Youth Sports

Today's youth-sports experience provokes countless questions for well-intentioned parents. How young should kids start playing sports? Should they specialize—and when? What should a parent do when their kid is not getting the playing time they think their child deserves? How do parents encourage children without overwhelming them? Raising Empowered Athletes has answers for every youth-sports situation with an overarching goal of not only helping parents raise strong athletes but also nurture great human beings who are empowered to succeed on and off the playing field.

"Why It’s Taking So Long to Fix Youth Sports" speaks for the countless voices disheartened by the current state of youth sports. Once innocent neighborhood games have transformed into a cutthroat business fueled by profit. The joy and camaraderie of yesteryears have been overshadowed by a relentless pursuit of success, wealth, and self interest. Youth sports expert Matt Young takes us through a forensic examination of what’s gone wrong, combined with practical strategies for how to give sports back to the kids.

The modern day youth sports environment has taken the enjoyment out of athletics for our children. Currently, 70% of kids drop out of organized sports by the age of 13, which has given rise to a generation of overweight, unhealthy young adults. There is a solution. John O'Sullivan shares the secrets of the coaches and parents who have not only raised elite athletes, but have done so by creating an environment that promotes positive core values and teaches life lessons instead of focusing on wins and losses.

This audiobook will help a parent understand the value of the time spent in youth sports. It's a helpful tool for parents and coaches to evaluate the progress of a youngster not just in a sport but in their level of confidence in life, their leadership skills, their growth as a person, and the way they relate to others. This is a great tool if you're a new parent or in the middle stages parenting it provides you with ideas and exmples to help you develop a great foundation for your children success in sports and other areas of life.

Every year, more than 3.5 million children under age 15 require medical treatment for sports injuries, nearly half of which are the result of simple overuse. Journalist Mark Hyman investigates the evolution of youth sports from mere games to full-on quests to turn children into tomorrow's superstar athletes by pushing them beyond physical and emotional limits. Opening up a crucial discussion about the perils of youth-sports culture today, Hyman offers the solutions and answers we need.

The NBA has returned to prominence on the backs of phenoms like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnett. The media promotes them, the shoe companies pay them, and America applauds. But how exactly do such players reach the pros? What do they give up to get there? And what happens to those who fall short?

Beyond the Skills and Drills: The Keys to Successfully Coaching Youth Sports is a how-to book. That is, how do volunteer coaches create the best possible sporting experience for our kids? This book redefines the term coach and looks at youth coaching from a teaching perspective. Bill addresses the pre-season, in-season, and post-season activities necessary to create the best hours of a child's week. Every youth coach in America needs to listen to and absorb this book.

Maya Andersson and Benji Ovich, two young people who left in search of a life far from the forest town, come home and joyfully reunite with their closest childhood friends. There is a new sense of optimism and purpose in the town, embodied in the impressive new ice rink that has been built down by the lake. Two years have passed since the events that no one wants to think about. Everyone has tried to move on, but there’s something about this place that prevents it.

Dive into the world of youth baseball with The Youth Baseball Handbook, the ultimate guide to mastering the sport, regardless of your current level. This comprehensive audiobook is designed to transform complete rookies into skilled players, help seasoned athletes refine their game, and provide parents and coaches with the strategies they need to support and uplift their teams.

As the parent of two sons who went on to play baseball in college as well as a former head baseball coach at the NCAA level, I want to share alternatives with parents that will allow their children to avoid the anxiety and stress that many face within the overstructured and overorganized world of travel baseball. The hamster wheel of travel ball is a business model and not a baseball development model. For kids, baseball should be all about one thing—having fun! We play it as kids, watch and listen to it as adults, and pass down our love of it through generations.

A look at how commercialization has transformed youth sports from fun into a heavily commercialized and profitable venture. Examining the youth sports economy from many sides - the major corporations, the small entrepreneurs, the coaches, the parents, and, of course, the kids - Hyman probes the reasons for rapid changes in what gets bought and sold in this lucrative marketplace. He reveals the effects on kids and profiles the individuals and communities bucking this destructive trend of commercialization.

There are many baseball guides out there; what makes this one different? From Coach to Coach guides are age-specific, and include only the essential drills appropriate for your players. The guides focus on a manageable number of practice plans for each skill category: base running, throwing, hitting, and fielding. You won't be buried with hundreds of drills, wondering which ones work best.

Do you want to know the best to do AAU basketball? This book holds the answers to all of your questions about the new world of AAU basketball. Inside its chapters are step-by-step directions on how to navigate the AAU basketball landscape successfully for you and your young player.

Whether you are a new coach starting out or an experienced coach looking for some help, this is the book for you! After 18 years of playing baseball and many more coaching, I have compiled what I have learned over the years in this ultimate guide to coaching baseball. Be it the general rules of the game, tips and tricks, or how to overcome failure, this book has you covered.

Coaching youth baseball can be a rewarding, fulfilling, and enjoyable experience for you and the kids. Or it can be a nightmare. This guide is based on one coach's experience, and lessons learned coaching the game. It is an accumulation of ideas - some practical, some philosophical - designed to help you be the best coach you can be. From Coach to Coach, I wish you a successful baseball season!

The Soccer Field Is Empty is the story of teen love, steamy romance, friendship, loyalty, understanding, and ancient prejudice. Here is a tale that breaks the stereotypes of the ignorant and peers into the soul of two boys who want what we all want; to love and be loved. The story of Mark and Taylor, two 16-year-old high school athletes, is a tale of love and happiness torn asunder by a world that understands too late.

Before he made a name for himself as an acclaimed essayist and nature writer, David Gessner devoted his 20s to a cultish sport called Ultimate Frisbee. Like his teammates and rivals, he trained for countless hours, sacrificing his body and potential career for a chance at fleeting glory without fortune or fame. His only goal: to win Nationals and go down in Ultimate history as one of the greatest athletes no one has ever heard of.

The truth is that youth anxiety, stress, burnout, comparison, injuries, perfectionism, and identity disturbance are at all-time highs. Our shortsightedness as leaders is killing the confidence and long-term success of our youth. In the book The Youth Truth, Andrew starts by sharing the shocking and scary realities facing our student-athletes today. He then dives deep into solutions: love-powered leadership and mind-set performance coaching.

A portion of the proceeds from Front Row Seat will be donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease research and the Positive Coaching Alliance to help coaches lead and develop America’s future leaders. America's youth sports industry has changed dramatically over the past two decades. The days of playing for your town or local YMCA team, be it baseball, soccer, basketball or lacrosse were coming to an end.

Team USA goalkeeper Tim Howard was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome in sixth grade. He went on to become a national treasure after single-handedly keeping America competitive in the 2014 World Cup. Stephen Curry was told he was too small, too weak, and too slow to even receive a scholarship to play college basketball. He outworked everyone and went on to become MVP of the National Basketball Association. Jim Abbott was born without his right hand, yet he refused to be defined by what he lacked. He went on to pitch a no-hitter in the Major Leagues.