How to Recognize Burnout In Your Player

School, homework, chores, and family activities all take their toll on a young person’s time. Add in an active sports schedule and little time is left for downtime when kids can refresh and recharge their emotional batteries.



When this happens, something has to give, or kids begin to suffer from “burnout.” Parents and kids may not even be aware that burnout is a problem. Symptoms of burnout include:

• Moodiness or irritability


• Fatigue or difficulty waking up in the morning


• Poor performance in sports, school, or other activities


• Loss of interest


• Lack of emotion after a win or a loss


• Loss of appetite


• Sadness


• Unusual focus on aches and pains


• Problems with friends

Parents should use their own experience and talk with their child to determine the level of burnout. If burnout is a problem, parents should consider limiting their child’s activities, including skipping a practice or two, to let a child gain the downtime necessary for a balanced life.

If a child is playing sports year-round, parents should seriously consider skipping a season. The long-term benefits of skipping a season and avoiding burnout always outweigh the short-term benefits of skills development.Kids who are emotionally and physically fresh learn much faster and work harder than those on the edge of burnout. Though kids often push to play as much as possible, parents must have the insight to limit too much of a good thing for the long-term benefit of their child.

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

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

How to Measure Your Return on Instruction

Parents must be able to see whether the instruction being given to their player is worthwhile and relevant. Here’s a quick test to see if the instructor/coach is prepared.



In practice, is the method of practice being used organized and efficient? Does today’s practice take into account the last practice lesson? If so, great! If not, talk to the instructor/coach and respectfully ask if he/she has a plan for your player.

Improve Performance with Player Homework

Because most coaches don’t assign “homework” after practices, players may come to believe that attending and working hard at practices are all it takes to become a great player.  At younger ages, this might be true, but as age increases so does the need for players to take an active interest in their own training and development.



Self-imposed homework tasks can include activities to improve skills, as well as activities to improve knowledge. Players should consider the following activities for their personal practice time:

• Watching players at older age levels (not just professionals) and learning from their play.


• Discussing the sport with players who have been playing longer or at more advanced levels.


• Running and other exercises that help stamina.


• Doing push-ups and other exercises that improve strength.


• Sprinting and other exercises that improve speed.


• Practicing specific skills repetitively to achieve higher performance and consistency.


• Reading books and other materials to increase game understanding.


• Using older players, private instructors or camps to assist with skill building.


• Working with friends to develop skills such as passing.

There are many things players can do to improve themselves. Players cannot rely on coaches to give them a precise roadmap for success. Special thanks to Sports Esteem for the above 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. 

How More ‘Play’ in Practice Can Help You Win Games

(By Brian Grasso) A common misconception within the North American youth sporting world is the concept of 'play' for conditioning purposes. All too often, well-intentioned youth sport coaches or trainers follow the leads established by the elite members of their respective sports to configure training programs and sessions into hard-driving sessions or 'endless repetitions of one exercise' type affairs. It cannot be overstated enough how much this practice is counterproductive and impedes the optimal development of young athletes. Let's examine that from a variety of perspectives.

Mental: Young athletes are young CHILDREN. They do not possess the attention span to concentrate on one athletic skill for a prolonged period of time. Understanding this concept is paramount for coaches, trainers and parents. Once a child becomes bored with a movement, they will inherently become frustrated and careless. This will lead to poor execution and incorrect form. Incorrect form can lead to acute or chronic injury and repetitive movements involving poor execution will inhibit potential development. Remember, it is all-encompassing athletic skill that leads to proficiency in single sports - not specialization.

Emotional: Young athletes require constant POSITIVE and CONSTRUCTIVE feedback from there coaches. Pulling a 'Lombardi' and chastising young athletes for poor performance, bad behavior or incorrect exercise execution is not conducive to optimal development. Children learn, develop and grow when they are immersed in a positive and uplifting environment. I am not suggesting for even an instant that you remove discipline or respect from the equation, but never confuse discipline and respect with fear and loathing. A child fearing the repercussions of a poor performance is NOT useful within the concepts of optimal athletic development.

Conversely, a child knowing that s/he will be supported and nurtured after a poor performance and given every chance to improve is perfect within the concepts of athletic development. One thing worth stating is to never forget how loud non-verbal communication can be in the ears of a young athlete. Being forced to reproduce the same drill over and over again in order to achieve 'perfection' will often feel like a punishment, even if that wasn't your intension.

