Resolving Conflict within a Youth Sport Team

Being part of a team can be one of the most supportive environments to learn and grow as an athlete and as an individual. Teammates aspire to work together in harmony to achieve success, sometimes reaching a higher level than an individual could on their own. However, pushing both ourselves as athletes and our teams to improve can be a challenging process. Sport by nature can be competitive and...Read more

Coaching and Digital Video Analysis

Video analysis in sports can be an indispensable coaching tool - from determining feedback and correction to athletes, to observations on technical and tactical skills. With technological advances, GoPro being the latest popular video recording device, as well as the multitude of video editing programs available, coaches and athletes have the ability to analyse play and performance on a variety...Read more

Coaching - Motivating Young Athletes

A coaches job can assume many roles within a young athlete's life; they can be an instructor, a mentor, a role model and sometimes a friend or confidant. Coaches have the ability to positively influence a youth's decision to continue their involvement in sport. So what do you do if your player or team is lacking the motivation for success? Provide encouragement - acceptance and approval by...Read more

Coaching - "Invisible" Disabilities

Participation in organized sport activities has been shown to increase self-confidence, social skills and peer acceptance. Young people with "invisible" disabilities (e.g. learning, emotional/behavioural, and speech/language) can often be overlooked because they have no outward physical characteristics that suggest they have diverse learning needs . As a coach, there are many ways to foster an...Read more

Gettin' Down and Dirty with Obstacle Racing

Obstacle racing which has exploded in popularity since 2009, requires participants to navigate various obstacles, such as fences, mud pits, and climbing nets, that have to be overcome in order to complete the race. When Tough Mudder launched in 2010 it attracted 20,000 participants in the US, and had Canadians jumping on board with 35,000 participants last year. Many Canadians are also familiar...Read more

Coaching: How to deal with life’s littlest challenges!

Children are encouraged to participate in sport because physical activity and play can be a great outlet to help the body get out excess energy and release endorphins. Children will test, explore their environment, and act impulsively sometimes but as a coach it's important to be able to recognize when there is a problem more significant than normal development . If you have a challenging child...Read more

Motivational coaching, is it a matter of carrot or stick?

Whether you are coaching athletes in elementary, high school or any age, one of the biggest challenges a coach can face is how to motivate their players. To start, you need to establish your expectations , this will determine your role within the team and let your players know what kind of coach you are going to be. What's a coach to do? Know your athletes as more than just "players" who are put...Read more

Looking on the Bright Side!

We have often heard that a person’s attitude can colour their view of any situation. Someone with a positive attitude will see a situation quite differently than someone with a more negative attitude. When we have a positive attitude about a situation things seem to go much easier than if we are fighting ourselves. So how can attitude affect us in our fitness and sporting lives? And how can we...Read more

Hello from Halifax!

The loudest and the proudest! by Team PEI, Canada Games 2011 EI too on the outstanding Opening Ceremonies, and a big well done to the Host Society on the great job so far. We are having a great time, are looking forward to the competition, and making the friendships that we know will be forged over the next two weeks. A word of warning though – we may be small, but we are mighty, and Team PEI,...Read more