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Holiday Celebration and Staying Healthy
The holiday season is here and so is the food! No one thinks
much of slowing the caloric intake during the holiday season consequently
athletes and coaches put on the extra pounds. Yes its traditional,
but unwise for athletes (and coaches).
What would be the impact of providing some eating guidelines for
athletes during these festive times? If your athletes are
like most students, they don't need the extra "flab". OK...
so here are some tips that might make the time festive yet sensible.
- Five miles of running/walking/hiking per plate-full ....
They don't quite equal out, but it provides a disincentive to
overeat and will help keep the kids in shape. (Desert: two
mile walk). The walking time will promote fitness, caloric
expenditure (fat burning), and "bonding" time.
- Lifting weights at the school or fitness facility three (3)
times during the Christmas week... Once over Thanksgiving
- Set goals for push-ups, sit-ups, stair climbing
- Give credit for other activities like biking, hiking, skiing,
et.al
- Encourage "buddies" to workout together
- If their going to play video games, have them play the video
game of their sport. It will promote strategic and creative
thinking. (I don't endorse video games, but most play them)
Sports "gaming" is better than shooting, killing, and stealing....
- Give the athletes a Holiday Card with best wishes and specific
tips on how to stay in shape.
- Sponsor a walk-off for the post holiday meal at your school
as a fund raiser, or a team/community get together. Get
a local bottler to sponsor T-shirts with a snappy design....
brings money in for the program.
Its time that we as coaches set the example. Try following
these guidelines or ones of your own. Stick to them... Meet
your athletes at the gym. Put on the music and "rock" out.....errr
workout.
Robert W. McGowan
Coaching Section Editors
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Kidzworld
Media
Kidz World has a great page for keeping kids active during the
holidays. Some, if not all their ideas apply to teenagers
as well as children. Here they are:
- Test Your New Gear: Whatever you got for Christmas...
go give it a work out
- Build a Snowman: Who doesn't like to build a
snowman or snow fort. Go to the park and have a blast
- Snowball Fight: OK so you have to be a little
careful here, but snowball fights with soft snow can really
be fun.
- Helping around the house: Yikes! This is
one I don't like.... but it can be fun if you race then go outside.
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The winter time is a special time for outdoor sports. In
warmer climates the temperatures usually moderates allowing for
longer hikes or runs without worrying about heat exhaustion.
In colder climates, the snow provides opportunities to enjoy the
quiet time of nature when the snow muffles the sounds of distant
civilization. There is just something about being out on
snowshoes or cross-country skis that squelches anxieties and work-a-day
worries.
For those who enjoy the cacophony of the fast paced life, the
ski slopes and multi-colored outfits of snow bunnies and "boarder
dudes" is stimulating. Sometimes it just fun to be lost
in the crowd.
It never ceases to amaze me though that having so much fun can
come with a great workout! The safety issues aside, having
fun outdoors is usually a "nice" workout
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Top Ten Issues in Coaching
Kids Today
September
30, 2001
The Sports Edge …718-937-6666
The featured article comes from a radio show out of New York every
Sunday morning from 8-9 AM. Rick Wolff is the host.
During one show he highlighted the Top Ten Issues in Coaching today.
Below are some excerpts from the show:
No. 10 - Dealing with Frustration - or maybe this is better
known as How to Communicate with your players effectively…..if you're
a yeller or screamer at your players then you're becoming obsolete…..Why?
because the vast majority of kids today DO NOT respond well to being
belittled by their coaches….modify your approach so that you yell
at the TEAM in general - not at an individual player. .
Top Issue No. 9 - Make every possible effort to get everybody
into the game….now, this is a tough challenge for some coaches,
especially at the varsity level, you want to win….but the best coaches
seem to understand that in order for the team to win, it helps dramatically
if every kid get a chance to break a sweat and get dirty
Issue No. 8 - Learn how to Communicate with your players.
Build a rapport with every kid on your team….talk to them one on
one….let them feel free to give you ideas, feedback, etc…. sometimes,
the players know better than you do who should play where on the
team….
Issue No. 7 - Parents should be treated with respect and with
friendship-they are NOT to be avoided like the plague….parents
want from you are two things: 1) a few kind words about how their
kid is doing, and 2) they may want to offer a coaching strategy
or two. If they call you, make every effort to call them back
within 24 hours.
Issue No. 6 - Make sportsmanship a key priority…..Teach
your kids about the Golden Rule in Sports - treat your opponents
the way you would like to be treated. Teach your kids how
to win - and lose -- with class.
Issue No. 5 - Be careful with your words! You can never
go wrong with praise, but you can really run into problems if you
lash out at your kids and use words that cut right to the bone.
Sarcasm is really the worst enemy you can have.
Issue No. 4 - Don't try to be the player's best friend.
He or she already has lots of friends.
Issue No. 3 - "We're building for the future - -that's
why I'm playing the younger kids over the seniors." Hmm….is that
fair? At what point do you pull the plug on the seniors who have
waited for their turn to play on the varsity?
Issue No. 2 - Conditioning and safety….coach, what do you
do if you find out that one of your kids is taking some legal but
controversial nutritional supplements to his or her diet?
