Carroll Goes by the Book at USC

Carroll draws coaching inspiration from writings of a tennis guru

August 26, 2007

Kurt Streeter

LA Times

Was this football practice? Or Zen?

At USC the other day, Coach Pete Carroll played catch with his receivers.

He threw a spiral.

Right there, did it feel heavier in your hands there? Where was your awareness?

Carroll caught the ball.

What is this about? he said. It's about trusting yourself.

He caught the ball again, talking the entire time.

Relax the shoulders . . . don't force it. . . soften . . . flow. . .

He and the receivers worked on technique, certainly. But all the while, he was

infusing them with ideas he had formed thanks in no small part to a paperback

book he had picked up 33 years ago.

You know about Carroll's successes. About how, since coming to town in 2001,

his Trojans have plowed through college football like a runaway train. About the

energetic, charismatic way he coaches -- and what it has brought: No. 1 rankings

and national titles, conference victories and Rose Bowls, high picks and

Heismans.

If he keeps this up much longer, we might be stacking his name next to John

Wooden's.

But what you might not know, and what Carroll downplays publicly, even with his

players, is this:

Part of his approach comes from a Zen-laced primer on a

sport far removed from the violent chaos of a Trojans football game.

Tennis.

Right, tennis.

The book is "The Inner Game of Tennis." It is full of

teaching, Carroll told me, that inspires his life. It is full

of teaching that he uses to help his players perform --

even if they don't know it.

First published in 1974, the book was written by a philosophical tennis coach by

the name of W. Timothy Gallwey. It focuses on the game played between the

ears -- against anxiety and doubt. Beat back those two demons, Gallwey says,

and you are going to let your natural talent shine. In tennis, at school, at work,

even on a football field.

Carroll's Trojans teams are chock full of talent -- usually more than you find on

any other team. Watch the Trojans practice, and you're instantly struck by their

jack-rabbit speed and barrel-chested strength. They plow into each other with

nonstop intensity. You catch yourself wondering: "These are college kids?" Then

you scan the field, and you are struck by how many there are. They're all over

the paddock. Another SC team, loaded.

But talent gets you only so far. Just ask the Lakers of 2003-04, the team with

O'Neal, Bryant, Malone and Payton. Talented flame-outs.

Carroll's methods and the energetic, supercharged culture he has worked

to create have helped his teams maximize their gifts.

 How many times over the last handful of years has a Trojans team choked? Not many. How often have they bounced back after tough, unexpected losses?

Often.

They seem to learn from mistakes

instead of brooding about them.

Maybe it's all about the inner game.

Sitting on a concrete bench near the practice field, Carroll, intense, centered,

said that much of what he does -- the way he runs practice, coaches games,

talks to his players, even how he handles reporters -- is a mix of old-school savvy

and progressive psychology and philosophy.

He picked up the psychology and philosophy in earnest in the mid-1970s when

he was a graduate student at the University of the Pacific. That was when he

discovered "The Inner Game of Tennis." Those concepts, Carroll said, pointing

at the practice field, "are a part of this whole program."

So explain the philosophy.

"It's all about clearing the clutter

in the interactions between your

conscious and subconscious mind."

Not the words of a stereotypical, militaristic football lifer.

Uh, how do you do that?

"Through superior practice and a clear approach.

Focus,

clarity

and

belief in yourself

are what allows you to express your ability without discursive thoughts and

concerns."

Never, I said, did I think that I would hear a football coach talk about discursive

thoughts and concerns.

Carroll laughed. But there was fire in his eyes; he was speaking of exciting

stuff.

He talked about

the importance of

establishing a culture of

trust.

He said that

in the heat of the battle,

it is important to suspend judgment,

good or bad.

He spoke of being in the moment and feeling the flow, the importance of not

trying to start fast but to finish strong -- and about what he considers the linchpin

of USC's recent run of success: precise, highly focused, highly disciplined

practice.

