Category: How To

If you’re here, it means you’re looking for something from the Coach Smarter series from the Positive Coaching Alliance and TeamSnap. Coach Smarter content is only available in the TeamSnap…

There’s a lot that goes into a single successful sports season, and great teams get a few things done early. Finalizing the schedule. Setting expectations. Clear communication.   Getting everyone on…

Is the TeamSnap app working hard enough for you? Here’s how to make sure you’re maximizing every single tool at your disposal. Download the app It goes without saying, everything’s…

Operating tryouts for your youth sports club can be daunting. If not planned correctly, an exciting, hope-filled day can turn into an organizational nightmare. Try these five tips to prepare…

One of the toughest parts of being a coach for a youth sports team isn’t always wrangling kids, sometimes it’s actually wrangling the parents. Between game time, practice schedules, carpools,…

Creating your own website is an empowering experience and often provides increased opportunities for community connection and audience engagement. When you partner with TeamSnap to manage your sports league, you…

Drill are essential for coaching young athletes. They’re perfect for improving fundamental skills by breaking down different aspects of the game. For many young athletes, the standard method of dividing…

By www.soccerhelp.com   1. Teach Your Players the Skills They Need. Strong Basic Skills win games. SoccerHelp has free No Lines Soccer Drills for ages 4 to 18 that teach Skills…

As a former youth sports player, amateur coach and now parent of children who participate in team sports, I’ve sat through and led many parent meetings — some were good,…

TeamSnap’s Availability tools help you know who can be at any practice, game, event or team meeting. In just a quick tap, players can mark availability months in advance, which…

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…

Supporting your kids as they get involved in sports can help them gain community, responsibility and resilience. As with life, playing a sport comes with highs and lows. Not all…

A coach’s job is never done–from skill development to administrative tasks like scheduling, and off-season training, there’s a lot that goes into being a good coach. And while player development…

Building and launching a website for your youth sports club, league or team can be daunting. So daunting most organizations push it off as a future project to be tackled…

At TeamSnap, we love using new features almost as much as we love releasing new features. One of our favorite new features we rolled out this year is the Postgame…

Skilled coaches are the backbone of many youth sports clubs. Without coaches, who would help players hone their skills, win games while also organize team rosters, schedules and communicate with…

Often we think about success in sports as the number of wins your team has or your club’s ranking in your league. And while that’s a primary and perhaps most…

You deserve the best summer ever. TeamSnap has teamed up with Johnsonville to put together this ‘Fire Up Fun with Johnsonville’ blog series to spark your playful spirit and help…

Registration can be one of the most stressful times of the year as a sports organization admin. Between preseason communications, collecting information and fees from hundreds of athletes, setting your…

In the increasingly competitive landscape of youth sports, practices are longer, more intense, and more frequent than ever. While practice and repetition may inch the athlete closer to perfection, athletes…

Does the thought of planning and holding tryouts for your youth sports club make you cringe?  We don’t blame you. It can mean stacks of registration forms to sort through,…

We did it! We made it to 2021! And while we think it’s safe to say most won’t look fondly back at 2020, watching the sports community come together in…

For many youth sports families, the holidays usually present the challenge of balancing sports activities and family events. But 2020 has altered the “normal” for everyone; some of you may…

If you haven’t noticed, COVID has mixed up youth sports schedules for at least the foreseeable future. It used to be easy to know when baseball season began and ended,…

The Right Tools and Planning Youth sports continue to reopen, but attending as a spectator may come down to following smart etiquette. Coaches need to not only have a strong…

Not AGAIN! Are you or your young athletes saying that about the postponement of fall sports as COVID-19 continues to leave its unwelcome mark in our lives? This distress is…

Back to school this fall will look different as each family makes choices and navigates the new COVID-19 reality. For some families, this will be further complicated by parents’ work…

Although team names are often assigned by the league or influenced by sponsorships, in some cases, the coaches and players are able to select their team name in a fun–but…

As individual activities have become more popular during social distancing, skateboarding participation, which has remained steady since 2013, could see an increase this summer. Skateboarding is an extreme sport, and…

  In part one of this series, we addressed how to manage registration funds you’ve already collected. In this post, we will dig deeper into the options you have for…

Try these activities to keep your kids engaged and active during the pandemic. Along with helping children learn how to read, how to talk and how to play well with…

A H2H challenge is when two people compete one-on-one. This is a great way to encourage friendly competition, condition athletes and foster teamwork. 

