Category: For Parents

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Basketball Tournament Packing List

What do you need for a youth basketball tournament? Simple question? Maybe. Here is a quick reminder of a few things you may forget.

Basketball Tournament Packing List

  • Extra dry shirts.
  • Fold-able outdoor chair. If you end up with long waits between games a comfortable chair can help you and your child relax.
  • Extra pairs of socks. (As many as 2 per game)
  • Sandals. After a game it is important to cool your feet.
  • Instant ice packs. Ice is often hard to find in a gym.
  • Tylenol and ibuprofen are helpful for in-between games.
  • Bananas. Protein snacks.
  • Extra water bottles.

Some of these are obvious, but helping your athlete perform to their potential is the goal. And sometimes being prepared can make a big difference.

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How to Improve the Ride Home

Thanks to truesportpur.ca for this insightful video.

What is True Sport?

Changing the landscape of sport from the ground up. — True Sport is a series of programs and initiatives designed to give people, communities and organizations the means by which to leverage the many benefits of good sport from a platform of shared values and principles.

True Sport is dedicated to the notion that good sport can make a great difference.

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The Balance in being Highly Competitive in Youth Basketball – the “I GET TO” attitude.

We asked Aaron Dickson this question:

How do you balance being highly competitive in athletics (and wanting to succeed at the highest level) with values of teamwork, compassion, and humility?

We love his response. Continue reading “The Balance in being Highly Competitive in Youth Basketball – the “I GET TO” attitude.”

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Lawrence to look for stories on coaches, teachers who changed lives

Came across a great article that speaks to the heart of what we are trying to do at Tourney.Life. Kevin Lawrence is actively looking for stories of coaches (and teachers) that have had a positive impact on their players & students. Check out the full article.

It started with a realization:

When adults behave like children, the children never learn to behave like adults. So good people don’t want to coach anymore.
Kevin Lawrence

And the problem centers around “looking at the here and now. For most of them, typically tunnel-vision parents, all that matters is either winning or making sure that their child gets enough playing time.”

Email your story to: [email protected]

And read the full article at: https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/sports/high-school/2018/08/29/lawrence-looking-stories-coaches-teachers-who-changed-lives/1136267002/

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Why Competitive Youth Basketball is Awesome

Competitive sports are often criticized and when balance is lost, it can be a bad experience for everyone. But Anne Josephson came up with 15 reasons competitive sports are worthwhile & helpful. I’ve summarize her list below.  You can read her full article here.

Focus on the Process & Less on the Results

Competition can:

  1. Drive us to learn faster.
  2. Teach us to bring our best effort.
  3. Teach us to manage our nerves.
  4. Help us conquer fears.
  5. Teaches us to take risks.
  6.  Teaches us to cope when things don’t go our way.
  7. Help us with goal setting.
  8. Teach us to play by the rules.
  9. Help us to learn to win and lose with grace.
  10. Be fun.
  11. Build self-esteem.
  12. Teaches us commitment.
  13. Give us a different community of friends.
  14. Provide opportunities for travel.
  15. Cause kids to perform better in school.

Josephson, in her article, provides back-story and additional information about each of the 15.

Bottom line, when keep in balance & with a focus on these 15 things, you can help your children thrive and develop in the context of competitive youth basketball. And if you have been involved in youth basketball for awhile you have tasted the thrill of victory and the pride in watching your children succeed. If success has not yet come, take pride in your child’s character to strive to succeed. It is preparing them for their future.

 

 

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Top 10 Ways High School Players Can Get Recruited

There are many things you can do to increase your chances of getting recruited.

Creating highlight tapes, attending open gyms, elite camps for a specific school, scoring above 20pt’s per game on a winning high school team, playing in showcase tournaments with your AAU team, and simply playing everywhere you can. Don’t forget, the better your grades the more opportunity you will have.

Here is a great guide for high school players looking to get recruited.

Top 10 Ways to Get Recruited

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Make It A Game

When your kids are young it is important that you keep sport fun.

You might think, “Well it’s a game… it’s going be fun regardless.”
This is simply not true. Continue reading “Make It A Game”

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7 Reasons Your Players can’t shoot the basketball

We love reading Coach Mac’s emails. Learn more about his programs and philosophy at ChampionshipCoachingCourse.com

Here is his list of the 7 reasons your players are not great shooters (yet). Continue reading “7 Reasons Your Players can’t shoot the basketball”

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I love to watch you play!

Discovered ilovetowatchyouplay.com recently and wanted to connect you with the site.

A place for parents seeking balance, sanity and an edge in the crazy world of youth sports.
I Love To Watch You Play

They say “No matter how good your child is or isn’t at playing sports, according to a survey conducted over 30 years by two coaches and athletic administrators what young athletes want to hear most from their parents after a sporting event is,“I love to watch you play.”

 

For some encouragement, read the full article “The Conversation after the Game” by Gordon MacLelland.