Then he threw in something that would make Vince Lombardi snort. "We are

trying to create a self-actualized program," he said. "It's really about divine

nonchalance."

Whoa. Cool. West Coast.

A bit different. But, in my book, different is often good, and Pete Carroll and his

band of Trojan footballers are proving it.

Sports Parenting and Youth Coaching Tips

Delivering a Hockey Check

Bobby Orr - Positive Hockey

Bobby Orr tops just about every hockey list as the best defenceman to have ever played the game and at 62, he is still very much involved in the game but it’s no longer about winning. Orr was in Pierrefonds over the weekend to participate in Chevrolet’s Safe & Fun Hockey―a program developed by him to teach children aged 5-8 essential values behind the game.

Orr created the program after he noticed that minor hockey in Canada was no longer being enjoyed by the kids playing it and that parents and coaches were pressuring the young players to win and be the best. He knew that the percentage of players that actually reached professional levels was extremely low and felt that hockey should be played for fun.

“I’ve watched a lot of hockey games with crazy parents, kids never getting into the games, kids being screamed and yelled at,” Orr told the Chronicle. “We are talking about the masses here, the ones that will never play pro. What’s happening is we are driving these kids away from the game. If one child leaves a hockey, baseball or soccer game feeling poorly about himself or herself then we have failed.” 
  
Orr decided to team up with Chevrolet to provide a program that would remind the children that hockey is meant to be a fun activity. The Safe & Fun Hockey program tours Canada every year, with Orr, Cassie Campbell and Mike Bossy making appearances along the way. 

“When our kids are playing, we should be teaching them values like being respectful, responsible and being a good teammate,” said Orr. “These are values that they can apply to anything they may do in the future. If a child is enjoying himself or herself, there is so much we can teach them.”

The program may be targeted to children but over the years, it has developed into something more. Minor hockey involves an entire community and stress can come from the parents as well as the coaches. 
“When we started this program, we soon learned that it’s more than just the kids,” said Orr. “The parents, the officials on the ice, the coaches behind the bench: we all have to work together to make sure it’s a happy experience for every kid. If one of that group breaks down, then we are going to have a problem.”
Orr is not just a name for the program, though. He carries with him a dossier of articles about incidents across the country involving violence at minor hockey events as well as studies completed on youth and activities. He cited a Up2Us study, a national coalition of community sports programs in the United States.

“‘Kids who participate in sports attend school more, are more community- and civic-minded, get in less trouble and tend to be more successful in the workplace,’ read Orr aloud. “‘Young athletes learn to work together, acquire leadership skills, get a sense of discipline and learn communication skills’”

On Saturday morning, Orr was in his skates on the ice, talking to a group of enraptured kids, teaching them the fundamental values that go hand-in-hand with the fundamentals of the game. Parents and coaches stood listening as well. At 62, Orr is not slowing down, making it his mission to reach out to the communities across Canada to ensure that hockey is always fun.

The Biggest Reason Why Your Captains Often Struggle...

By Jeff Janssen, M.S., Peak Performance Coach

---

What’s one of the biggest reasons why your captains struggle to be effective leaders? Interestingly, it is not a lack of desire. The vast majority of captains I talk with sincerely want to be effective leaders for you and your team. 

The biggest reason why captains are not as effective as they should be is most often a lack of awareness. They lack an awareness both in terms of what it takes to be an effective leader, and just as important, they lack an awareness of their strengths and weaknesses as leaders. This fact has become painfully obvious to me as I ask captains to evaluate themselves as leaders - and to have their teammates and coaches evaluate them using the Team Leadership Evaluation.

This captain’s evaluation is available for free online at  http://www.jeffjanssen.com/coaching/evaluation2.html

Here’s an example...

One athlete rated himself at a 115 out of 120 on the Team Leadership Evaluation. This athlete essentially believed he was a superb leader and was highly confident that he was doing a spectacular job as evidenced by his nearly perfect self score. 

