I recently read a blog post on Youth Hockey Information outlining the author's perceived benefits and drawbacks of the American Development Model (ADM).  If you're not familiar with the ADM, I encourage you to visit the USA Hockey website for more information.

Anyway, a bit from the blog post:

There is something you can do to prevent Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) for your sports-minded children

Watch this great one-minute video featuring Andre Agassi and Stefi Graf promoting the changes in 10 & under youth tennis.  Granted, it's not about hockey, but many of the principles that have driven the changes in youth tennis are similar to those that are currently driving the ADM and the adoption of cross-ice games for the 8 & under hockey player.  Enjoy and learn!

Have you heard?

The University of Minnesota School of Public Health recently released a report describing research on youth athletes and diet.  Their findings reveal that participants in youth sports have particularly unhealthy eating habits.

Submitted by guest blogger Sarah Harris

Contributed by guest author Dani Bellamy

Submitted by Guest Contributor Maggie Voelker

By guest contributor Loren Fogelman, Sports Performance Consultant, founder of Expert Sports Performance.com

Do you know the one quality all winning teams have? They know their “BIG Why”. Possessing a deep desire stirs up energy inside. Suddenly athletes are motivated to take action, pushing themselves a little further than normal. It turns underdogs into champions.

Article by guest contributor Sarah Harris

In any sport it is important to keep track of both diet and exercise in order to deliver a peak performance every time.  And yet, many athletes neglect the former, choosing instead to eat a lot of foods that may not be considered very nutritious, such as pre-packaged items (high in chemical preservatives and additives like sugar and sodium), meals high in fats and carbs (good for long-term energy, but not so great for the heart), and even items they might think are healthy (like power bars, which pack a lot of protein, but also come with a huge dose of processed sugar).  Just look at hockey legend Ray Ferraro, who earned the nickname "Chicken Parm” from his penchant for chowing on this classic Italian dish (laden with unhealthy fat), as well as an incident in which he spilled the attendant marinara sauce down the front of his dress shirt just before going on air for NHL 2Night.