Suppose it was your kid?
Issue No. 1 -- - Discipline - Every coach on every team
has to have some sort of team discipline. That's the easy part.
The hard part is to trying to determine what kind of punishment
should be handed out if a kid disobeys one of the rules.
Con
Edison, People Helping People Everyday
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Zany Martha
Stewart Parody
- A diet is a weigh of life.
- It's not the minutes spent at the
table that put on weight, it's the seconds.
- It's something most of us do religiously:
We eat what we want and pray we don't gain weight.
- The problem with curbing our appetites
is that most of us do it at the drive in window of McDonalds.
- The most fattening thing you can put
in an ice cream sundae is a spoon.
- The biggest drawback to fasting for
seven days is that it makes one weak.
- Sweets are the destiny that shapes
our ends.
- Diets are for people who are thick
and tired of it.
- The toughest part of a diet isn't
watching what you eat. It's watching what other people eat.
- Diets are for women who not only kept
their girlish figure bit doubled it.
- A diet is when you have to go to
some length to change your width.
- Many women reduce and reduce, yet
still never manage to become a bargain.
- The best way to lose weight is by
skipping ... snacks and desert.
- Most people gain weight by having
intimate dinners for two...alone.
- People go to Weight Watchers to learn
their lessens.
- A diet is the modern-day meal in
which a family counts its calories instead of its blessings.
- A diet is what you go on when not
only can't you fit into the store's dresses, you can't fit into
the dressing room.
- One guideline applies to fat and thin
people alike: If you're thin, don't eat fast. If you're fat,
don't eat - FAST.
- Above all, dieters are advised to
avoid Pepsi, "the pause that refleshes."
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| If you have ideas, comments,
letters to share, or questions about particular topics, please
email one of the following Coaching Section Editors: |
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Making Holiday Workouts Fun
Old Fashion "Bob" |
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High School and Junior High School coaches often schedule team
workouts during the holidays. There is a body of research
that indicates that it may not be all THAT necessary for conditioning.
Several articles have suggested that it takes 7-10 days to lose
conditioning. So, coaches, don't fret excessively about giving
the kids a few days off. Don't obsess about a kid's
parents wanting to take the family to Hawaii or to the beach during
the Holidays.... Don't make the kids choose between family and playing.
Ok...so here's the point. If coaches make holiday workouts
a drag where the kids are "beat" with conditioning it takes the
"fun" out of the holidays. Sure, do some running, but focus
on the skills; shooting, plays, serving, positioning,....
Make a game out of drills. Focus on maintaining conditioning.
Want some tips?
- Try floor scooter basketball: works the legs and strengthens
the arms
- Play broom floor hockey: the kids will run forever and
they get some energy out
- Bring in the parents and have a "parent-kid" scrimmage-"losers
run" (yes...moms (guardian) and daughters too).
- Championship H-O-R-S-E ? How about a round-robin tourney?
- Steal the flag.... in the gym or in the snow
- Make up a workout schedule that includes skill development not
just conditioning. i.e. shooting hoops in the park
if they go to Hawaii; dribbling up and down the stairs;
playing hoops in the pool, et.al.
- Take some pictures of the "fun" stuff during workouts so the
up and coming kids will look forward to the "special" workouts
- Musical chairs: put the chairs 30-40 feet apart, put on
the rock, and let 'em roll. Losers have to shoot free-throws...
Yes this will work in the pool too!
- Take the nets down and play "make believe tennis"... What?
Yep.... its great fun. I learned it in Africa where all
we had was a clay court and no net (the cobras on the sidelines
were a little concerning...). It works with all sports.
Let the kids try it. You will be amazed!
- Get a video projector and watch a match or game on a 50' wall,
meet together in the gym ....
In short put the "play" back into playing sports for the holidays.
When I was growing up in the late 50's and 60's we would hang out
at the park and play pick up games. We made up our own rules
and made sure the sides were "even" (Sandlot). We played until
our hands froze or the light faded. We played in rain, snow,
sun... it didn't matter. We didn't need adults to make us
try hard or work until we were exhausted... We did it 'caused
we loved the game. Maybe we should just let the kids "play"
more....
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My wife was overweight, so her doctor put her on a diet. "I want
you to eat regularly for 2 days, then skip a day, and repeat these
same steps for 3 weeks. The next time you come here, you'll have
lost at least 5 pounds." When she returned, she shocked the doctor
by losing nearly 20 pounds. "Why, that's amazing!" the doctor said,
"Did you follow my instructions?" My wife nodded..."I'll tell you
though, I thought I was going to drop dead that 3rd day." "From
hunger, you mean?" asked the doctor. "No, from skipping!"
(My
wife is a blonde)
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| Unicycle: You've Got To Be Kidding |
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This is Stephen Jefferies doing! Never in my life did I think
that I would endorse unicycling, but the truth is..... (ugh!)
that learning to unicycle requires agility, balance, strength, and
A HELMET. Check out the several unicycling sites on the internet.
What the kids to have some fun and get a good workout....
give it a try
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