Category: Editorials

It’s no secret the holiday season can be the busiest of the year. Here are five ways to help you keep life balanced—and easy.

It’s no secret the holiday season can be the busiest of the year. Here are five ways to help you keep life balanced—and easy.

So much goes into creating an elite athlete: devoted coaches, parents, sports psychologists, physical therapists, trial and error, and of course, intrinsic motivation. Many athletes (including myself) also coach young…

What motivates kids to keep playing sports? Success—though it may not always resemble a big trophy. Here are four wins every child can score.

It’s no surprise sports teach life skills. Here’s how to create female leaders while supporting your kids on the field.

Confidence is the single most important asset young athletes bring to sports. However, too often, kids expect confidence to simply come to them from positive results—rather than proactively working to…

Young athletes carry on an inner dialogue with themselves in sports. It reflects how they think about themselves. For example, they might tell themselves they’re too small, too slow, or…

New Year’s resolutions can be hard to keep but habits? They’re doable—and science proves it. Here are four habits for every young athlete and ways to make them stick.

With the release of the new Apple silicon Macs, early adopters will see something new on the Mac App Store: the TeamSnap iOS app. Thanks to the hard work of…

“Watching my grandson learn all aspects of life through sports, playing hard, working as a team and most of all, having fun.” “The fun. Whether you are a player or…

Award-winning parenting writer Lisa Cohn and Youth Sports Psychology expert Dr. Patrick Cohn are co-founders of The Ultimate Sports Parent. In our last article, we discussed the top five confidence…

An 11-year-old basketball player says that he loses confidence when his parents bring all 10 members of his extended family to watch his games. He feels pressure to perform well,…

Whether your player is training at-home or starting to attend in-person clinics or games, they are going to need a healthy snack for fuel. Luckily, there are lots of inexpensive…

  In the midst of all the difficulties we’ve seen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing that stands out is the importance of community and how important…

  I wrote last month about how it’s been inspiring and humbling to watch our customers improvise their way through the COVID-19 pandemic with no playbook. As a longtime improviser—and…

Your website can make a big difference for parents deciding whether or not to sign up their young athlete. Here’s how to make yours stand out.

Visualization can up your game: Elite athletes know it and science proves it. Here’s how to imagine your way better, whether you’re in season or off.

There will be seasons when kids are forced to take time off. Setting goals can help young athletes return to play stronger than ever.

Andrew (front center) performs weekly with ComedySportz in Portland, Oregon. All shows are currently streamed online with performers appearing from their homes. It can be hard to find hope during…

The loss of the sports season can be tough. Kids might miss teammates just as much as the game. Here’s how to keep morale high and kids feeling strong.

Playing different sports can help youth athletes boost strength, agility—and enjoyment. Here are five combinations to try.

Because of its sheer difficulty, hill running improves strength and stability, and this can do wonders for performance. Here are some excellent ways to do it. 

We spoke with Elise Hooper about the 1936 Women’s Olympic Team, Jesse Owens, and more.

What really matters when it comes to youth sports? It’s important for adults to teach skills that can help foster success in all aspects of life.

Life can get busy for student athletes—whether it’s today’s practice or tomorrow’s quiz. Here are four ways to help strike a balance.

It’s been said that ‘winning isn’t everything,’ especially when it comes to youth sports. Here’s how to maintain perspective.

School sports might hit pause, but that doesn’t mean your young athlete has to as well. Here are three ways to keep kids on their toes.

It’s going to happen. Sooner or later, your child is going to disagree with teammates or coaches, whether about game strategy, playing time, or simply the color of the uniforms….

Setting goals can not only help kids succeed on the playing field, but it can also help them grow into happy, balanced adults. Here’s how to start.

Sometimes parenting can affect whether or not a child sticks with sports. Here’s how to keep youth athletes engaged—and in the game.

Youth sports teach tremendous life skills. Here’s how to keep young athletes playing.

You always want to see your young athlete succeed, but what happens when he or she falls short of what you know is possible? Here are three ways to help.

Youth sports is a world of many discussions—but the ones you have with yourself as a parent can sometimes be the most important.

Every parent wants to help their child, but sometimes hanging back can help them achieve even better results. Here are four ways to fight the ‘rescue’ urge.

Training is what leads to results—so why not train right? Here, we explain why it’s so important.

