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• From the editor
• Article – Taking the Fun out of Play by Jonathan H. Buzby
• Related articles to contribute?
• A word from our valued sponsor
• Healthy recipe – Garlic-Potato Linguine
• Quotes
• Article – What is actually behind the home field advantage? by Damon Lee
• How-to sponsor this newsletter
• Fitness tip
• Miscellaneous trivia
• Payment due notice
• Subscribe and unsubscribe information
• Summary - Contact details and summary information
  

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The product recently added to our instructional products is the new "Winning Baseball Strategies", produced by coach Marty Schupak as a follow up to the best selling "59 Minute Baseball Practice". "Winning Baseball Strategies" goes into some of best coaching strategies and philosophies used at the youth level.

The video also contains a Quick Hint section with some great little suggestions and insights. In addition are ten bonus-coaching tips for a successful season. Coach Marty Schupak has been recognized by the ABCA (American Baseball Coaches Association) and his videos have been recommended by the National Alliance of Youth Sports, which is the largest amateur coaching training organization in the country.

This new product can be found on the "FundamenTools" page in the T-Ball and Baseball product area.

Remember .... Youth Sportsmanship starts with Youth Sports!

Edward Palmer

Like a lot of youth sports parents I find myself trying to coach my child while we're playing in the backyard. My son wants to play goalie when we play roller hockey. I want him to practice his stick handling skills. He wants to play soccer (a sport he does not play formally). I want to play basketball since he actually belongs to a league. He wants to play wiffle ball. I want him to let me pitch baseballs to him. I try to work on technique. He just wants to have fun. I get stressed out when he doesn't want to listen. He gets upset when I won't stop coaching.

Children need to play and it needs to be fun. If it's not fun they will lose interest. Playing is important at any age. How many of us would play the recreational sports we do (golf, tennis, etc.) if every time we swung the club or racquet someone was correcting our technique.

When your child is not at practice let him/her dictate how to spend time playing (as long as it's safe). I asked my son why he plays soccer at recess everyday since it's a sport he does not play in a formal league. His response was, "Because it's fun." At recess there are no coaches, no parents, no officials and no pressure. Kids can make up the teams and the rules to make sure they have fun. The same should happen at home.

If you're wondering why all of a sudden your child does not want to play basketball with you, think back to the last few times you were outside playing together. Did you spend more time coaching than just being a parent? Did you dictate what the two of you would play and how it should be played? If so, you may have taken the fun out of your child's play.

Next time you go outside to play with your child, try to make an honest effort to let your child decide what you'll play and what the rules will be. Don't correct, explain or demonstrate unless you're asked. You might be surprised how much fun you'll have together.

Editor's note:Jonathan Buzby is the Director of Coaches Education for Special Olympics Delaware and is a volunteer coach for the Western Y.M.C.A. of Newark, Delaware. He has over fifteen years of experience administrating, teaching and coaching children in sports. He has written "Coaching Kids: It's More than X's and O's", available on the "FundamenTools" page in the "General Purpose" section.

"Did you see the 95+ free articles written by youth sports experts, child psychologists and health and fitness experts. See them now!"

 

Chad Tackett, the President of Global Health and Fitness (GHF), has degrees in Exercise and Health Science and Nutrition, is a Certified Personal Trainer, and is a regular guest lecturer to both professional and lay audiences on the principles of effective exercise and good nutrition. Visit GHF (http://www.global-fitness.com) and you’ll find easy-to-follow fitness recommendations, hundreds of exercise instructions and video demonstrations, customized programs, healthy recipes and meal plans, a free nutrition analysis, health club and personal trainer directories, and much more!

Delight all the family with this recipe …..

Garlic-Potato Linguine

Makes:
4 servings

Ingredients:

• 8 new potatoes
• 3/4 cup cooked green beans
• 10 ounces of your favorite pasta
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 3/4 cup green peppers, sliced
• 1/2 cup onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 3 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup tomato juice
• 4 cups mixed greens

Directions:

• Bake the potatoes at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes. Cut the potatoes into small chunks. Cook green beans and immediately rinse in cold water. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well, and return to the pot. Set aside.
• Heat the vegetable stock over moderate heat. Add the green peppers and onions and cook, covered for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and hot red pepper flakes and cook another 2 minutes. Add the tomato juice, potatoes, greens, beans, and pasta and cook until heated through.

Nutritional Information:

• Serving size: 2 cups
• Calories: 320
• Fat: 1.5 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Sodium: 270 mg

"Set your goals high, and don't stop till you get there."
      -Bo Jackson

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination"
      -Tommy Lasorda

Everyone knows about home field advantage and its effect on the outcome of many different sporting events. Teams playing on their home field generally have more success than teams playing at foreign facilities. However, it is not necessarily a commonly known fact that more factors into the home field advantage than just playing at your home facility. For example, how did the 1992-1993 Western Michigan University men's basketball team go undefeated while playing their "home" games at five different, unfamiliar locations but play these same teams away and only win three out of nine games? The home facility is actually one of the least important factors in creating a home field advantage. The major underlying factor for home field success is the audience.

The influence of an audience has different effects on different levels of athletes. The performance of beginning athletes, such as little leaguers or other first time sport participants,is usually negatively influenced by the presence of an audience. Intermediate athletes (most high school athletes) can be slightly influenced in a positive or negative direction by an audience. Highly skilled athletes, such as collegiate and professional athletes generally perform better as the audience influence increases. The main reason for this is that the fundamental abilities in highly skilled athletes are so innately bound that an audience generally cannot effect their performance.

Of course, there is always an exception. The presence of an audience could actually cause a home field disadvantage in two instances. The first occurrence would be if the fans expect the team to win at home. This may put unnecessary added pressure on the athlete and cause a decrease in performance. The second instance would be that playing before a very vocal and supportive audience could raise arousal to a level that results in a decrease in performance.

The type of fans that attend a sporting event also have an effect on home field advantage. A friendly, supportive crowd will generally help the home team. A hostile, unruly crowd, on the other hand could help or hinder the performance on the home team. The home team could benefit from an unruly crowd if the crowd totally disrupts the rhythm and concentration of the visiting team. After a period of sustained spectator protest, both the home and visiting teams generally show a decline in performance.

Many variables go into the creation of a home field advantage. Jet lag, travel fatigue, sleeping conditions, changed eating habits, facility familiarity, and referee bias all play a major part in deciding home field advantage, but none play a larger role than the audience effect. The dreaded "sixth man" in basketball or "twelfth" man in football can make or break a game in a matter of minutes. The home audience effect is a hard tool to duplicate if you are a visiting team in unfamiliar territory.

Editor's Note: Damon Lee is a first year Master's student in the Health Promotion program at Virginia Tech. He is also a certified personal trainer at The Weight Club, Blacksburg, VA.

This article provided by Dr. Richard Stratton, Health and Physical Education Program, Virginia Tech

"Did you see the 95+ free articles written by youth sports experts, child psychologists and health and fitness experts. See them now!"

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