However, the ratings from his teammates told a completely different story. His coaches rated him at only an 87, which is night and day difference (28 points) from his viewpoint. The coaches rating of 87 meant the coaching staff did not even consider the young man to be a team leader whereas the athlete somehow believed he was in the top 5% of all leaders. 

Worse, his teammates had him rated even lower at an 85, effectively corroborating the coaches’ views. His teammates too had little respect for this athlete’s “leadership” skills.

Now the major problem is unless this athlete becomes aware of how his teammates and coaches actually view him, he will continue to exhibit the same “leadership” skills he thinks are exemplary. This situation is similar to walking around with spinach in your teeth, a big ketchup stain on your shirt, and your fly open and no one is kind/brave enough to tell you... 

Without the honest and helpful feedback from his coaches and teammates, this well-meaning, yet clueless athlete will remain painfully unaware that he has some significant shortcomings and fatal flaws as a leader that must be improved.

In sharing this far too common example, my hope is that it sheds some light on the problem of why your captains often struggle to be effective. More and more I’m discovering that many of them think they are doing a great job as leaders, yet they don’t receive any substantial feedback to realize that their coaches and teammates do not see them as the effective leader they think they are. 

My research shows that three out of four captains (74%) rate themselves as better leaders than how their coaches rate them. How about your leaders? Are they too under the assumption that they are leading effectively when you and your athletes have some/several concerns?

Typically, a mere 10% of captains rate themselves in the same ballpark as their teammates and coaches. This obviously means that roughly 9 out of 10 leaders are “awareness-challenged” when it comes to self assessing their leadership skills in comparison to their coaches’ and teammates’ views.

The remaining 15% of captains rate themselves lower than how their coaches and teammates rate them. 

These leaders are often overly self-critical and/or lack the confidence to step up and take charge. Once these leaders receive the affirming feedback of their teammates’ and coaches’ higher scores, they quickly gain the confidence necessary to step up as Vocal Leaders and speak out knowing that they have the support and confidence of the team.  

My latest statistics also reveal that the average captain, without any leadership training, rates herself at a 97 as a leader on the Team Leadership Evaluation. The coaches rate these same captains at an average of 87 (below the Vocal Leader threshold) - and their teammates have them at a 90. Clearly there is a discrepancy.

However, with leadership training the numbers improve considerably in two ways:

1. After undergoing leadership training the average scores for the captains rise to the following - self average rating of 105, teammate average rating of 100, and coach average rating of 98. This means that a captain’s leadership skills are rated as better by themselves, their teammates, and their coaches following leadership training. 

2. The additional benefit of the training is that the leader’s views of her leadership skills becomes more in line with how she is evaluated by her coaches and teammates. Rather than blindly leading with no understanding of herself, she becomes more aware of her strengths and shortcomings as a leader and in closer alignment with how her teammates and coaches see her.

To promote better awareness on the part of your leaders you must invest the time to do two things:

1. Teach your captains what it really means to be a leader as well as train them to develop the necessary skills and insights to become an effective leader for your team.

2. Provide your captains with regular, quantitative and qualitative feedback from their coaches and teammates on their leadership skills. The Team Leadership Evaluation is obviously a potential tool to help you do this.

One important thing to consider: Anyone who has ever received anonymous feedback from others on their skills knows it can be a scary and challenging process. Hopefully your leaders will have the courage to put themselves out there to see how they stand.  While I encourage captains to get feedback, I don’t make it mandatory and encourage you to utilize the same policy. The best you can do is to encourage them to get the feedback and let them know how valuable it would be for their development. Getting feedback from others is consistently rated as one the best and strongest aspects of a leadership development program. 

Finally, as a challenge to you as a coach or athletic director, remember what is good for the goose is good for the gander. Just as you hope your captains would be open to receiving feedback on their leadership skills, I challenge you to be open to receiving the same kind of helpful feedback from your athletes and staff.

Check Jeff's Site out here!

