Hello Readers,

We are excited to get to this point where we have so much rich content, we need to create something new.
Currently, we’re looking at ways to consolidate the information and make it into some type of handbook.

Any suggestions?

We are still a resource for parents of athletes and out content is not out of date. If you’re looking for specific information, use the search box. The posts are organized by categories, and you can search this way, too.

Looking forward to sharing our next idea.
All the best, stay safe and make sure the information you use is written by professionals who have your best interest in mind.
Andrea

A new study was published this month that showed bananas are the better choice of fuel during exercise.
Certainly cheaper, but will athletes switch over from sports drinks to bananas?

Please, please be aware of what supplements your athletes are taking or are recommended by others. The results from this study need to be shared.
We also have other resources for evaluating supplements in our “Sports Medicine” category (Look to the right of the blog).

Looks interesting.

What do you think about Youth Sports Con?

Excellent post on the Noblesteps blog

“Protein is the biggest key to muscle building!” Have you heard this before?  It is a common misconception among many college athletes.  Protein shakes and supplements are commonly taken at any time of day to “build muscles.” However, know that carbohydrates, fats, and protein are the keys to strength and endurance. There are times when more of one is better than another and it’s important to realize these “windows.” Only a certain amount of protein is actually absorbed by our bodies. The rest is excreted; it is useless. So don’t think you are making your athlete better by giving him/her more protein.

So what do I eat before  working out?

Athletes must eat carbohydrates and fats with a small amount of protein for adequate energy.  Yes, small amount of protein. Carbs give energy, not protein! The closer it gets to workout time (1 hour or less) the less you want to feed your athlete.
Right before a workout -easily digestible carbs for immediate sugar and energy
sports drink
piece of fresh fruit.

2-3 hours before training session feed him/her a portion of healthy fat, carbs, and protein.
Options: half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
yogurt with granola
energy bar

If the session is over 3 hours away try:
oatmeal with fruit and milk
turkey and cheese sandwich with a side salad

Take-home Message
Preworkout fueling is not all about protein. It’s about carbs and good fats to fuel the body. Remember-timing is critical! You want the best performance, injury prevention, and muscle building!
ask if you are uncertain as to how something was prepared, and try to make the best choices possible.

I liked this article. Although there remain serious flaws in the recruiting process, Brad Winton of Athlete Web Solutions, reminds parents and athletes to be real about an athlete’s talent level. Sometimes a hard truth, but it pays off it the end.

There’s credible on going research exploring benefits of omega-3 fats and brain health after concussion type injuries – a good thing for athletes. As usual the supplement industry is trying to capitalize on vulnerable athletes and their parents. Supplements  to cure concussions – it sounds too good to be true and it is! Athletic trainers and docs are the ones properly trained to make return-to-play decisions.

Get more info from this article

Parents. I had no idea. I thought that Youth Sports were run by a town official or by the Athletic Director at the public school. How did I miss this fact?

My curious self believes the answer lies in the fact that we lived overseas for many years and didn’t return to the States until our kids were past the Youth Sports Team options. I’ll go with that.

Still channeling my curious self, I wondered how many towns have an oversight committee for the Youth Sports boards. It sounds like a good idea given the level of stress parents and athletes feel about where youth sports are, and are going. Early specialization, year round training and competition, limited strength and conditioning, unsupervised strength and conditioning , the high cost to fully participate (camps, one-on-one skill training, equipment, travel), favoritism by parent coaches all come up as concerns from parents of youth athletes. Yes, this list of concerns is not complete.

If you’re thinking about creating an oversight board here’s a great resource – National Alliance for Youth Sports

Maybe you have some ideas to share from your communities. We’d love to hear them.

A professor from Purdue University and director of the Action-Modulated Perception Lab, Jessica Witt is trying to understand how athletes perceive the basketball hoop or golf hole and whether that helps in their shooting percentages!

Check out the psychology behind how we perceive something and how that influences the outcome in this article.

The Psychology of Sport Performance