Tennis great Billie Jean King likes to say “pressure is a privilege,” because you often feel it when an opportunity you’ve dreamed of comes along. Knowing how to rise to…

Do you feel sports ready? There’s so much involved when it comes to being a sports parent, whether it’s driving to after-school practices and Saturday games, or washing seemingly endless…

In 1939, Little League was born when Carl Stotz of Williamsport, Pennsylvania founded an organization that gave children the opportunity to play organized baseball. Youth football began in 1929, youth…

Every sports parent needs to be aware of concussion protocol and safety. Concussions are serious and should not be taken likely. If your child is playing sports this year—and any…

“Mom I can’t,” my 12-year-old nugget sobbed through his tears.  It was mile three of 20—yes, 20 miles heaven help us—on a qualifying run my son needed to finish for…

When can my child return to play after a concussion? It’s an unfortunate question sports parents may have to ask. And when it comes to concussions, you should not be…

Not all matches are made in heaven, but in the case of TeamSnap and the Positive Coaching Alliance, it’s true love, which is why we are honored to sponsor PCA’s…

Question: What’s cuter than a puppy?  Answer: A puppy who’s a superhero! We here at TeamSnap call ourselves a dog-loving bunch. Our HQ offices are dog friendly, and among our…

We all know youth sports can teach kids about failure, and that’s not a bad thing. But kids can also learn early on that blaming others for such failures might…

There are heroes, and then there’s Pelotonia. Founded in 2008, Pelotonia was established with the objective to fund life-saving cancer research. Pelotonia is a three-day experience that includes a weekend…

It may seem with sports that it’s all about the big games and the results of the other games in the middle. After all, with sports, it’s about competition. But…

A new school year brings a new season of sports and for many children, that can mean joining a new team. Old friends might get together again or make new…

For many families, back to school means back to school sports. If you’re a sports parent, here are seven ways you can help your young athlete get the most from…

You never want your child to feel like a victim—especially when it applies to youth sports. Victim mentality will not help a team win games, nor will it help your…

The tiny blue star of The Little Engine That Could was onto something: She used a mantra to fill herself with confidence and conquered an ‘impossible’ hill. Stanford researchers and others have…

The biggest obstacles to your child’s success in youth sports have nothing to do with the weather, officiating or opponents. (And, P.S.: Those obstacles have less to do with the…

If you ever watch sports, you’re bound to see players sipping on neon-colored drinks during a game. You may even see coaches get an ice bucket shower after a big…

The No. 1 reason our customers say they use TeamSnap is because it saves them a ton of time. Did you know coaches and team managers save an average of…

With the World Rowing Championships just days away, now is a great time to learn more about rowing. It’s an awesome sport that is gaining participants across the world on…

When athletes succeed in high-pressure situations, you’ll inevitably hear people say they have “ice in their veins.” Conversely, athletes who fail in these same situations might be labeled “choke artists.”…

Youth coaches volunteer their time to teach life lessons through sports. Most are former players, some from the high school or even college level. It’s an honorable sacrifice and we…

Recently, 2014 World Cup Golden Boot Award winner James Rodriguez ended an underwhelming three year spell with soccer club Real Madrid. Oddly enough, he immediately returned to his 2014 form…

Sports can take you on a roller coaster of emotion. One moment, you can be flying high with excitement; the next, you find yourself disappointed and struggling for answers. These…

The NBA Summer League concluded with the Los Angeles Lakers winning it all and taking a strong position for the coming regular season. This year’s tournament and the negotiations leading…

I know I’m going to get some flack for this, but I strongly believe that youth sports programs should give kids trophies just for completing a season. Yes, I’ve heard…

There are a lot of good sports parents out there. I was one of them. That doesn’t mean, however, that I handled the job perfectly. In fact, I made a…

In a perfect world, we all show up to our young athlete’s sporting events to encourage them lovingly. When they do well, we give a polite golf clap. When they…

I don’t know when the phrase “like a girl” became an insult. We’ve all heard things like: “Wow, you run like a girl.” “Ha, she totally fights like a girl.”…

For some time now, we’ve been reading articles, blogs and op-eds about kids (and their parents) spending an inordinate amount of time and money on a single sport. We read…

I recently had a conversation with a friend and fellow coach. I asked him if he was coaching this season, and he said, “I thought about it, but when I…

As a former coach with well over 30 years of experience helping young people learn to play soccer and learn life lessons on the field, I’ve seen some changes over…

I have worked with hundreds of athletes who come to me for “lack of confidence” or “low confidence” in their performances. Well, what if I told you that the truth…

The dynamics between players, coaches and parents have become notoriously difficult to manage—and understandably so. The complexity that results from the intermingling of these relationships is due to the very…

Shane Carney is Founder & Director of the East Bay Eclipse Soccer Club Our kids learn from what we say and do. Don’t we all want to be the kind of…

Our 15 year old son has loved soccer since he could walk and has been playing for over 10 years. He has been blessed with amazing coaches and great teammates….

