The Young Athlete's Guide to Playing Sports (Paperback)

""Jeff fully understands the benefits of youth sports done the right way."" -Mark H. Murphy, President & CEO, GREEN BAY PACKERS

.".".Captures the essential balance of fun and learning for all."" -Dave Littlefield, GM 2001-2007, PITTSBURGH PIRATES

Playing sports is fun, and you don't need to be a star athlete to get in the action! By understanding the fundamentals of successful sports play, any young athlete can play smarter, compete better, and join in the fun. Whether you're trying to make a team or just want to fit in better with your friends, "The Young Athlete's Guide to Playing Sports" is your all-around guide to playing and enjoying sports.

"The Young Athlete's Guide to Playing Sports" includes inside tips, techniques and approaches that will help any player, in any sport, improve his or her game. Not simply another general book that discusses conditioning or sports psychology, "The Young Athlete's Guide to Playing Sports" digs into the specific player behaviors that lead either to success or failure: How can you move and react quicker? How can you compensate for your physical limitations? In any sport, what tactics help you gain advantage? What behavior causes other players to not want to play with you? What key qualities do coaches look for in their players?

Besides offering dozens of practical tips on how to improve your play, this book will also help you better understand your relationship with sports. You will discover how to balance competition and fun, select the right sports, find your unique path to success, and prepare yourself for a lifetime of enjoying sports.

This book is also a valuable guide for parents. Not only does "The Young Athlete's Guide to Playing Sports" help parents understand the keys to a great youth sports experience, but it also provides them with a tool for teaching their young child sports fundamentals. Parents can paraphrase the book's tips and techniques and incorporate this information into their personal instruction. Likewise, parent coaches will find the instructional advice helpful. A chapter titled ""What a Coach Wants"" will help beginning coaches better understand how to evaluate a young player and use team roles to help each player succeed.