Be a smart consumer. Make sure what you’re being taught, no matter who is teaching it, matches up with what great players do. Every week I receive an email that links to pieces of instructional videos for fastpitch softball. And almost every week I end up shaking my head at what I see in them […]

Rocket Sweep is blocked the same way as Jet, but the only difference is that the motion is into the backfield and the ball is tossed out to the motioning back. On the youth football level defenses will blitz frequently, especially on short and long down and distances. Blitzing is an effect tactic in youth […]

I’ve spent the past several years working with NCAA D1 swim programs, first at Florida Gulf Coast University and now at Florida State University. At the beginning of each season, when I start my first round of individual sessions with people, one of the first things I ask them is the following: “What’s your mental […]

Not all teens are created equal. How you approach training should depend on what stage of puberty you are currently in. If you’re a teen looking to build muscle odds are you face some unique challenges and circumstances. It is likely that you lack complete control over your daily eating, and you may not always have access […]

We talk about being loyal not just to your team but to your family, your coach, the game and about being loyal in the school and classroom. Sure, they teach kids the bones of baseball: how to swing a bat, secure a pop fly, steal third. But Little League coaches do so much more than explain the […]

Importantly, if coaches and parents can agree on the destination being Inspired Players then they can start to collaborate when the player is not thriving. Christian Lavers, president of the ECNL used the term: “Collaboration is a force multiplier” recently on a 3four3 podcast interview. While Christian was referencing the collaborative efforts amongst coaches in the […]

All of us experience periods of slow or seemingly non-existent improvement from time to time. It is a normal part of getting better. At times you may feel like you are the worst swimmer on your team. You think that there must be something wrong with you. You are putting in the work just like they […]

The offseason and summer months are the most important times of the basketball season and critical to the skill development of players who are hoping to play at the college level some day. There is way too much competition out there, and to make it, you must work hard. There are certain things that players must do in […]

Another way in which defenders are missing tackles is by overrunning ball carriers in the open field, providing them with cutback lanes that can gash the defense. While coaches have different perspectives on the correct techniques in open field tackling, we found one constant goal: do what you have to do to get the ball […]

Leadership can come from different places, but the team will normally look to the linebackers first so it’s important they have some ability to lead the team. Defensively there are very few positions as important as the linebacker. The linebacker is often referred to as the quarterback of the defense because he is responsible for […]