By Istvan Balyi and Jim Grove So many parents dream about their children becoming superstar hockey players, or figure skaters, or basketball players. And one question that often generates heated…

Trying out for a sports team can be a scary process. Coaching evaluations, competition for roster spots with other players, and even expectations from parents can be enough to fill…

Any parent involved in the youth sports world has probably witnessed cheating—by adults. It usually begins with parents and coaches stacking teams, even at the youngest age levels. Although it…

He was desperate, this little boy. Desperate to impress the evaluators. Desperate to impress the coach (me). And above all else, desperate to impress his dad. Hockey tryouts have arrived…

The Golden State Warriors had one of the best seasons in NBA history this past season, and in doing so they have begun to reshape the sports landscape as we…

It’s a sunny afternoon at a local ball field. A bunch of kids have shown up to play baseball for hours, perhaps until dark or a mother’s voice is heard calling….

In a recent blog post by Koach Karl Dewazien, he wrote about the differences between youth sports today and when he began coaching 30 years ago. One reader responded with…

Tim Duncan will go down as one of the 10 greatest NBA players of all time. He was a three-time NCAA Collegiate All American and Naismith Player of the Year…

Here’s a question that Koach Karl of the FUNdamental Soccer Book Series and TeamSnap Blog contributor received, and his response: Question: The culture of all American sports is to win,…

Have you ever had one of those days where everything seems to be going wrong? It’s the kind of day you wish you stayed in bed, however, if you did,…

In our quest to help young soccer players improve, we may have started something that is more harmful than helpful. It is natural for adults to shout encouragement and advice…

A few days after a recent new hire started at TeamSnap, the two of us had this conversation: EMPLOYEE: “I’m so sorry … I have to run out for a…

This is a collaborative article written by TeamSnap and MamaBear Sometimes it can be hard to see things from the eyes of another. You might think you have it all…

Growing up, did you consider yourself to be a “jock,” preferring to exercise your athletic prowess, or an “artist,” pursuing more creative endeavours? When I was younger, I played sports…

By Erica Salmon, TeamSnap user, team mom, writer and guest author This baseball season marks the seventh season my husband has been coaching through our town’s Little League. He started…

As many Americans who love soccer did on Thursday, I eagerly awaited the announcement of this year’s 23-player roster for this summer’s World Cup. And, along with so many others,…

By “Koach Karl” Dewazien, author and producer of soccer resources for all youth levels. The best preparation for learning to play soccer and keeping them playing is being under the tutelage of…

While TeamSnap has employees working all over the country who can keep the company afloat, some at TeamSnap Headquarters are located in Colorado’s Front Range and have been working to…

By Guest Author Marlo Thomas, an Emmy, Golden Globe and Grammy winner and activist. Three in every four kids witness bullying, according to a PSA from the Ad Council and the…

Last time we looked at several topics I believe should be considered in determining if your player is ready for the jump to club soccer. Things such as whether the…

Team: OWLS-Dragonflies Sport: Dragon Boat Racing Location: Portland, Oregon It takes way more paddling than we prepared for to catch Coach Laura Ricker and her teammates on any occasion once they hit the…

Webster defines simulation as “the act or process of pretending; feigning.” For those not familiar with how the term applies to soccer, it can best be characterized as attempting to…

This is a question every parent should be asking themselves BEFORE they bring their player to a club (“travel team”) tryout.  I have seen time and time again where parents…

I recently had the opportunity to interview Alex Morgan, the 22-year-old U.S Women’s National Team forward who made a huge splash at this past summer’s Women’s World Cup, for Soccer…

I’ve been filling out a lot of online forms lately, and have noticed a trend that should stop NOW. Too many programmers have decided to “help” us fill out the…

In honor of Father’s Day, we decided to republish a post celebrating dads and their dedication to kids and sports. What did you do to celebrate Father’s Day? Enjoy the…

Here at TeamSnap, we support over 100 different kinds of sports and non-sports groups. We’re talking everything from Soccer and Softball to Curling and Ki-O-Rahi. This may sound like a…

I love messages like the following, which I just received today: “Hi Dave, I’m not sure if this email address is reaching you, Dave Dupont, CEO of Teamsnap. If it is,…

Interacting with our customers on a daily basis, I have the pleasure of talking to coaches, team moms and dads, league administrators, managers, and sports parents. Everyone has their own…

Team moms and dads, listen up!  Managing a team is no small feat and whether you are a first timer or a tenured sports parent, we want to be helpful…