How to Choose the Best Hockey Camp for Your Player

Posted by Kelly Anton
 

When bombarded with information about off-season hockey camps, it’s easy to feel panic and think, “If I don’t get organized, get him signed up—and pay!—for these camps today, I’m holding him back!” Dreams of the NHL, the college scholarship or maybe just an A team fizzle before your eyes as you contemplate putting your tax refund toward more hockey. How do you evaluate all the information and decide what’s right for your player? We asked Angelo Ricci, a skills and stickhandling coach with more than 20 years experience, for help.

According to Ricci:

• Focus on Fun: When selecting what hockey camp to attend, please consider a camp that promises two things: fun and hockey skills. I think fun is the most important consideration and many parents forget this part. This is a “summer hockey camp,” so please remember that it is summer and it is a camp, so it should fun. If the player is not having fun, the learning part will not reach its maximum potential.
• Fundamentals are Key: This game is all about skating and puck control skills. I encourage you to look for a camp that will teach your player the fundamentals of all skills, offer repetition of puck and skating skills, and improve on their existing skills—plus correct anything that might be wrong with a player’s skills.
• Checking Camp is Crucial: At the PeeWee level, checking skills and body contact drills become very important. It is imperative that players are properly taught how to give and receive checks. It will help their confidence immensely when they transition from Squirts to PeeWees.

When reviewing camp information, compare the following:

• Instructors’ qualifications, experience and character as role models
• Instructor-to-player ratio (6 or 7 kids per coach is good; the important thing is that the coaches who are there interact with the kids)
• Availability of off-ice training
• Price (a general guideline is $25-$30 per hour of camp; costs vary by location)
• Schedule: Are there many choices to work around your busy schedule
• Camp choices: General or specific skill development
• Convenience: Can we get there easily, on time?
• Fun: Is it marketed as fun? Will my kid want to come back next summer?
•  

Ricci concludes that the best way to find out which camps are beneficial to player development is by word of mouth from other hockey parents. If their kids attended the camp, ask them if they enjoyed it. Ricci also recommends a less structured three-on-three or four-on-four summer league: “It will allow players to develop their skills, be creative and not feel the pressure of negative feedback from a coach if a mistake is made.”


Editor’s Note: Thank you to Angelo Ricci for providing information for this article. Ricci is founder, head instructor and consultant for Ricci Hockey Consulting (www.riccihockey.com). With 20+ years experience as a skills and stickhandling coach, he conducts/oversees more than 40 programs year-round that develop over 1,000 players each year.

NCAA Eligibility – CHL Tryouts – Do’s and Don’ts!

Hello Everyone,

Well it is good to return after a three week hiatus here at the Hockey Advocate. It is a crazy time in the season, last minute scouting trips, college clients turning professional and young bantam and midget players preparing for the CHL draft. With most players ending their seasons, everyone is starting the process of planning for next year. That means trying out for your new team, be it Junior or for a local rep team. Most players like to tryout for various Junior and Major Junior Teams in the Summer, but people do get confused about the facts and fiction surrounding their NCAA rights and eligibility. Today we will look at a recent Ask Jason Question and hopefully my response will provide you all, at whatever level you are currently playing some piece of mind!

 “Jason, you said to ask any questions when they arise- so here is a NCAA general question.  Is there any written information on things that would ruin a players’ eligibility to the NCAA route?  I hear that we can accept 1 free invitation to a WHL prospects camp and maybe some travel expenses (48hours worth?) – what I’m after is some written ‘does and don’t’ for young players as they look at their options. – Thanks in advance for any guidance you can give us. “

Hi there,

Good to hear from you.