Physical: All great sports technicians were great athletes first. You simply cannot become a world-class baseball player, for instance without acquiring superior ATHLETIC skill. Having said that, it is the job of every youth sporting coach, parent and trainer to ensure that young athletes are involved in as much diversification as possible. This could mean playing several sports throughout the year rather than just concentrating on one or two. It could also mean that coaches diversify their practice schedules by adding cross-training concepts into the mix. DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE: Immersing a young athlete into one sport will NOT produce world-class champions.

By using the concept of 'play,' practices can be transformed into fun and enjoyable experiences for young athletes and also serve to help optimally develop their athletic skills. Never discredit the benefits of very basic 'game-oriented' activities. Take the game of tag as an example. A schoolyard game that doesn't offer any real athletic development or conditioning benefits to a young athlete€¦ or does it. Tag involves starts and stops, acceleration, top speed, agility (change of direction) and

Here is a short list of some other games that coaches and trainers should consider when developing a training program for a youth sporting team:

1. Team Tag

2. Tug-of-War

3. Single Leg Tug-Of-War

4. Wheel Barrel Races

5. Partner Jumping Race

Thanks to Coach Brian Grasso for this valuable article.

Guarantee Better Play with Off-Ice Conditioning

Ice hockey is very physically demanding and tests a player's stamina. It requires players to be in good health, be able to work very hard for short periods of time (anaerobic conditioning) and be able to recover quickly from physical activity (aerobic conditioning). What's more, strength, quickness and agility are also desirable. Players must learn to develop their physical abilities in all areas.

It is not uncommon for players to feel tired during or after a game. Feeling tired is normal; players can overcome much of their tired feeling by focusing their mind on the game and ignoring the fatigue. However, if players are feeling pain they should talk to their coach or parents about it.

The diagram (above right) shows the foundations for physical development. Without a good aerobic conditioning base, it is difficult to adequately develop the other areas.

Each layer builds the necessary physical abilities to improve performance at the next level.

Skills such as skating and stickhandling are dependent on the body's ability to do the work. Good physical conditioning is a foundation for everything else and becomes more important as a player gets older. Playing ability improves as players upgrade their physical shape. Skating cannot be improved with just on-ice exercises.

Aerobic Conditioning

Aerobic conditioning is the body's ability to convert oxygen into energy. As muscles work, they get energy from two sources: food and oxygen. The better a body can use oxygen, the quicker it recovers from hard work. Performed for at least 20 minutes and three times a week, the following activities improve aerobic conditioning: jogging, brisk walking, swimming, biking, ice skating and roller skating.

Anaerobic Conditioning

Anaerobic conditioning is the body's ability to work very hard for short periods of time. A single shift on the ice should be played at full speed and tests a player's anaerobic conditioning. For example, when players skate as fast as they can down the ice, the longer the time before they feel tired, the better anaerobic shape they are in. It is tougher to develop good anaerobic abilities because the only way to do so is by exercising harder and longer with high intensity and high-speed exercises. The following exercises improve anaerobic conditioning: sprinting, foot racing and skating full speed down the length of the ice.

Strength Training, Quickness and Agility

Most doctors agree that children under the age of 10 should not weight train. Nonetheless, exercise that builds stamina such as running and resistance training provide a good way to exercise muscles without risking injury. Resistance training is using the body like a weight set. Common resistance type exercises that help build strength are: pushups. chin-ups, sit-ups, leg lifts and squats.

To build quickness, look at exercises that involve rapid feet movement. Good ways to build quickness include jumping, bounding, hopping and skipping rope.

Agility is the ability to start, stop and change direction quickly. Agility is built by moving the feet quickly in a variety of movements such as quick turns and cuts. Agility can be increased by obstacle courses, zig-zag running, side shuffles and playing tag.

Other Sports

In addition to dedicated exercising, playing other sports is a good way to work on all aspects of physical development.  Sports to consider include:

• Baseball - builds hand eye coordination and quickness


• Basketball - builds stamina, passing and team skills


• Golf - builds hand/eye coordination


• Lacrosse - builds stamina and quickness


• Roller hockey - uses most of the same skills as ice hockey


• Soccer - builds stamina, team skills, footwork, position play


• Tennis - builds feet quickness and hand/eye coordination

Key Points for Parents

• Kids are exposed to a great deal of aerobic and anaerobic conditioning during normal play and sports activities.  One of the best ways to build on their physical abilities is to let them play other sports along with hockey.  Cross training is essential for body and mind.


