Focus On These Topics To Help Your Athlete Take It To The Next Level

Youth Athlete Training had the privilege to speak with Amonzo Gantt Sr. Author of the book Understanding the Next Level: How to Prepare for Your Future. Amonzo played basketball and graduated from North Greenville University where he scored over 1,000 points in his career and had over 600 rebounds. The interview discussed each chapter of … Read more

The T-Bell: Proper Mastery of the Deadlift Prevents Injuries in Youth Athletes

One of the biggest concerns among parents, coaches, and youth athletes is the potential for injuries associated with child and youth weight training. Many studies have demonstrated that most injuries sustained by young weight lifters and power lifters are caused by incorrect lifting techniques, often due to improper or insufficient supervision, or lack of trained, … Read more

The Deadlift: An Essential Exercise for Youth Athletes

  People are becoming increasingly aware that strength training is essential to individuals of all ages to maintain overall health and improve physical performance. We know that strength training improves mental and physical health in adults, and recently, a growing body of scholarly evidence has studied and confirmed the benefits of strength training in children … Read more

Prevent Weightlifting Injuries In Athletes with Proper Training and Guidance

In the past, a great deal of controversy surrounded the subject of resistance training among children and teens – especially with the prevalence of injuries in the competitive sports of weightlifting and power lifting. But despite the long-held belief that strength training was dangerous or inappropriate for youngsters, the beneficial effects, as well as safety, … Read more

Phase Training To Build Faster, Stronger, Better Youth Athletes

Once again I was watching a youth athlete team and surprised at the actions of the coaches in regard to building their skills, athleticism and enthusiasm. This team had lost a game the day before… and the coaches weren’t happy. The coaches spent the first half of practice wearing the kids out with straight cardio … Read more

Change Your Practice Mentality And Stop Underperforming On Game Day

Coach Daryl Weber spoke with Dr. Patrick Cohn, the president and founder of Peak Performance Sports (Windermere, Florida). Dr. Patrick J. Cohn teaches mental skills and sports psychology techniques to athletes, teams, and corporate professionals to help improve performance.  The conversation about improving performance centered around athletes who are perfectionists. Perfection… meaning improvement, betterment, refinement… Many … Read more

Confidence, Mental Toughness & Mindfulness With Dr. Caroline Silby

Recently I spoke with Dr. Caroline Silby, Ph.D., who is a sought after expert on the development of young female athletes. She has appeared on numerous television programs including Oprah Winfrey, CNN, ABC-Wide World of Sports, and Oxygen Television. Dr. Silby is an author, adjunct Faculty member at American University and has worked on an … Read more

Positive Reinforcement & Communication With Joey Myers

Recently, I spoke with Joey Myers, the founder of the Hitting Performance Lab. He played 4 years of Division-1 baseball at Fresno State from 2000-2003. He’s a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), the International Youth and Conditioning Association (IYCA), and the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). He also works with the … Read more

Learning Through Loss With Sam Weinman

It’s a given… When you play a sport, at some point you will win, and at some point you will lose.  While winning is a great feeling, it’s often hard for kids to experience The Loss.  Yet, learning out to navigate a loss is a necessary life lesson. Recently, I invited author, Sam Weinman, who … Read more

Sports Specialization & Culture Change With Mike Kuchar

Recently, Coach Daryl Weber spoke with Mike Kuchar, co-founder and senior manager of X and O Labs.  Mike has coached football for 17 years and recently joined the staff at North Plainfield High School in New Jersey as the defensive coordinator. He and the coaching staff are attempting to turn around the program. The first … Read more

1 Thing That Is Preventing Your Youth Athletes From Being Faster!

By Steve Preston, Sports Performance Specialist If you’re a coach or parent of youth athletes you understand the “need for speed” in your athletes. Speed on the field, court or track is the game-changer for athletic success. I admire coaches and parents who consistently work with their youth athletes in order to help build them … Read more

10 Ways To Increase Your Athletes Performances with Nutrition

By Steve Preston, Sports Performance Specialist As a Sports Performance Specialist my job is to help youth athletes improve strength, speed, coordination and long-term athleticism. Coaches and Parents of youth athletes spend so many countless hours on practices, resistance training, conditioning, and overall performance. Great:) The kids become better at their respective sport as they … Read more

3 Tips To Increase Explosive Power In Athletes

By Steve Preston, Sports Performance Specialist Many athletes are strong but lack power.   Other athletes are powerful but lack explosive strength.   If an athlete is going to excel at sports they need to be able to build strength and then convert strength to explosive power. Simply put, explosive power refers to an individual’s … Read more

5 Tips to Build Speed and Agility In Youth Athletes

Wondering how to increase speed and agility in youth athletes? Frustrated with youth athletes lack of motivation and ability to stick with a program? Athletes need a jump-start to increase their sports performance? You may have answered yes to one, two or all three of these questions. I want to give you five quick tips … Read more