Welcome to the SportsSteps NextSteps Blog, where athletes, coaches, fans, and sponsors come together. From highlight videos and athlete development to coaching strategies, sponsorship advice, and sports culture, we share insights to help you grow both on and off the field.
If your freestyle feels like you’re working hard but not going anywhere, the culprit is almost always the catch — specifically, a dropped elbow during the underwater pull. The high elbow catch (also called the Early Vertical Forearm, or EVF) is the single most impactful technique fix available to recreational and competitive swimmers alike, and … [Read More…]
Game day mornings are chaotic enough without discovering mid-drive that your kid forgot their cleats or has zero snacks for a three-hour tournament. A well-packed sports bag is one of the easiest ways parents can set their young athlete up for a great performance — and save themselves a sideline scramble. This guide breaks down … [Read More…]
Not every child lights up at the idea of joining a soccer team or calling plays in a huddle — and that’s completely normal. For shy or introverted kids (and plenty of adults too), the social pressure of traditional team sports can feel overwhelming before they’ve even learned the rules. But staying active is important, … [Read More…]
Every coach eventually faces the same challenge: half the team is still figuring out which foot to pivot on, and the other half is bored running drills they mastered two seasons ago. When your roster spans a wide range of abilities, a one-size-fits-all practice plan ends up serving nobody well — beginners get lost, advanced … [Read More…]
Young athletes who move with quick, confident footwork tend to stand out on the field or court — and the agility ladder is one of the most effective, low-cost tools for building that edge. This guide covers eight proven ladder drills that coaches and trainers use to improve foot speed, coordination, and body awareness in … [Read More…]
Strength training rules by age group protect young athletes from injury while building the foundation for lifelong athletic performance. The myth that lifting weights stunts growth has been debunked for decades, but that doesn’t mean kids should follow adult programs. The rules below break down age-appropriate strength work from age 7 to 17, including what … [Read More…]
Butterfly is widely considered the hardest competitive swim stroke — and for good reason. It demands simultaneous arm recovery, a coordinated two-beat kick, and a full-body undulating wave, all working together at the same time. Most beginners who try to swim it by brute force end up exhausted after half a length. The good news: … [Read More…]
Of all the competitive swimming strokes, backstroke is widely considered the most beginner-friendly — and for good reason. Because kids swim on their backs the entire time, their face stays out of the water and they can breathe freely from start to finish. There is no breath timing to master and no anxiety about putting … [Read More…]
Breaststroke is widely considered the trickiest stroke for young swimmers to learn—and the kick is usually where things fall apart. Unlike freestyle or backstroke, the frog kick demands a very specific sequence of movements that feels unnatural at first: bend, turn, push, squeeze, glide. Miss any one of those steps and the kick stops working. … [Read More…]
Game day nerves, early morning warm-ups, and back-to-back practices — parents of young athletes juggle a lot. But one of the most impactful things you can control is what your child eats before they take the field, court, or track. The right pre-game meal can mean the difference between a sluggish first half and a … [Read More…]
Few moments in youth sports sting quite like the one where your child walks out of tryouts having been cut. Whether they’re 10 or 16, the rejection is real, and watching them hurt is hard. Your instinct will be to fix it — but how you respond in the hours and days that follow can … [Read More…]
Sports can be one of the most rewarding parts of a child’s life — building confidence, teaching teamwork, and creating friendships that last for years. But when the pressure and volume of training outpace a child’s ability to recover, that love for the game can quietly erode. Sports burnout in young athletes is a real … [Read More…]
If you’ve ever watched registration fees, equipment hauls, and tournament weekends quietly drain your bank account, you’re not alone. Youth sports spending has climbed sharply in recent years, and many parents are caught off guard by just how quickly costs stack up across a single season — let alone a full year of multiple sports. … [Read More…]
The day has finally arrived — your child is signed up, excited (or maybe nervous), and about to walk into their very first sports practice. Whether it’s soccer at age five or baseball at age eight, that first session can feel like a big deal for parent and kid alike. The good news: knowing what … [Read More…]
If your child has been asking to try soccer, basketball, or flag football and you have no idea where to start, you’re not alone. The youth sports landscape can feel overwhelming for first-time sports parents — different leagues, registration windows, skill levels, and costs all competing for your attention at once. This guide walks you … [Read More…]
If you’ve coached youth basketball for more than a week, you’ve seen it: a kid drives toward the basket, takes two steps, and then springs off the wrong foot — usually the same foot as their shooting hand. The ball sails off-target, the kid looks confused, and the drill falls apart. It feels like a … [Read More…]
Coaching 6 and 7-year-olds who have never touched a basketball can feel chaotic — and it often is. Forty bouncing balls, kids who are more interested in their shoelaces than their shooting form, and a 45-minute window that somehow feels both too long and too short. The good news is that this age group doesn’t … [Read More…]
You planned the session, set up the cones, and arrived at the field — only to find that six of your twelve players stayed home. It’s a frustrating moment for any coach, but experienced coaches will tell you it can also be one of the most productive practices of the season. A thin roster forces … [Read More…]
If your young athlete is running out of gas in the second half—legs heavy, pace dropping, focus fading—the fix probably isn’t more laps around the field. Building genuine stamina for youth athletes requires conditioning that mirrors what actually happens in competition: short explosive efforts, quick directional changes, and the ability to recover and go again. … [Read More…]
If you play a sport and want to get stronger, faster, and more resilient, you don’t need a gym membership or a rack of weights. Your own bodyweight is a legitimate training tool — one that major sports medicine organizations have endorsed for young athletes at every level. This guide lays out a practical bodyweight … [Read More…]
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