The use of this pad comes down to personal preference. The type of pant and amount of frontal protection may influence your decision. If you are a defenseman or like to block shots you may want to leave in.

Liner

The most important factor with shoulder pad liners is the type of material. There is no protection factor in the liner, so you want one that offers comfort. Higher-end shoulder pads will offer a more durable, better feeling material. Some manufactures use a silicon grip-print to lock the pad to the shoulder. Antimicrobial liners are becoming more widely used. These liners are treated to stop the growth of bacteria which cause that awful smell and cause skin irritations.

Editor’s Note: Special thanks to HockeyX for the above article.

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