When you’re in search of inspiration before a big game or during halftime, nothing is better than reading a motivational quote from one of your favorite athletes or coaches. Hearing the words of someone who has been in your shoes and persevered can be the perfect way to boost your confidence and energize your spirit. To help you prepare for your next tournament, Rocky Top Sports World has put together four of the best motivational quotes for young athletes.

Travel sports are more popular than ever before! In the past two years, the travel sports industry has grown by 20 percent, and this upward trend doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Playing travel sports can be a big time commitment for young athletes and their families, but the benefits of participation can last a lifetime. Rocky Top Sports World has put together a guide to the top five benefits of playing travel sports.

Legendary quarterback Joe Namath once said, “When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things”. As Namath recognized, feeling confident is a prerequisite for enjoying a game and for having success on the field. When you feel anxious or uncertain in your abilities, this mindset can ruin the experience of playing a sport.

For a youth sports team to be successful, all of its players need to trust and support one another. A team with excellent group chemistry becomes a well oiled machine: flawlessly executing plays and anticipating each other’s moves. When young athletes feel like they are part of something larger than themselves, they play at their full potential and encourage their teammates to do the same.

Although it doesn’t always receive the same attention as arms and legs, the core is one of the most important parts of the body. Regardless of what sport they play, every young athlete needs a strong core to succeed. In case you’re unfamiliar with the term, the “core” is just another name for your lower torso, which encompasses the abdominals, obliques, and back muscles. To help you make the most of your workout, Rocky Top Sports World has put together a convenient guide to core training.

In addition to parents and teachers, a coach can be one of the most important role models for a child. A great coach has the power to change the trajectory of a young athlete’s life and to impart lessons that resonate for years to come.

Whether they play football, basketball, soccer, or virtually any other type of sport, young athletes need to have good stamina and endurance. Even if you are a pro at making jump shots or an all star on defense, if you get winded 25 minutes into a game, you’re not going to be playing at your full potential.

If you’re a student athlete, we have some good news for you! While juggling your academic and athletic obligations can be challenging, studies have shown that making the extra effort can pay off in a big way. When compared with students who do not play sports, student athletes consistently have higher GPAs, more positive attitudes about school, and more interest in going to college. In short, being an athlete makes you a better student.

While eating healthy is important for everyone, it is absolutely essential for young athletes! Playing sports requires athletes to be at their best, and that means giving your body the fuel it needs to succeed. To help you prepare for your next tournament at Rocky Top Sports World, our team has put together four nutrition tips for young athletes.

It is no secret that playing sports comes with a variety of important physical and mental benefits. Participating in athletics has been linked with everything from healthy weight maintenance to high self esteem. Although it may get less attention, playing sports has also been correlated with another important trait: making better decisions under pressure. Scientists have found that playing sports can focus the brain in a way that often makes athletes better decision makers than non-athletes. Rocky Top Sports World has put together a brief summary of a fascinating study on this topic.

In recent years, youth lacrosse has really taken off in the United States. In fact, lacrosse is the fastest growing high school sport in America! While the popularity of the sport may be a recent trend, lacrosse has been played in North America for centuries. Rocky Top Sports World did a little research to bring you five interesting facts about the history of lacrosse:

Rocky Top Sports World is pleased to report that youth sports tourism is on the rise! As detailed in The Monitor, travel related to youth athletics has become a $10 billion a year industry. Having grown by 20 percent in the last two years, youth sports tourism is the fastest growing part of the travel industry. As more kids get involved in travel sports and attend tournaments across the nation, families are increasingly trying to coordinate their vacations with their children’s sporting events.

When you think of iconic American sports, baseball, football, and basketball probably come to mind. However, recent youth sports participation data shows that soccer is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with. In 2016, there were roughly 3 million kids playing in youth soccer leagues. That’s over a million more kids than baseball and double the amount of kids who play tackle football!

Dr. Jason Richardson is uniquely qualified to talk about character building in youth sports. In addition to having a Doctorate in Psychology, Richardson is also a former BMX Racer who maintained a Top-Ten World or National Ranking for the majority of his 15 year career. At the age of 19, Richardson was a Union Cycliste Internationale World Champion, and 13 years later he earned a Gold Medal at the Pan American Games in Rio De Janeiro.  

Martial arts are some of the fastest growing sports in America, especially for children. Whether it’s Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Judo, or Jiu-Jitsu, you are guaranteed to find a martial arts class near where you live. No matter which type your kids choose, training in the martial arts provides a number of important physical and mental benefits.