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Coach Monika says… Warm-up and Cool-down: Common Mistakes Recently, I observed a group of athletes in their Warm-up and Cool-down activities. I could not believe that coaches were standing around, talking, sipping from their water bottle and slurping Starbucks coffee. It is time to provide some guidelines in order to prevent potential injuries …

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Dec 07

Get Concussion Smart: Making Headway in Sport

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The topic of Concussion has been at the forefront of news coverage for some time, whether in Professional or Amateur sports. While most incidents occur in team sports, there are instances in individual sports as well. Cheerleading, gymnastics (fall from High bar, uneven bars, balance beam, vaulting (landing), swimming (slipping on deck, crashing into pool …

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Nov 11

Tip of the Month – October

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Coach Monika says… A Country Going to Pot Implications of Legalization of Cannabis for Canadian Athletes Canada became the second country to legalize cannabis on October 17, 2018 (after Uruguay in 2013). The question now arises: how is this going to impact Canadian athletes in terms of performance, potential health issues, travel to the US …

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Nov 10

Not With a Bang, But With a Bong

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I usually try refrain from interjecting political opinion into monthly Newsletters. However, I want to address the issue of cannabis from the perspective of health educator, teacher, and coach because athletes can/could be affected and need to be educated on the potential WADA implications and side effects of usage. Canadians are now allowed to consume …

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Oct 02

Tip of the Month – September

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Coach Monika says… ‘Stamp Out’ Athlete’s Foot I have addressed this medical/hygiene related topic some time ago, but it is once again on the rise. Most likely due to budget cuts, locker room cleanliness is not a priority in many places. Broken lockers, cold-water showers, and dirty stalls is the perfect recipe for continued …

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Sep 30

Long-term Athlete Development: The Solution or The Problem? – Part III

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Talent Identification versus Talent Selection Coaches often claim to be great talent identifiers when they point to the success of their young athletes 10 and 11 years of age. However, they are really talent selectors, not talent identifiers; and this assumption could be more detrimental to the development of youth athletes in many sports. Talent …

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Aug 31

Tip of the Month – August

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Coach Monika says… Fall is almost here! School and Club try-outs are usually part of the September schedule and parents tend to get as anxious as their athletes over upcoming events. Here are some tips from well-established Sport psychologist, Dr. Patrick Cohn. I have permission to cite part of his post with some modifications on …

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Aug 31

Long Term Athlete Development: The Solution or the Problem? – Part II

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It has been said that we need coaches – great coaches that is! They should be highly qualified, offering knowledge about physical preparation, possess technical knowledge, knowledge about psychology of performance, child maturation process, and the socio-emotional behaviour of children. This aspect is not included in most LTD models; nonetheless, it is critical for the …

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Aug 08

Tip of the Month – July

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Coach Monika says… Grab Your Running Shoes and Bag and Go Plogging! Hallå (Swedish Hello) – The new way to change your aerobic training from Sweden. The country has already proven its excellence in meatballs, unassembled furniture (Ikea), and musicians (ABBA). Now, it brings us ‘Plog or ploggers’, a combination of the Swedish term “plocka …

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Aug 06

Long-term Athlete Development: The Solution or the Problem? – Part I

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Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) is on the forefront once again for discussion among sport experts. I received an email in May from Jim Kielbaso, IYCA CEO (International Youth Conditioning Association), who shared his thoughts on existing LTD models. Given his permission, I used the posting with modifications and additional information for this Newsletter. Background to LTD …

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