Soccer Moms RSS

A letter was sent to the editors requesting information about eating around game times. With the new season nearly upon us, it is probably a good time to review some topics associated with nutrition and sports performance. This has been one of the most intensely researched topics in the sports performance literature and there have been many advances from the "Saturday morning steaks" that dads might remember from their high school football days. Research can be grouped into four categories regarding the timing of eating: training days prior to competition, day of competition, during competition and after competition. In brief,...

This is #2 of a 12-part serious on parenting mistakes. Last week, we discussed Mistake #1: Parents Not Letting Their Kids Fail. This week: Mistake #2: Parents Project Their Lives on Their Children. Sit through any youth sports event and you are sure to hear a parent or two or three who are obviously trying to live vicariously through their children. It happens in the classroom too, when parents become extremely hands-on with their kids’ work.  In both of these situations, parents are determined to make sure their children do well, even if means the parents do it for them. Why do...

To truly take your kid’s soccer skills to the next level, training at home is the key. Sure, team practices are vital in improving communication and teamwork, but when working on basic fundamental skills like dribbling or other ball-play, nothing beats working at home.Our top 3 soccer drills to practice from home are: 1. Figure 8 Dribbling This simple drill requires two cones and a ball. Set up the cones beside each other with enough space in between to create a figure 8 path. Typically, 4-5 yards apart works best. In 60-second intervals, dribble the ball between the two cones...

It’s important to give children the opportunity to do well in life. They need to be guided and helped with their schoolwork, nutrition and leisure activities in positive and thoughtful ways to help them experience success. Of course, at Grasshopper Soccer we are passionate about teaching and educating our kids in both soccer and life skills. The following ten tips should help parents to develop their kids’ basic soccer skills at home, so they can feel confident playing with their GS teammates on the field. Tip # 1 Make the Little Successes Count Whenever your child does well in backyard...

Regular workouts are a must for soccer players, who need to stay in top physical condition year-round to do their best on the field. If your kid can’t make it to the gym, working out at home is the obvious choice -- where he/she can create his/her own alternative program for soccer success. Ball Skills The best way to improve the vital skill of ball control is to practice ball mastery drills -- which are so easy to do at home. Your player should perform inside and outside circles, dribbling the ball in a circle using either the inside or outside of...