Youth-Athlete's Sport Blog

So you took the off the winter season and now need to get back into game shape quickly.  Marc Dagenais, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), used his experience coaching Olympic and college athletes to put together 21-Day Express Shape-Up Workout eBook.  More...

Nervous about your upcoming tryout?  Worried about making a good first impression with the coaching staff?  How much is it worth to have someone show you how to prepare to make a strong impression at your next softball tryouts by preparing properly and to leave a strong impression on the coaching staff and show them what you're made off to triple your chances of being selected!  Former collegiate and Olympic softball coach Marc Dagenais has put together the Tryouts Peak Performance Kit to show you what the coaches are looking for and how to make a good and lasting impression. More...

One of the most exciting plays to watch in basketball is the above-the-rim roundhouse dunk.  This one activity requires a tremendous amount of pure athleticism.  Have your ever tried one, even on a shorter 8 or 9 foot hoop?  You will realize that it not only requires a good vertical leap, but also core strength and hand quickness.  Most resources that work on improving your vertical jump only focus on the leaping ability, but the Vertical Jump Development Bible pulls together a training program that works on ten different elements of athleticism that enable a player to pull off the roundhouse dunk by not only increasing your jumping ability but also your core strength, stability and control, and speed of movement. More...

The best athletes can have slumps, underachieve, and fail if they focus on the wrong success factors.  During these times of poor performance they are unable to let go of setbacks, errors, and mental mistakes that can be compounded by lack of self-confidence, fear of failure, unrealistic expectations.  As an athlete, leaving the mental side of performance to chance make you more susceptible to performance problems.  As a coach, a working knowledge of mental and sports psychology skills will help you develop athletes with more self-confidence, motivation, and experience peak performance.  Finally, as a parent, the principals of sport psychology, can help you encourage your child to reach their peak performance and develop mental toughness that enhances their self-esteem to achieve greatness, not only in their sport, but also in the bigger picture of life.  More...

Every year as a player graduates to the next level, the speed of the game gets quicker and the athletes need to make adjustments in their physical training, mental preparation, and playing style.  Call it the fall ritual for school basketball. Recently, Applied Cognitive Engineering came out with a program that quickens a player's transition to the speed of the next level, and when used regularly, turn this transition process into their competitive advantage. More...

Isn't it frustrating with the major TV channels decide not to broadcast a game that you are interested in watching and you know your favorite team is playing but it is not being broadcasted on any channels from your cable provider.  This was my experience last spring during the NCAA regional and super regional rounds leading up to the College World Series.  I started looking into satellite TV, but the equipment and installation cost plus the $25+ per month subscription fee was making me think twice.  I then started experimenting with Internet TV.  More...

Marc Dagenais just released a new DVD for Dynamic Warm-Up for Softball System.  Discover how to simultaneously increase speed, power, agility, and flexibility.  Prepare for superior performances and prevent injuries all in just a couple of minutes while warming-up.  By using the same dynamic warm-up exercises that Olympic softball athletes use to prepare themselves to dominate on the softball field and achieve extraordinary performances.  More...