Journal of Psychology and Sport
On a beautiful September afternoon, I stopped in to watch a few of our Good Athlete Project coaches lead their teams in a tough youth football battle. It was everything one could ask for: energy, autumn atmosphere, support. The two coaches I watched did an amazing job toeing the line between tough and kind. They…
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When he played running back at Dartmouth, Bob Higgins’ specialties were picking up tough first downs and doing whatever was needed to prepare his team for their upcoming opponent. A knee injury halfway through his college career forced him to imagine life after sport and allowed him an opportunity to double down on academics. Higgins’…
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Jim Davis, Ed.M., MA, RSCC*D Strength training has enormous potential in the development of team culture. The weightroom is a fantastic place to improve physical performance, mindset, and inter-team communication. In the pursuit of improved performance, every moment can be a teaching moment. Coaches should recognize the potential of the weightroom as an educational space.…
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By Chris Dertz High school sports are one of the many aspects of traditional American culture that was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. While most athletes were eventually able to compete in their chosen sports during the 2020-2021 school year, the seasons were shortened and held in unusual months. Jim Davis, the director of the…
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Testing the water is safe. However, folks occasionally find themselves stuck in a constant state of testing, unwilling to jump in. Knowing when to go “ALL IN” is key.
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The weight room can be one of the most powerful learning environments in all of athletics. For 9 months each year (an offseason), dedicated educators create cultures within a “classroom” full of novelty, goal-directed behavior, hard work and fun. Time after time, young people report learning valuable lessons in the squat rack, or between sets…
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my natural social personality is to be laid back and let things come to me. No such thing as a laid back strength coach when you’re asking an athlete to squat twice their body weight at 6 AM on a Monday morning
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We weren’t sure if the annual Hyde Park 5k would be a success. Hyde Park is technically the “south side” of Chicago. People were curious if the route would be safe. (It is.) Illinois pulled back COVID restrictions on June 11, the event was on June 17 – some expressed concern about congregating without masks.…
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The Good Athlete Project just wrapped up another installment of Northside Speed and Power, an elite youth-focused speed and performance camp in the Chicagoland area. These camps focus on long-term athlete development, both physical and psychological. Coaches onboard essential movement patterns – what they refer to as “the phonics of movement“ – to improve not…
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Health and Physical Education are the most important subjects taught in our schools. This is not an opinion; it is a fundamental truth. Though we might try to convince ourselves otherwise, there is no philosophy, skill, or calculus that could override a human’s need to care for their own health. As the old proverb goes, “a healthy person worries about a thousand things; a sick person worries about only one thing.”
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