Anyone who thinks overuse injuries aren’t a big problem for today’s young athletes should think again. Children who play sports such as football, basketball, and soccer have a growing risk of incurring stress fractures, tendinitis, and a host of other overuse injuries.

What’s behind this trend—and what can orthopaedic surgeons and other physicians do about it? Three experts from the Division of Sports Medicine at Children’s Hospital Boston—Lyle J. Micheli, MD,director; Mininder S. Kocher, MD, MPH, associate director; and Cynthia Stein, MD, primary care sports medicine practitioner—shared their insights at a symposium at the annual meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and with AAOS Now.

Kids don't just go out and play anymore...everything is organized, scheduled, and involve their parents.  What happened to the neighborhood pick-up football game?  How about stick-ball at the park?  Pond hockey?  Here is an article published in the Boston Globe this past weekend discussing how youth sports has evolved (or devolved) over the years...Are Parents Ruining Youth Sports?

What can parents and coaches be doing to provide an outstanding experience for young athletes?  How can we manage the all important relationship between players, coaches, and parents?  What are the expectations for each of the stakeholders and how do we get them aligned?  Listen to a Passport to Parenting podcast of John  O'Sullivan, author of "Changing the Game", talk about his book and the philosophies of parenting and coaching youth athletes.  Podcast with John O'Sullivan

 We love using Sandbells at CATZ for a number of reasons:

 They are safe - we would much rather drop a sandbell on our toes than a dumbbell.

 They are versatile - you can use a sandbell in place of a dumbbell, a kettle bell, and a medicine ball  (although a sandbell will not bounce) for most exercises.

 They are effective - not only do you work the areas of the body you are targeting but sandbells also  encourage grip strength.

 They are durable - just try breaking one!

 They are fun - you can play lots of games with sandbells as they are easy to toss and catch.

 You can get more information about sandbells at Hyperwear: Hyperwear Sandbells

The USC Human Performance Lab at CATZ is currently studying the factors contributing to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in female athletes.  For more information, please click on this link:  USC Lab at CATZ

Daniel Pink, in his book "Drive", debunks a lot of the common beliefs about motivation and gets to the true essence of what really motivates us to succeed.  Does the reward and punishment (carrot and stick) method work?  In many cases it can produce the opposite result we are trying to attain.  Pink believes there are three key drivers to motivation:

• Autonomy - our desire to be self-directed.
• Mastery- our desire to get better at what we do.
• Purpose - our desire to be part of something larger than ourselves.

It is a fascinating read and we highly recommend it.  Here is a link to his website: "Drive" by Daniel Pink

Your Mindset will either hold you back or allow you to soar.  Do you believe that everyone is born with a certain degree of ability and talent?  That we are products of our genetic makeup which will determine our ability to succeed...financially, academically, athletically?  If so, you have a "Fixed Mindset".  A "Growth Mindset" suggests that people can develop their abilities through hard work and dedication.  Dr. Carol Dweck of Stanford University wrote the book "Mindset" to teach people a Growth Mindset will enhance motivation and lead to great productivity.  Here is a link to her website: Mindset

Agility drives success in athletics.  Listen to Jim Liston talk about the importance of agility and well as    give you some tips on how to develop more agile athletes.  Click on this link Agility with Jim Liston

Do you need to lose weight?  Gain weight?  Learn how to enhance your performance through nutrition? Here is a special opportunity to get one-on-one Nutrition Coaching with CATZ's Nick SantaBarbara at a discounted Groupon rate.  For a limited time, Groupon is offering one month of coaching with Nick for an incredibly low rate of $49 (normally costs $299).

Nick will teach you how to eat for success.  The program includes an initial consultation (with a comprehensive questionnaire), customized meal plans, weekly check-ins, and adjustments as necessary.  Unlimited email and text support is included and the whole program is completed from home via phone and email.

Here is the link to the Groupon: CATZ Nutrition Groupon