inCourage provides original, engaging videos to help improve communication, commitment and leadership in sports. We’ve got easy solutions to frustrating challenges. Check out all the blog posts at https://teamblog.incourage.com/blog or choose specific topics below. Or check out all their great resources for building a better sports culture at https://www.incourage.com

Sports Is A Great Unifier

Sports have consistently served as a powerful vehicle for societal change thanks to the recognition and embracement of shared experiences which build character, teamwork, perseverance, and community. Sports provides opportunities to confront adversity with confidence. Some of the most important skills we develop from sports experiences can be applied to our daily lives. Sports regularly pushes us out of our comfort zones and challenges us to confront fears by developing a success mindset. A great unifier in times of war and peace, sports has broken several social barriers.

Read Full Blog: https://www.incourage.com/sports-is-a-great-unifier/

A Clean Slate: Just What Youth Sports Needs

As quarantine restrictions begin to be lifted, we have come to accept that life as we knew it will not be the same. Change is uncomfortable for everyone and, as a Type A who Needs-to-Plan-My-Entire- Personal-and-Professional-Life orthopedic surgeon, it’s particularly difficult for me.  Rather than wallow in what is lost, I’ve been thinking about what has happened in the past few months and how we can use this experience to become better and stronger for it. The world of youth sports got knocked down, but it didn’t get knocked out. This hiatus has given us the opportunity to rise and recover and redefine our future and the culture of youth sports.

Read Full Blog: https://www.incourage.com/a-clean-slate-just-what-youth-sports-needs/

How Can You Help Your Student Athlete Weather The Disappointments Of A Cancelled Season

How can you help your son or daughter, a high school athlete, work through the cancellation of their sport’s season? By showing them how much you CARE.

Read Full Blog: https://www.incourage.com/how-you-can-help-your-student-athletes-weather-the-disappointment-of-a-cancelled-season/

You’re A High School Athlete And Your Senior Season Has Been Cancelled. Now What?

If you are a high school senior who was planning to play a spring sport, it looks like the unthinkable will occur. The cancellation of all spring sports. In any case, this will be a huge emotional loss for you on many levels. Right now, there are probably no words that will lessen your disappointment, sadness or even a little anger. But, at some point in the near future, you are going to have to deal with this reality and find ways to move forward if you want to be happy again. Here are some suggestions to help you accomplish that.

 

Read Full Blog: https://www.incourage.com/youre-a-high-school-athlete-and-your-senior-season-has-been-cancelled-now-what/

Staying Positive During the Coronavirus Crisis

The new reality we’re all finding ourselves in has upended our lives in many ways. It’s easy to recognize the disruptions that have made our days uneasy, but lately on our team calls we have started to hear about some silver linings peeking through the clouds of confusion, stress and anxiety.

Read Full Blog: https://www.incourage.com/refocus-recharge-rethink-reassess-keeping-a-positive-mindset-during-the-coronavirus-crisis/

Six Books Every Coach Should Read

With the high school sports season on hold, we have an opportunity to use this time to refresh, renew and reinvigorate. Reading is a great way to do that. Here are six books I (NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young) recommend to coaches, no matter your team or sport to enhance your work or share with your team.

Read Full Blog: https://teamblog.incourage.com/blog/6-books-every-coach-should-read.-and-now-you-have-the-time

The rise of flag football

While many of us were focused on the Pro Bowl, a different kind of championship football game was also happening in Orlando: the NFL Flag Football Championships.The conversations around the pros (read: reduced risk of injury) of this variation on of the sport are multiplying exponentially—and the stakes are high. Even when it’s not Pro Bowl week football is the most popular sport to watch in America, and while there are concerns about football’s popularity dropping, more than half of us identify as fans of the NFL, college football, or both.

Read Full Blog: https://teamblog.incourage.com/blog/the-rise-of-flag-football-tackling-the-tough-calls-in-this-most-watched-sport

The true cost of youth sports

It’s no secret that youth sports can require a huge investment—of time, money and emotions. Yet, parents too often find themselves blindsided once the season is in full swing: travel team costs, dues, equipment, safety gear and tournaments can quickly add up. The truth is, for most of these families, there is no financial return on their youth sports investment: only about 2 percent of high school athletes earn athletics scholarships for college.

Read Full Blog: https://teamblog.incourage.com/blog/the-true-cost-of-youth-sports

Being present is the best gift you can give

Parenting is hard work. Most of us are overly – tough on ourselves, and the holidays seem to amplify our perceived flaws and failures. As you’re spending precious time with your family this season, remember that sometimes the best present is being present. We may not make it through each day perfectly, and that’s not the point. Our goal should be to commit to making improvements that are reasonable, sustainable and that recharge our emotional batteries! With that goal, here are 10 resolutions we can commit to in 2020 to help us become better sports parents (and just happier, overall):

Read Full Blog: https://teamblog.incourage.com/blog/being-present-is-the-best-gift-you-can-give

Why are so many team athletes struggling with depression?

We all value the positive effects that playing sports can have on our kids – improved social skills, higher self-esteem, better mental and physical health, for starters. However it’s not all fun and games. Toxic and/or too-intense sports experiences have also been found to contribute to depression and anxiety in young athletes.

