Coaching – Keeping Sport Fun for All

We all know how much sport can offer kids; we've got numerous research studies along with our personal experiences to back it up. Research also shows us that most sport participation rates peak at 13 years old and then continuously drop throughout the teenage years. While many factors contribute to this drop off, a significant area worth exploring is the element of fun in sport , what coaches can...Read more

Soccer

Many people have made the claim that soccer (or football), is the most popular sport in the world and it’s easy to see why. Soccer is a great sport for people of various ages and skill levels, requires little to no equipment and is easy to play. Since play is continuous, it is also excellent for fitness and cardiovascular health – not to mention that it’s a lot of fun! This issue, SIRC has...Read more

Parental support in youth sports

Youth sport is a social system that involves children, peers, coaches, and parents, all of whom influence the development of a child's values, attitudes, social relationships and motivation to participate. When parents sign up their child for a sport, they want to support their child but also want to see them succeed. So, as a parent how do you walk the fine line between being involved and being...Read more

Let kids play!

Most experts agree that Canadian children need to increase their physical activity . We also know that organized sport can help achieve that. However, concentrating on one sport or putting too much focus on winning may lead to kids dropping out of sport altogether. A recent survey has shown that the main reason that kids drop out of sport is that they just aren't having fun anymore. While...Read more

Get the Warm up Low-down for Kids

When playing sports, warming up is a must and with kids there's an entirely different approach to coaching them through warm up drills . The value of a warm up created for children is that it raises the body temperature and heart rate, prepares the muscles and joints for activity, and helps to prevent injury. However, most people aren't aware that proper warm up also sets the mood and pace for...Read more

Are you Tough Enough?

When preparing for a race, a competition or just everyday exercise, mental preparation plays a vital role in the training process. Mental toughness is the psychological edge that an athlete uses to cope with the demands of training and performances at an event. It allows the athlete to remain consistent, determined, focused, confident and in control under the pressures that they face. Athletes...Read more

Soccer

Check out the latest SIRC Newsletter - Soccer ! It seems everywhere you look these days you’re surrounded by soccer. Not only is it possibly the most popular grassroots sport, but soccer also has one of the biggest international sporting events. Have you ever stopped to consider how either a player or a coach gets from the grassroots level to the international stage? Here are a few things to...Read more