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Can we develop players AND children at the same time?
Dr. Wendy LeBolt builds on the concept of “player-focused development” this week, pondering how the "first teacher effect" and other schools of thought factor into this complex issue.
Maureen Hendricks Field the perfect home for Washington Spirit
On the eve of the Washington Spirit's 2015 NWSL home opener against league champion FC Kansas City, columnist Joe Dougherty examines why the Maryland SoccerPlex's Maureen Hendricks Field provides the Spirit with an ideal home field advantage.
LeBolt: How to build a successful travel team without ever cutting a player
So, here’s an idea: what if, instead of coaches selecting the players, we let players select the coaches? Dr. Wendy LeBolt takes a look at a much-loved girls travel coach in Northern Virginia with a "no-cuts" policy that might just transform the way we look at "elite" youth soccer.
O’Sullivan: What youth sports can learn from video games
Youth sports coaching and parenting expert John O'Sullivan explains why some kids would rather play video games than sports, and outlines ways to apply the same benefits that draw children to video games in order to get them back into sports.
NPR’s Frank Deford says “Americans don’t care about Major League Soccer”
NPR sports commentator Frank Deford struck a nerve with the American soccer community on Wednesday morning with the release of a piece entitled "Americans Don't Care About Major League Soccer".
Dougherty: Over-coached college basketball can’t measure up to The Beautiful Game
Columnist Joe Dougherty compares the role of coaches on the sideline in soccer to college basketball, and explains why he will take the free-flowing nature of "The Beautiful Game" over the stop-and-go, often over-coached game of basketball every time.
Play with a Purpose: The simple solution to our kids’ stress crisis
Kids are stressed these days. Anxiety, worry, clinical depression and suicide is on the rise in our teens. They are meeting the pressure cookers of their lives without the resources to manage them. Exercise sometimes seems like just another stress in their lives, but it can actually hold the key to relief, says Dr. Wendy LeBolt.
LeBolt: Let’s talk about “the unmentionables”
After spectating on a particularly soaking day on the pitch, a friend asked Dr. Wendy LeBolt, "Why do so many girls teams wear white? I don't really want to know the color of every player's sports bra." That exchange inspired LeBolt's latest column, a heartfelt take on body image, self-confidence and related challenges facing adolescent athletes in our society.