OK, quick rule of thumb with regards to the NCAA restrictions and retaining your eligibility:

1)    Do NOT let the CHL/WHL pay for ANYTHING
2)    Do NOT accept anything for FREE – Equipment, hats, tickets etc…
3)    Do NOT play an official Game, exhibition OR Regular Season (Inter-squad is fine)
4)    Do NOT sign any CONTRACT or Paperwork EVER

If you follow these ‘protocols’ you will not have to worry about your NCAA rights.
That said, a lot of these prohibitions are and can be GREY areas.
Believe me, if you break any of these rules in a major way, don’t be surprised if someone ensures that this disclosure finds its way in to the hands of someone unfavourable in the NCAA.
Can you go to a prospect camp for free, of course, as long as there isn’t a paper trail that they can send to someone.

Basically, in hockey terms, as long as you don’t play an official game where they keep official stats and rosters, you are OK!

Just don’t let them pay for the hotel or give out any form of per diem.
Taking a Team Hat isnt 100% forbidden, but its a grey area, so why put yourself at risk.
If the kids get food as a group, that’s more or less ok…

The point is to NOT put yourself in a vulnerable situation. Following those 4 rules keeps you 100% A-OK.
None of this is fair or reasonable, but the NCAA sets the rules and if you want to keep their road as an option, you have to play by their rules. While realizing that the WHL/OHL will do their best to get your rights secured in any way possible.

Here is the official NCAA guidelines:


ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY – A. Amateurism

What is amateurism?
In order to compete in the NCAA student-athletes must be classified as “amateurs” by the NCAA. To remain an “amateur” you cannot compete or sign a contract with a professional team, accept money or gifts for athletic ability, retain the services of an agent, or receive money for educational expenses based on athletic ability.In order to compete in the NCAA student-athletes must be classified as “amateurs” by the NCAA. To remain an “amateur” you cannot compete or sign a contract with a professional team, accept money or gifts for athletic ability, retain the services of an agent, or receive money for educational expenses based on athletic ability.

How many years of athletic eligibility do I have to compete in NCAA athletics?
You have 4 years of athletic eligibility in the NCAA.
B. Major Junior (WHL, OHL, QMJHL)

Can I play games in major junior and still be eligible to compete in the NCAA?
The NCAA considers major junior hockey to be professional hockey. Therefore student-athletes who compete in Major Junior jeopardize some or all of their NCAA athletic eligibility.
Student-athletes will lose all athletic eligibility to compete in NCAA Division I hockey if they:
Ø compete in any major junior game after their expected date of high school graduation, or
Ø sign a contract (“WHL Player Agreement”) with a major junior team
Student athletes will lose some athletic eligibility to compete in NCAA Division I hockey if they:
Ø compete in any major junior game before their expected date of high school graduation, without signing a contract, or
Ø attend a major junior training camp for more than 48 hours while having their expenses covered by the major junior team
The only opportunity that a player has to compete in major junior and still retain NCAA athletic eligibility is to play an exhibition game before graduation without signing a player agreement. Any other competition in major junior will lead to the loss of all NCAA athletic eligibility.

Can I tryout for teams in major junior and still be eligible to compete in the NCAA?
Before enrollment in a NCAA university an athlete can:
Ø Tryout for any length of time, but not compete against outside opponents, with a major junior or other professional hockey team at your own expense
Ø Receive one expense paid tryout with a major junior team as long as it does not exceed 48 hours
Note that during a tryout, an individual may not take part in any outside competition (games or scrimmages) as a representative of that major junior team.

Does the major junior rule apply to Division II and III?
Although the rule varies slightly between divisions, competition at the major junior level jeopardizes eligibility to compete in all NCAA divisions. For more specific information concerning how the rule is applied to Division I and II visit www.ncaa.org.
I hope this helps

JN

Please check the Hockey Advocate for articles!

Quote of the Day!

	"When you develop yourself to the point where your belief in yourself is so strong that you know you can accomplish anything you put your mind to, your future will be unlimited."
	— Brian Tracy: Pre-eminent sales and entrepreneurship expert.

ADVICE FOR COACHING YOUR SONS

By CHUCK TANK

It seems natural for coaches who love sports they coach to have visions of their sons
leading their teams to championships and state tournaments.