• Exercise at early ages should be fun and parents can encourage their children by joining in and exercising with them.


• Rest before a game is important.  Parents should monitor their child's activities before the game and adjust as required.


• Young players sometimes complain about fatigue because, for them, getting that tired by working is a new experience.  Their tolerance improves as they experience fatigue more and get used to the feeling.

Key Points for Players

• If you are working hard and getting tired during your shift, you are building your anaerobic conditioning.


• If you are very tired at the end of a period or after a game, you are building your aerobic conditioning.


• If you have trouble getting to the puck, you need to work on your quickness and agility.


• Consistent exercise is the best way to stay in shape.

Editor's note: Thanks to Sports Esteem for the valuable article.

Learn to Be Another Gretzky. Is it Possible?

According to a recent article in Wired Magazine, Peter Vint, a researcher with the U.S. Olympic Committee says he believes athletic skills can be learned even to the Wayne Gretzky level of performance. Such talent has long been assumed to be innate.



'Coaches tend to think you either have it or you don't,' Vint says. But Vint rejects the notion that Gretzky-style magic is unteachable.

One thing the article fails to mention but that further supports the argument for training to a Gretzky level is the Great One's commitment to practice and his attitude about it as summed up in these quotes:

'The only way a kid is going to practice is if it's total fun for him€¦ and it was for me.'

'I wasn't naturally gifted in terms of size and speed; everything I did in hockey I worked for, and that's the way I'll be as a coach.'

Read the full article at:

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/15-06/ff_mindgames

Age-Specific Training Guidelines Revealed

In recent years sports scientists have spoken out emphatically about the harmful effects of premature and over-intense athletic training of young children. Many complain that hockey programs for youngsters are too intense, competitions too many, seasons too long, emphasis on winning too great. Young children are pushed by parents and coaches to choose and specialize in the sport way before they are mature enough to do so. Up to the age of eight, children should enjoy a variety of fun and stimulating activities; they need to develop a broad base of movement skills. Intensive training and competition at too early an age inhibits the development of skills such as balance, agility, and coordination, and it prevents youngsters from learning other sports.



Training too early
It's been shown that children who specialize too early do not develop the varied motor skills necessary for maximum athletic performance in later years. These children are the physical equivalents of specialists who have little competency outside of their specialty.

Six years and younger
Young children (up to six) should engage in many different movement activities. Dancing, tumbling, and jumping, are excellent activities. Since these youngsters have very short attention spans, instruction has to be unstructured and fun; teaching should be short and simple; it is best accomplished using 'show and tell'. There is no long-term advantage from structured practices at these ages.

Seven and ten
Between the ages of seven to ten, postural and balance skills mature and become more automatic. Children are able to master some of the basic movements needed for organized sports, but they still have short attention spans. They have difficulty making rapid decisions involved in complex sports. Fundamental skating skills can be introduced and practiced at these ages but practices must be fun. Sports like hockey, soccer and basketball, as well as martial arts, swimming, t-ball, lacrosse, etc., are excellent choices.

Pre-pubescence
Between the ages of ten to twelve (pre-pubescence) there is great improvement in coordination, motor skills, and decision-making capabilities. For children who choose to participate in hockey, skating skills now must be strongly emphasized. Skating techniques should be emphasized and built upon in the ensuing years. Players are now ready for some endurance and quickness training as well; they should engage in activities and perform drills that incorporate core strength, quickness, and coordination, body awareness, balance, and rhythm. Fun and variety is still important so kids should be encouraged to participate in other sports.

Adolescence
Between the ages of thirteen to sixteen (adolescence) athletes can incorporate complex skills and integrate large amounts of information. They can focus appropriately and their decision-making capabilities improve dramatically. They are ready to specialize in their sport of choice and to practice with true dedication and intensity. It is also the time of the Adolescent Growth Spurt ('AGS'), the time of greatest and most obvious (catastrophic) change in a young person's life.

The Adolescent Growth Spurt (AGS)
Body changes during the AGS can temporarily diminish over-all skill and speed and increase vulnerability to injuries. The effects of AGS and its effects on core strength, postural control, and performance (coordination, skill, speed, quickness, agility, technique) can be enormous while athletes struggle to adjust to their rapidly changing bodies. At their fastest, boys grow by four inches a year and girls by two and a half inches a year. Its no wonder teenagers are clumsy -- their bodies shoot upwards at speeds their brains can't keep up with. As height increases, the center of gravity lifts. This happens so quickly that the brain does not get a chance to calculate the new rules for balance. On the average, boys grow fastest between fourteen and fifteen and girls grow fastest between twelve and thirteen. Girls finish their growth spurt at eighteen while boys need another two years before they finish growing at about twenty.