Read Full Blog: https://teamblog.incourage.com/blog/why-are-so-many-teen-athletes-struggling-with-depression?

What kind of coach are you?

The main question is this: Why do you want to be a coach? Take the inCourage Coach Self-Assessment questionnaire to help focus on the kind of coach you’d like to be.

Read Full Blog: https://teamblog.incourage.com/blog/are-you-coach-material?

Project Play summit spotlights urgency of solving the problems plaguing youth sports

The Aspen Institute held its fifth annual Project Play Summit earlier this month in Detroit, Michigan. I was lucky to join more than 500 thought leaders in the worlds of sports and health for two days of thought-provoking panels and breakout sessions.

Read Full Blog: https://teamblog.incourage.com/blog/project-play-summit-spotlights-urgency-of-solving-problems-plaguing-youth-sports?

Cyberbullying is real; so are the solutions

Cyberbullying is more than a buzzword in the discussion about bullying. It’s a serious and growing problem, and, to our horror, a major cause of suicide in young people who are victims of online harassment and intimidation. Though the threat and dangers of online harassment is very real, so are the solutions. And these solutions are practical and simple to implement.

Read Full Blog: https://teamblog.incourage.com/blog/cyberbullying-is-a-real-and-present-danger.-the-solutions-are-real-too

Spot and stop bullying and hazing

Kids see and experience bullying and, too often, never mention it to the adults in their life for many reasons. To create a culture that does not tolerate bullying, you need to teach your team members how to identify this toxic behavior and know how to stop it.

Read Full Blog: https://teamblog.incourage.com/blog/you-can-do-it-spot-and-stop-bullying-and-hazing

Parent-coach relationships don’t have to be a nightmare

Rather than seeing each other as competition, parents and coaches can work together to build a positive sports culture that benefits everyone on the team.

Read Full Blog: https://teamblog.incourage.com/blog/parent-coach-relationships-dont-have-to-be-nightmarish.-we-promise

Is private instruction a good choice for your sport specialized child?

Some personal coaches are exceptional in every sense of the word, but some are toxic and untrained. Keeping the right perspective and setting realistic expectations are critical when choosing the right instruction. Follow these tips to find the person or group who will enhance — not destroy — your child’s love of a sport.

Read Full Blog: teamblog.incourage.com/…/this-time-its-personal-is-private-instruction-a-good-choice-for-your-sport-specialized-child

How to lead a positive coaching culture

Kids play sports to learn skills and have fun. It’s important for coaches and ADs to lead with a positive mindset because too many teams are permeated with negativity, driven by unhealthy attitudes toward competition and overrun with internal conflict. Your program’s and team’s culture is the expression of your shared values, attitudes, and goals.

Read Full Blog: https://teamblog.incourage.com/blog/your-positive-coaching-culture

Set yourself up for success with a preseason meeting plan

Preparing for the start of the fall sports season is exciting, hectic and demanding. It seems that no matter how well you plan, loose ends seem to occur every year. In addition to your administrative duties, welcoming your coaching staff and introducing hundreds of student athletes and their parents to your program is a major undertaking. Can we make this transition from summer break to the new school sports year, easier? We think so. Here’s how.

Read Full Blog: https://teamblog.incourage.com/blog/coaches-set-yourself-up-for-the-best-season-ever-with-a-winning-pre-season-meeting-plan

Help athletes combat overuse injuries

Overuse injuries are a growing concern with the increase in sports specialization. By encouraging sports sampling and meaningful periods of rest, parents and coaches can help keep our kids happy, healthy and in the game.

Read Full Blog: https://teamblog.incourage.com/blog/the-kids-are-not-alright.-when-sports-injuries-in-youth-threaten-their-future-sampling-can-help

Tips for coaches on working with parents in the new season

In an environment where little league fields have to post signs reminding the adults (not the kids) to keep their behavior in check, what does a healthy parent-coach relationship look like? And more urgently, how do AD’s and coaches work best with parents to build them?

Read Full Blog: https://teamblog.incourage.com/blog/parents-partners-not-problems-for-youth-sports-coaches

Early specialization in a single sport: Pros & Cons

Youth sports specialization is increasingly common as children compete for elite status at earlier and earlier ages. But does this single focus on one sport to the exclusion of others have the benefits parents and coaches assume? Research shows the opposite: a multi-sport approach before adolescence gives youth athletes substantial benefits in most situations.

Read Full Blog: https://teamblog.incourage.com/blog/myths-misconceptions-of-sport-specialization-benefits

Kick off the fall with a new way of thinking

By leading with a success mindset, your coaches can develop players with great attitudes and strong work ethics, better position their teams for a successful season and build a youth sports culture that is positive and focused throughout all seasons.

Read Full Blog: https://teamblog.incourage.com/blog/kick-off-next-season-with-a-new-way-of-thinking-for-coaches-and-athletes

Coaches & ADs: Use summer to recharge and get ready for fall

inCourage offers three strategies you can use to regain your sanity after a busy year and set your coaches and players up for real growth and development for the start of the school year.

Read Full Blog: https://teamblog.incourage.com/blog/use-the-quiet-of-summer-to-set-yourself-up-for-a-successful-fall-season