While growing up, coaches' sons are often around the game a lot. Many grow
up in the gym. My own son, Wes, went to his first basketball game in Plymouth when
he was two months old. Sons see how important the game is to their fathers and
their families.

They see their dad's reaction to an official's questionable block/charge call or
a player's misread of a play. They also see role models, high school players they've
watched and emulated throughout the week.

At some point, the dream of playing basketball in high school or beyond
crystallizes in their mind. Their father, however, may have envisioned this long
before.

The anticipation begins:

Coach Jack Bennett turned to a colleague shortly before coaching his oldest
son, Jay (at Rhinelander). The wisdom shared at the time would serve as an
overriding guide for the next 12 years.

"I asked for advice from the coach who preceded me there, Tom Andres,"
Bennett said. "He had just finished coaching his son. He gave me good advice when I
told him that I was going to be tougher on (Jay).

"He said, 'That's OK, but just so you remember that you will coach your son
or daughter for a few years. You will be their father for all their lives. Do not say ...
or do anything that will jeopardize that long-range relationship.'"

The education begins:

As Coach Bo Ryan was compiling a masterful resume of victories,
championships and honors while climbing the coaching ladder, his two sons, Will and
Matt, were absorbing that basketball-rich environment.

The insightful Coach Ryan had strong feelings about what it would take for his
sons to be successful in the game. Coach Ryan was all about teaching his boys
similar values which he had learned back in Chester, Pa. He knew that a blue-collar
desire to work was crucial.

"What I tried to instill in them was that the reason that they were coming to
the gym was to see how hard the players were working," Ryan said. "I told them the
reason they had towels in their hands when they were ball boys was because our
players took a lot of charges and would dive on the floor a lot, and they would have
to wipe up the sweat. How did they get sweaty? They worked hard."

"Coaching Our Sons" by Chuck Tank is available through Badger Books LLC. It
can be ordered by calling 1-800-928-2372 or via www.badgerbooks.com

NOTES: This is the first in a series of excerpts from Dodgeville prep boys
basketball coach Chuck Tank's new book, "Coaching Our Sons." Today's installment
is from the chapter entitled "The Anticipation of Coaching Our Sons."

Practice to Game Ratio: A Healthy Meal vs. Dessert

Posted by Kelly Anton

In today’s version of youth sports we have a very unhealthy ratio of practice to games. In many youth hockey associations the practice-to-game ratio is 1-to-1 or 2-to-1. To me practice is the healthy meal and the games are the dessert. What would serve our young athletes much better would be a healthier ratio of 3-to-1.
Unfortunately, many of today’s players look at practice much in the same way they look at broccoli—with a great deal of disdain. In my mind, the goal of every coach is to make the healthy meal more appealing to our athletes in order for them to attain and build the necessary skills to guide them throughout their journey upwards in the youth hockey ranks.

The ultimate goal is to make practices as much fun as the games, because in the end it is practice that allows our players to develop the skills that will allow them to have the success they desire in the games.
As a coach this can be difficult to achieve. How do I make practice appealing enough and the games special enough to drive the desired outcome? In my mind, you feed them the healthy meal so that when the dessert comes they can really enjoy it and it becomes a special event that they have earned.

So how do we do this? First of all, you have to change the culture and get both the players and the parents to understand how important practice is to their development. The pace, intensity and focus needed in every practice session is critical in order to have positive, productive movement forward.
How do you get your child to eat a healthy meal? Trick them, hide the fact that they are working hard and getting the necessary touches and repetitions through FUN, CHALLENGING and CREATIVE drills and games that takes the mundane aspects of developing a player and masks them.
Kids love to be challenged; they love to compete and they want to have fun. If I can get my players to enjoy coming to the rink, working hard and leaving with a smile on their faces, then I have won the most important challenge I face as a youth hockey coach.
We get so consumed with the games and wins and losses that we lose sight of the real fight. I feel strongly that if I can get my players to give as much as they can and be passionate about how hard they train then I have already won.