Tips and tricks curated by our users and TeamSnap staff to help your team get through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Essential hacks to lead your baseball and softball team with TeamSnap.

How to Use TeamSnap for Cross Country and Track & Field The top hacks to maximize TeamSnap for cross country and track & field. If you’re a coach or team…

The TeamSnap Assignments feature is a favorite of ultra-organized parents and overworked coaches. Finally, there’s an easy way to manage your volunteer tasks–or assign someone manager duties and let them…

We’ve all had that moment. That one moment where you snap your fingers and cry, “Ah-ha! I had no idea I could do this!”  TeamSnap is a proud giver of…

“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…

How to Use TeamSnap for Adult Tennis Essential hacks to maximize TeamSnap for tennis If you are a tennis captain, you probably spend a ton of time dealing with player…

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…

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…

You know the expression “It takes a village”? This sentiment is certainly true when it comes to your kids participating in sports. There’s the weekly (sometimes daily) chauffeuring to and…

Coaches and team managers say TeamSnap saves an average of 12 hours per month (we’re talking nearly a week-long vacation a year!)–thanks to the ease of having everything you need…

Did you know you can take and upload photos and videos through the TeamSnap app? It’s fast and easy, and makes sharing your team’s best moments–whether it’s clearing the last…

What do the likes of baseball, football and soccer have in common? They’re all typically played outdoors on fields and diamonds. And while this is perfect during the fall, spring…

You’ve probably used TeamSnap for soccer, baseball, football, hockey or more. But did you know you can use it for tasks outside of sports, too? You sure can. TeamSnap helps…

Everyone loves an underdog. Take Leicester City, for example. Just this past year, they shocked the world by overcoming 5,000 to one odds to win the Premier League. Cinderella stories…

Through 22 years of being a sports mom and 29 years of being a coach’s wife, I’ve observed a lot of sideline behavior at games. I made my share of…

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…

Ah, the offseason. The perfect time for some much needed rest and relaxation from your busy coaching schedule. Time to kick back, relax and binge watch your favorite TV shows….

Every sports parent I talk to has a story about another crazy sports parent who acts up before, during or after a game. Or maybe all three of those times….

Managing and coaching youth sports teams can be tough. There’s tons to do, ranging from crucial roster decisions to just getting your team to the field. Don’t you wish there…

Running–and sprinting in particular–is a fundamental skill that supports a multitude of other activities. If you know how to sprint properly, you’re more likely to enjoy a wide range of…

I once saw a freshman high school basketball player fall down hard on his ankle during a game. He screamed, and it was one of those moments where the large…

Ever heard of tennis elbow? If you Google it, you might get coude de tennis. In French, that literally means “an elbow that is tennis,” which makes absolutely no sense. No matter…

In many youth baseball leagues, there simply isn’t a budget for field maintenance. The league and its players rely on the generosity of coaches and volunteers to help get the…

Take a look around. It’s not hard to find examples of parents gone wild at youth sporting events. Arguing with officials, arguing with coaches and berating young kids has become so…

Baseball is a relatively low-impact sport that can still cause a broad range of injuries if players aren’t carefully prepared. From pulled muscles in the arms to head injuries, players…

Warming up is an essential part of practice. When designing a warmup for your team, be sure to keep these three principles in mind. First, stay under five minutes. Second,…

Moneyball is reaching youth sports and it’s a welcome trend for me, both as a coach and parent. For those unfamiliar with the book by Michael Lewis and movie based…

We’ve all seen movies about coaches making players run ridiculous distances to build mental toughness. While I’m all for distance running and the various benefits it provides, it is often…

Teaching young athletes basic strength-building moves is one of the most important things we do as coaches. In my last post, I discussed how a simple tweak in push-up form…

If you really want to help your young athlete succeed, grow and develop, then I have three simple suggestions: Simmer down, surrender, and see the little things. Simmer Down When…

With the Big Game in Houston just two days away, it’s about time you started thinking about your party. If you’re inviting friends (or enemies, depending on what team they…

I’m a big believer in using practice time to teach young athletes basic strength exercises. Youth practices are often a kid’s first formal exposure to strength training. As a coach,…

If your kids play an organized sport, it’s only natural to purchase new equipment as they grow and becomes more skilled. After all, how fast can a child run in…

