I am the mom of a nine year old Little Leaguer and I am worried about the safety of my child, and all the other innocent children who step on fields across the country, who are at risk of having their lives destroyed by sex offenders and convicted criminals who prey on them as youth sports coaches.
Coaches who concentrate on the well-being of their young athletes
encourage them to cross-train and enjoy other activities during parts
of the year, not threaten them with the loss of a place on the
team if they don't drop other sports.
Because most athletes don't want to admit that they aren't psychologically ready to return to sports, a parent or athletic trainer needs to look for subtle clues, most often expressed in terms of a hesitancy, lack of confidence or certainty that seems out of character.
A new test helps athlete trainers, other health care professionals and even parents assess an athlete's psychological readiness to return to sports by measuring confidence in six areas.
About 50 young athletes go into sudden cardiac arrest each year and die from a rare congenital heart defect called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM ). While some parent groups advocate for routine electrocardiogram (ECG) screening for youth athletes, sports administrator Donald Collins says attacking the HCM problem through education, by forming alliances between schools, leagues and sports governing bodies with
medical organizations and by the taking of detailed family history during a young athlete's pre-participation physical evaluation is a cost-effective approach to early detection.
Strength training during
childhood and adolescence can improve strength by 30-50 percent, increase bone density,
and self-esteem and reduced risk of coronary heart disease, childhood obesity, says a new study.