As a coach practice is my opportunity and responsibility to make my players better, and games are the player’s opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned from their dedication in practice. As a coach, the practice sessions are mine. That is my world and I take great pride in what I put forth. To the players, the games are theirs and we need to respect that; however, we need to make sure we have given them the tools and skills to have the success they desire.
At the end of the day it comes down to the willingness to fight, to change the way we look at practice. It is about the skills we are developing not about the systems or the positioning or where a kid stands for a faceoff. Consider this: If I am a conductor of a marching band, do I focus as much of my student’s time on marching and where they stand as I do on how well they play their instrument?
It is our responsibility as coaches, administrators and parents to make sure our kids are eating properly so that at the end of the journey we can look back at a healthy young adult who has a strong base of skills and knowledge of the sport, and take pride in the fact that they got to a great place because of the environment we created.

Let’s collectively change the way our kids look at practice and together we will have given the great sport of hockey a much healthier, larger and passionate pool of young players.
Editor’s Note: Thank you to Roger Grillo, USA Hockey Director-Northeast, for this story.

Does Your Young Athlete Need a Multivitamin?

Posted by Kelly Anton

You hear advice about taking supplements all the time—take vitamin A for better vision, B for stress reduction, C for good skin. But which vitamin B? How much vitamin C? A stroll down the supplement aisle of your local supermarket will only confuse you further. After all, there are multivitamins that target every stage of life in addition to a slew of separate single vitamin and mineral supplements. By all accounts, it may seem like everyone should be taking a supplement. And, you may be left wondering if your young athlete really needs a supplement for better health or improved sports performance. It’s time for a little vitamin and mineral 101.

Vitamin and Mineral 101

Multivitamins provide a little added “health” insurance. Suppose your child is like most Americans and eats the same 20 to 30 foods every single week. Or, maybe he avoids certain foods that are packed with specific nutrients (oysters, for example, are packed with copper but kids in landlocked states rarely seek them out). In both of these instances, your superstar could be missing out on various vitamins and minerals. In fact, most people probably do not meet their vitamin and mineral needs through food every day.
Will falling short harm your kid’s health? There’s no clear-cut answer to this question as it likely depends on each kid’s individual situation. Will his or her sports performance suffer? No, unless they are deficient in a specific vitamin or mineral. And, therefore, supplementing with vitamins and minerals will not improve a child’s sports performance unless a true deficiency exists. Now, that being said, there are two minerals of concern in young athletes: calcium and iron.

• Calcium is Key: Adequate calcium intake is essential during childhood because kids are still developing bone mass. And, some studies show that many children do not meet their calcium needs every day. Skimp on calcium during childhood and you’ll never be able to recoup those bone building years as an adult.
• Iron is Important: Iron is also a concern, especially among young girls. In kids who are anemic, iron supplementation can improve athletic performance. If your child is lethargic, spaced out and fatigues easily during exercise, talk to your pediatrician about testing for anemia.

As a parent, there are no steadfast guidelines regarding multivitamins in children. The following five tips, however, can help you decide if your child may benefit from a multivitamin supplement.
Consider a Multivitamin for Your Child if Your Child:
1. Is a very picky eater or doesn’t eat balanced meals.
2. Has food allergies that impair the intake of specific vitamins or minerals (if he or she is allergic to milk for instance, you child will likely fall short on calcium).
3. Is a vegetarian or vegan.
4. Has a medical condition that impairs the absorption of certain vitamins or minerals.
5. Has an eating disorder or disordered eating. (Always get help from a mental health counselor and registered dietitian if your child fits in this category.)
Additional Vitamin and Mineral Tips for Kids:

• Avoid mega doses of vitamins and minerals (from one supplement or a combination of supplements and fortified foods). Mega dosing may give your child an upset stomach.
• If you want your child to take a multivitamin, choose one that contains 100 percent of the recommended dietary intake of each nutrient (or as close as possible). Also, opt for one with omega 3s if possible.
• Make sure your child eats or drinks three servings of dairy foods per day. If your child is lactose intolerant, they can typically still eat cheese and yogurt (both have less lactose than milk). If they avoid dairy altogether, opt for calcium and vitamin D fortified dairy alternatives such as soy, rice and almond milk.
• Keep all vitamin and mineral supplements out of reach of children—even older kids may not fully understand that these supplements are not candy.
• Take most supplements with food unless otherwise directed (and vitamin D as well as multivitamins should be taken with a meal that contains fat for optimal absorption).

Editor’s Note: Marie Spano, MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS is a sports nutrition expert who works with athletes throughout the country. Her website is: www.mariespano.com.

How the NY Yankees pick their Captains

Written by Ryan Walter
Sunday, 15 June 2008 13:04
Recently I found a portion of the book Management Wisdom from the NY Yankees Dynasty fascinating. The book discusses how the Yankees picked their captains. Apparently there were eight Yankee captains between 1922 and 2004. They were officially designated captain for four reasons: 1. Their accomplishments exceeded the accomplishments of their peers. 2. They inspired others to superior performance. 3. They embodied the core values of the organization. 4. They were recognized and respected as team leaders by their teammates. Players needed to fulfill all of these requirements before management would bestow the title of captain. At times there was no Yankee captain as no player on the team at the time lived up to the role. Among the most inspiring of the team captains are Lou Gehrig, Thurman Munson, Don Mattingly and Derek Jeter, captain of the current squad. Captains are first recognized and respected as leaders by their teammates. Organizations must acknowledge and support these informal leaders.  The captain is a role model who links traditional winning ways to current conditions.Leaders are anointed and not appointed: They are recognized by fellow employees as outstanding workers, great people and role models for the organization's values (modified from Management Wisdom from the NY Yankees Dynasty). It shouldn't surprise us that high performance and leadership go hand in glove, just as the Yankees look for their captains. During my NHL playing career I can know recognize that these 4 methods of selecting captains were certainly part of how NHL teams picked their leaders also. I was named captain in my second season in the NHL and I always thought that this was a bit early. But looking through this Yankee criteria I to some small degree fit into each of these 4 factors. Finally, look around at some of the leaders that you really respect? These 4 elements may play a part or at least may be the lense that you view their superior leadership through.

The Importance of Being Prepared

Do you want to be the best player you can be? I believe it’s all about how you prepare … how you prepare to practice and play, what kind of teammate you choose to be, and what you eat and when you eat it. 
Beginning this January, I will be sharing some of my experiences on how I prepared to play. I can tell you that there were some tough lessons learned along the way - some failures, some victories – but all in all they helped me stay in the game I loved for many more years than I ever expected.
The most important thing I learned in my career was that you were only as good as your last game. So I was constantly searching for a way to feel the best I could every game. What I eventually realized was that it’s all about how you recover. If you feel good you can practice harder, feel stronger and more energized in your workouts and ultimately play better.

My formula for recovery starts with building a strong foundation and then following that up with proper maintenance throughout the season. The foundation is very important. It helps you to start your season strong and build confidence but the key is to feel that good down the stretch. That’s where the maintenance comes in. After all, we are luckiest when the season is long and we feel our best come playoffs.

The main elements in my recovery formula are smart training and optimum nutrition. Smart training means training specifically for hockey – building strength, power, speed and agility. Optimum nutrition is about eating the right things at the right times.

Here are three videos to help you prepared physically before or during your hockey season:

The Swiss Ball Roll Out

The Side Bridge Rotation 

Hurdle Duck Unders

Receiving A Check Along The Boards

Leadership's 5 CORE Behaviours

Leadership's 5 CORE Behaviours

Written by Ryan Walter

Sunday, 29 May 2011 09:51