Want to save time with your club or league? TeamSnap is the way to do it! Have an important message for everyone in your club, league or organization? Send it…

It’s the 1986 World Series. The Boston Red Sox and New York Mets are tied in extra innings. Bill Buckner, Boston’s first baseman, has a very easy, slow ground ball hit…

There are a bevy of benefits for kids who play multiple sports. These include becoming better overall athletes from engaging in multiple disciplines; learning to be smarter and more creative…

Hockey players pour their heart, sweat and tears into the game. A lot of hard work is put in during time on the ice. With that work comes those dreaded…

I can remember every single hockey stick I’ve ever used. Honest. There was the flat-bladed old school Bauer when I was six years old and still discovering whether I was…

Volunteers are angels disguised in team shirts. They help set up before a game, match or meet; they help break down after; and they’re always first to offer their place…

What’s the difference between a good coach and a great coach? Often, the answer comes down to one thing: Communication. Good coaches ensure everyone gets the message; great coaches help…

This article was inspired by my friends, CJ Stewart and Emmitt Smith I love the start of the youth sports season. You can see and feel the excitement and anticipation…

Losing is never easy. For athletes of any age, it’s tough to go out there, give it your all, yet still come up short of your goal. And for young…

“One of the qualities of every good team is character, and chemistry is a big part of that,” says Jerry Dipoto, general manager of the Seattle Mariners, in an article from…

By Evan Tabachnick & Warren Tabachnick It might not be something you want to consider, but sometimes a player or his/her parents are so problematic for the team that the…

Athletes come to me because they want to be faster. Though that’s probably not an uncommon goal (who doesn’t want to be faster?), some athletes focus on it too much. They…

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…

When my work first started to focus on helping young athletes reach their potential in sports and life, I was told by a business coach that I had to “brand”…

Like it or not, sports come with pressure. There will come a time when your young athlete gets the ball with the clock winding down or steps up with the…

Will had been taking batting lessons from me for about a year. He was a really nice 11-year-old kid with average athletic ability, and very respectable. We got along great!…

Has your young athlete ever gone into a game competing against him or herself? You might be thinking, Of course not! Why would anyone do that? Well, no one goes…

“I had a bad practice.” This is a common complaint I hear from athletes I work with. A bad practice can make some young athletes feel frustrated and angry. At…

One day at my hitting school, during a class with nine-year-old boys, we were working on the technique of hitting the ball using a pitching machine. One boy, Jake, was…

Whether you’re new to TeamSnap and don’t know about our glorious (and highly rated, we might add) app, or you’ve been using TeamSnap for years but aren’t convinced you need…

Relationships with coaches can be tricky to navigate, but the key to any solid player-coach relationship can be answered with a simple question: Does your coach trust you? There are…

We’re starting the new year off right with a couple of feature updates that are sure to make using TeamSnap even easier. Get ready to save a ton of time…

A few years ago while I was teaching a karate class at my gym, a mother and her son arrived for the youngster’s first private karate lesson. As they sat…

Connect more apps and products to TeamSnap! TeamSnap already has a ton of great features to make it easier to communicate with and manage your team. We’re excited to tell…

Most parents encourage their kids to get involved in a sport at a young age, but not every kid is interested in football or soccer. Some kids look at a…

Children gain so much from participating in sports, like the opportunity to develop physical literacy and the chance to make lasting friendships. Playing sports can also help kids become better…

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…

Fall is here, which means school and extracurricular activities are here, too. One of the many sports popular during the fall is volleyball. As with any sport, you can’t just…

TeamSnap just got way smarter about how we handle large sports complexes with multiple fields, courts, rinks, etc… In the old days (i.e. last week), you had to create a separate…

Everyone who has kids playing a team sport has been asked to volunteer. You may not feel comfortable taking on the responsibility, but there are good reasons why you might…

“5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Blastoff!” Counting down: It’s not just for rocket launches and New Year’s Eve any more!  With Android 3.6.0 and iOS 3.3.0, both released Wednesday, Sept….

Let’s face it: most athletes, particularly teenage athletes, are mentally under-trained. While they might acknowledge that the mind is important to their sport, they don’t always have a plan to…

Many athletes use the offseason as a time to relax, forget all about their sport and take a break … that often includes ice cream and pizza. But those aren’t…

Parents: somewhere, at some point, a change occurred. Youth sports became professionalized. We have imposed an adult viewpoint of sports onto our youth. In doing so, the system has indeed…