Tools · The body
The body.
Concussion. Arm care. Heat. Sleep. Growth plates. The stuff parents Google at 11pm. We cite the governing body, give you the questions to ask the doctor, and stay in our lane.
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Concussion
CDC HEADS UP, return-to-play, your state law.
- Concussion: protocol, return to play, your state law
What a concussion actually is, what the trainer or coach should be doing in the first ten minutes, and how return-to-play works under your state law.
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Arm care
Pitch counts, off-season throwing, no curveballs before 14.
- Youth pitcher arm care
Pitch counts, rest days, what "no curveballs before 14" actually means, and the signs that the elbow is asking for help.
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Heat and hydration
NATA youth heat acclimatization. The rules of an August practice.
- Heat and hydration
What an August practice should look like under NATA's youth heat acclimatization rules. How much water, when. And the signs that say stop now.
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Sleep
AAP targets by age. Why the 6am practice is a performance issue.
- Sleep targets by age
How much sleep your athlete actually needs. Why the 6am tournament practice is a performance issue, not a toughness issue.
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Growth plates
Sever's, Osgood-Schlatter's, why adolescent ankle pain matters.
- Growth plates: Sever's, Osgood-Schlatter's, and adolescent pain
Why kids' joints hurt during growth spurts, the named conditions parents should know to Google, and the line between normal soreness and a real problem.
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Recovery
Foam rollers, ice baths, when the gear actually helps.
- Recovery basics: foam rolling, ice, sleep, repeat
What actually helps a kid recover between practices and games. The recovery gear that's worth the money and the gear that's mostly marketing.
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Injury prevention
Pre-practice warm-up. The 11 minutes that change ACL math.
- The ACL prevention warm-up
Eleven minutes before practice. A structured warm-up that's associated with lower ACL injury rates in adolescent female athletes. Risk reduction, not a guarantee.
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Nutrition
Real fueling for kids. The pre-game meal that doesn't backfire.
- Pre-game nutrition for kids
What to eat the night before, the morning of, and an hour before. The food rules that actually move performance and the ones that don't.
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Hydration
How much water, when. The electrolyte question.
- Hydration: the baseline rules (any sport, any season)
How much water, when, and the line between sports drinks and sugar bombs. The hydration protocol that applies year-round, not just in summer heat.
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Mental skills
Pre-game nerves, identity, burnout signs.
- Burnout signs and what to do about them
The pattern that comes before a kid quits a sport they used to love. What to watch for, what to ask, and how to back the volume down before it's too late.
- Performance anxiety in young athletes
Pre-game nerves vs anxiety that's costing your kid the season. What's normal, what isn't, and the conversation to have on a Tuesday, not the morning of a game.
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Specialization
When single-sport helps, when it costs you.
- Single-sport specialization: when, and the cost of doing it early
What the AAP, AOSSM, and IOC actually say about single-sport play. Why 'after 14' is the consensus and what early specialization costs in injury, burnout, and ceiling.