Medical Aspects of Adolescent Growth Spurt
Injuries such as shin splints, stress fractures, and growth plate injuries such as Osgood-Schlatter Disease, are most prevalent during the periods of fastest growth. Training should be modified to avoid such injuries. All of these considerations, combined with normal adolescent hormonal and emotional changes, can lead to lack of self-confidence and low self-esteem. Adolescents need to be assured that they will regain their technical control and skills when the AGS has ended. AGS starts at the outside of the body and works in. Hands and feet are the first to expand. Needing new shoes is the first sign. Next, arms and legs grow longer, and even here the 'outside-in' rule applies. The shin bones lengthen before the thigh bones, and the forearms before the upper arms. Finally the spine grows. The very last expansion is a broadening of the chest and shoulders in boys, and a widening of the hips and pelvis in girls.

Early Maturation
Early maturers hit their growth spurts sooner than their peers. They tend to have an advantage in sports like hockey that require speed, power, endurance, and body mass. For biological reasons, not necessarily because of greater talent or ability, they are able to out-perform their peers. In childhood, they may have had successes for which they received much reinforcement and recognition. Problems arise during adolescence. Early maturers who experienced success in their younger years get frustrated because their peers suddenly catch up. They no longer experience the same success as before. Coaches may conclude it is because they are not working hard. Part of the dropout rate around age fourteen is due to early maturers' frustration. They don't understand that the physical changes that are occurring in their peers are allowing them to catch up. Parents and coaches could do a lot to shore up their self-confidence during this difficult time.

Late Maturation
Late maturers have a different set of issues. They often experience failure at the early ages because they are not as physically strong or developed as their early maturing peers. Even though they may work as hard, they often can't keep up, which is a huge source of frustration. Even as their physical maturity and skills 'catch up', they may continue to have trouble getting coaches' attention, encouragement, and recognition. In other words, coaches may not give them a fair chance to 'show their stuff'. Some of these youngsters drop out because of frustration. This seems to hit late maturing boys the hardest because they are at a particular disadvantage. Parents and coaches need to figure out how to keep late maturing kids interested and involved despite a lack of early success. They may turn out to be the 'stars'.

TRAINING CONSIDERATIONS SKILL (TECHNIQUE) TRAINING
Skating is an extremely complicated activity and hockey is an extremely complicated sport. Skating moves are not natural to the human body; in fact they're the opposite of natural. Skating moves are numerous, intricate, and inter-dependent. Each hockey maneuver consists of many parts. Each part must be learned separately and then integrated into the whole move. Proper technique training is essential for players to become fast, powerful, quick, and efficient skaters. The teaching/learning process is a long one. The most effective teaching method is one that has a systematic and integrative approach.

I believe in the 'pyramid' method; a strong foundation must be built at the bottom of the pyramid. Then work up from there to integrate and refine each part into its 'whole'. No one can learn a new skill or skating maneuver 'going fast'. It's too much for the brain and body to accommodate.

Here's my approach to teaching skating techniques:

1. Correctly.
2. Correctly-powerfully.
3. Correctly- powerfully-quickly.
4. Correctly-powerfully-quickly with the puck.
5. Same as 4, now under lots of pressure and in game situations.

*It is imperative to learn 'correctly' before worrying about powerfully and quickly - no matter how long it takes. And, when performing 'powerfully' and 'quickly', 'correctly' is still number one. That's what makes explosive, efficient skating so difficult. 6. At the end of each practice, players should be allowed to skate fast and have fun without worrying about correct technique. Skill (technique) training programs for very young hockey players (and for beginning players of all ages) should include basic and simple skating fundamentals done at a comfortable level, with a concentration on understanding, smoothness and efficiency. Skating technique must be combined with power and quickness at fairly young ages.

Ages eleven and up
From ages eleven and up hockey players should engage in training that includes some interval training (work:rest training). Whether the workouts are for sprinting, strength training, agility, skating, or for athletic attributes such as balance, rhythm, and coordination, they should include some interval training. It has been shown that long-slow training, without quickness training, teaches muscles to perform slowly. Therefore, jogging alone doesn't train quickness.

