Angela Duckworth is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, founder of The Character Lab, and the reason “grit” has become a ubiquitous term in modern performance development. Grit is a prized mental disposition, and Duckworth literally wrote the book on it. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance has…
The Olympic trials for whitewater canoe and kayak include four runs down a whitewater course, spread out over two days of competition. The setting in 2024 was perfect – we had beautiful weather in sunny Oklahoma City, cooled by a little wind and some morning rain. The Olympic and American…
Youth athletes often face the combined demands of school and club sport participation with limited (if any) recovery between competitive seasons. Continuous training without adequate rest can contribute to overuse injuries, psychological burnout, and diminished performance – rather than progressive development they were aiming for (Brenner, 2007). Addressing overuse effectively…
James (Jim) Davis, Ed.M., MA, RSCC*E Proprioception is the body’s quiet cartographer. It is the internal sense that continuously draws and redraws a map of where we are in space (Proske & Gandevia, 2012). Without requiring sight or thought, it allows us to know the position of our limbs, the…
Jim Davis, Ed.M., MA, RSCC*E When I was playing football, more always seemed better. More loud music, more intensity, more work… counterintuitively, my methods did not always lead to more productivity or improved performance. When I started my coaching journey, my worst moments followed a similar path. I had not…
Editor’s Note: The UL Vikings are an American football team from Limerick, Ireland. The Vikings have won three IAFL Shamrock Bowl titles – 2007, 2008 and 2009 – and the Atlantic Cup in 2010. Author Liam Ryan was a founding member of the team. His reflection provides an insight into his passion, which provided the seed that sprouted one of…
Jim Davis, Ed.M., MA, RSCC*E Milo of Croton was one of the strongest, toughest humans walking the planet around 500 BC. He was a renowned wrestler and strongman. He won an Olympic wrestling championship, and undocumented legends of his feats range from tossing boulders to wrestling lions. The legend of…
The following is Part One of a transcript collected from a commencement speech delivered at Newfound Regional in June of 2024; Bristol, New Hampshire. “It’s time to move on to the next chapter of your life. This will be an exciting one. I believe that you’re ready. I have great…
By Mike Clayton, USA Wrestling In today’s fast-paced world, we’re constantly bombarded with messages about instant gratification and overnight success. We see perfectly curated social media feeds for our heroes in sports, entertainment, and business and it can be easy to feel envy for the achievements of others as we…
Physical Education is an essential part of any school curriculum, as it provides students with the knowledge and skills they need to lead healthy and active lives. It teaches them about the benefits of being physically active, which include improved physical and mental health, increased academic performance, and enhanced social…