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 a young lacrosse player only has time for one thing between practices, it should be wall ball. A rebounding wall turns every throw into an instant, honest repetition — no teammate needed, no field required, just a stick, a ball, and a solid wall. This guide lays out a practical wall ball routine you … [Read More…]
The night before a first swim meet is usually more nerve-wracking for parents than for the kid. There’s a stack of unfamiliar paperwork, a schedule that seems to run on its own clock, and terms like “heat sheet” and “seed time” that nobody explains before you need to know them. This guide walks through what … [Read More…]
Standing in the cleat aisle with a squirming kid and three shelves of look-alike boots is one of the more overwhelming parts of youth soccer. The labels (FG, AG, TF, IN) don’t mean much until someone explains them, and getting the sizing wrong is the single fastest way to end up with a blister-covered kid … [Read More…]
Every season, well-meaning parents sit their kid down and ask, “So what’s your goal this year?” — and get back either a blank stare or an outcome that’s completely out of the child’s control, like “win state.” The mismatch usually isn’t the kid’s fault. It’s that the goal doesn’t fit where they actually are developmentally. … [Read More…]
Coaching a team of first-year U10 players is less about strategy and more about reps, fun, and keeping every kid moving with a stick in their hands. At this age, USA Lacrosse’s youth model prioritizes skill development over winning, which means your practice plan should look very different from a high school session. This guide … [Read More…]
A goalkeeper’s hands get all the credit, but saves are usually won or lost with the feet a half-second earlier. The good news for parents and young keepers without access to a full field is that footwork and reaction training don’t require a pitch, a goal, or even a full-size ball — a driveway, a … [Read More…]
Every parent on the sidelines has asked the same question at some point: is my kid actually ready for this, or are we pushing too soon? Competitive sports ask a lot of a young body and mind — following multi-step instructions, handling a bad call, losing without falling apart, waiting for a turn. Readiness isn’t … [Read More…]
Handing a brand-new player a lacrosse stick for the first time can feel like handing them a foreign object — the ball rolls out of the pocket the second they move, and their instinct is to grip the shaft in a death clamp. Cradling is the skill that turns that awkward stick into an extension … [Read More…]
Most young players don’t lose points because they lack power – they lose them because the serve never clears the net or sails out of bounds. Before a beginner ever worries about hitting harder, the toss, the stance, and a firm wrist need to become automatic. This guide breaks down a simple coaching progression you … [Read More…]
The back float is the single most important skill in early swim instruction. A child who can roll onto their back, relax, and float can rest, breathe, and call for help if they ever get tired or scared in the water — long before they know how to swim a real stroke. This guide walks … [Read More…]
Signing your 4-year-old up for travel soccer might feel like getting ahead — but pediatricians say the opposite is usually true. Starting too early, before a child’s body and brain are ready for the demands of a team sport, tends to backfire in frustration, tears on the sideline, and kids who quit before they ever … [Read More…]
Every flag football coach eventually runs into the same math problem at practice: 13 kids show up, or 11, or 9 — never a clean multiple of 5 or 7. You don’t want to bench someone just because the numbers don’t divide evenly, and you don’t want a scrimmage that feels lopsided or confusing. The … [Read More…]
Every strong lacrosse player, from first-year youth athletes to varsity starters, built their stick skills the same way: with hundreds of low-pressure reps against a wall, not just during practice. The good news for beginners is that the highest-value work doesn’t require a field, a coach, or even another player. Below are five at-home drills … [Read More…]
A child who screams at the sight of a pool isn’t being dramatic — fear of water is one of the most common reasons parents delay swim lessons, and pushing through it the wrong way can make things worse, not better. The good news is that this fear almost always responds well to a slow, … [Read More…]
If your child plays a sport, you’ve probably noticed the trade-off: early practices, late games, homework, and a phone that never seems to power down at bedtime. Somewhere in that schedule, sleep is usually the first thing to get squeezed — and it’s also the thing your young athlete can least afford to lose. This … [Read More…]
If you’ve ever called “run a slant” and watched a seven-year-old sprint straight into the parking lot, you already know: young kids don’t think in routes. They think in shapes, colors, and “run to that thing.” Trying to teach a route tree the way a high school coach would is a fast way to lose … [Read More…]
Most dropped passes at the youth level don’t come from bad hands — they come from a receiver who stops watching the ball a split second too early, or who tries to trap it against his body instead of catching it with his fingers. The good news is both problems are fixable with repetition, not … [Read More…]
Swim practice builds fitness in the water, but the strength, core stability, and body control that make a stroke efficient are built just as much on land. Dryland training — bodyweight and light-resistance exercises done outside the pool — helps young swimmers move better, avoid overuse injuries, and hold a tighter streamline, and most of … [Read More…]
Tryout day can feel like the biggest day of the season for both kids and parents — nerves run high, expectations creep in, and it’s easy to overthink what actually matters. The good news is that most of what helps a child perform well at tryouts has nothing to do with raw talent and everything … [Read More…]
Somewhere between kindergarten and second grade, most kids hit a window where their bodies are primed to pick up new physical skills fast. Coaches and physical education researchers call this the ‘skill-hungry’ years, and it’s the best time to build the coordination, balance, and body awareness that make every future sport easier. The catch: parents … [Read More…]
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