*Note: Long distance jogging needs to be carefully monitored. When over-done and when performed on hard and/or uneven surfaces it can result in growth plate injuries, especially during AGS.

Work (sprint) periods for all young players, including adolescents, should be short (maximum ten to fifteen seconds) to avoid the accumulation of lactic acid. There must be enough rest time between each work (sprint) period for full recovery. When still learning skating techniques, quickness training can be done mostly off the ice so as not to interfere with skill development. Coaches need to remember that developing players cannot learn, perform properly or perform effectively when they're fatigued. Quality repetition is the key to learning skill.

Strength Training
If strength training is to be done with pre-pubescent children, it should involve sub-maximal resistance, such as one's own body weight, light dumbbells, or medicine balls. Sophisticated and restrictive weight exercises, particularly on machines, are harmful for strength-limited children. Whole-body activities are the most important and beneficial, especially for improving core strength. For skating, kids should work on two-legged and one-legged strengthening. The more they strengthen their legs at a young age, the better chance they have to learn to skate correctly. Learning to skate, and developing leg strength (especially one-legged) are synergistic, so they should be done at the same age. And it should be fun.

MODIFYING TRAINING DURING THE ADOLESCENT GROWTH SPURT
During AGS kids often lose coordination and skill. Core strength, postural stability, concentration, technique, explosive power, and foot speed are all affected. The AGS has a negative impact on the learning process in general. During growth cycles, kids don't have the biological base of one-legged strength or muscular endurance to get into a good skating position. On-ice practices should focus on skill and technique rather than on power. Off-ice work should include two legged and one-legged exercises for coordination, balance, and agility. Exercises to improve core strength and postural stability are critical. Heavy strength/power workouts should be postponed until the muscles are stronger.

How To Improve Hockey Skating
Off-ice work on two legged and one-legged postural stability, combined with good skating fundamentals, should be incorporated into the training regimen. Coaches should have players do off-ice exercises for foot speed and explosive jumping (power) from a position of good knee bend with the shoulders up. When this is combined at every age, with sound skating fundamentals, players have a chance to reach their skating potential. Speed and explosive power should become part of skating patterns around puberty. The three to four years just after puberty are the most critical for developing foot speed and explosive power. However, it is very important to continue training for technique, power, quickness and foot speed during and after the AGS because many players lose these qualities during their periods of rapid growth. Patterns are fairly well defined by puberty. However, if players have a solid base of good skating mechanics and quick feet, the elements of explosiveness, quickness and efficiency can be improved after puberty and for several years beyond. In conclusion: Competition is an important part of a young person's development. Hockey is one of the greatest competitive sports. Correctly managed it is a critical training ground for teaching youngsters to compete successfully in life's many competitive and challenging situations. But its value depends on how it is conducted. Parents and coaches have a very important role to play in ensuring that development occurs in an intelligent, well-structured, well thought-out process that teaches positive life-lessons, maximize each player's inherent potential, and provides a positive learning experience along the way.

by Laura Stamm - With special acknowledgement and thanks to my friend and colleague, Jack Blatherwick, Ph.D. /Physiologist, Washington Capitals Hockey Team. His thoughts, insights, and knowledge were invaluable in helping me write this article.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: American Academy of Pediatrics, July 2000. Intensive Training and Sports Specialization in Young Athletes. Jack Blatherwick, Ph.D. / Physiologist, Washington Capitals Hockey Team; Benjamin Bloom (1985), Athlete Development: Phases of the Learning Model; Bompa, Tudor, PhD.; TOTAL TRAINING FOR YOUNG CHAMPIONS, Human Kinetics Publishers 2000; Borms, J.; The Child and Exercise: an Overview. Journal of Sports Sciences, 4, 3-20, 1986, Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness. Intensive Training and Sports Specialization In Young Athletes; Faigenbaum, Avery, EdD & Westcott; Wayne, PhD. STRENGTH AND POWER FOR YOUNG ATHLETES, Human Kinetics, 2000; Hockey Canada Safety Manual, 2002 General Principles of Conditioning; Minkoff, Jeffrey, Varlotta, Gerard, and Simonson, Barry, ICE HOCKEY; Ozretich, R.A. and, Bowman, S.R., Middle Childhood and Adolescent Development; Small, Eric, M.D. KIDS AND SPORTS, Newmarket Press, 2002; Sports Coach, 2004. Coaching Young Athletes. Author: Laura Stamm. Copyright, December, 2005

« Previous Page