Is warming up and stretching necessary for youth athletes prior to practice and games? Yes, before any vigorous activity, athletes should spend at least five to ten minutes performing general warm-up followed by stretching exercises. Warm-up activities can consist of running in place or running laps at a mild to moderate pace. The flexibility exercises should stretch all of the muscle groups that are used in the sport in which the athlete participates. Each of the stretches should be done slowly and held in the stretched position for a minimum of 15 seconds. For young athletes, how important is it for them to play using the proper skills for their sport? The importance of proper techniques cannot be overemphasized. The proper technique starts with the coach. It is the coach's responsibility to make sure that safe techniques are taught as well as performed correctly by the athletes.

How important is it that athletes use equipment that is made for their specific age group?

If an athlete uses equipment that does not properly fit the chance of suffering an injury increases. This equipment also needs to be in good condition. Athletic equipment, such as football helmets, shoulder pads, field hockey or soccer shin guards, and even mouth pieces, should be fitted by a knowledgeable person, such as the coach, sales person, or medical professional. Parents should be actively involved in this process also. Even footwear must fit properly. Athletic shoes should fit comfortably at the time they are bought. An athlete should not wear brand new footwear to practice. The shoes should be worn for several days at some point prior to the start of the season in order to prevent the likelihood of blisters.

What about sports that are played on hot and humid days?

When practicing on hot and humid days, the intensity of the activity should be decreased. A better idea would be to schedule practices during cooler times of the day, such as early morning or evening. Athletes should wear loose fitting, bright colored clothing made of cotton or other types of fabric that breathe and allow the sweat to evaporate from the athlete's skin and permits heat to dissipate from the athlete. Ensure that adequate fluids are consumed before, during , and after the activity.

The athletic teams at Arizona State University compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I PAC-10 Conference.

NESCAC, (New England Small College Athletic Conference), was founded in 1971. the conference is made up of a group of 11 highly selective liberal arts universities and colleges that share a similar philosophy for intercollegiate athletics.

Muscle is the engine of your body and fat is simply one of the fuels it burns. The more lean, ripped muscle mass you can build, the more fat you will burn.

Baseball I Basketball I Board And Card Games I Cardio Respiratory Fitness I College Sports Camps I Diet and Sport
 FAFSA-Financial Aid Application I Fitness Training I Fencing I Field Hockey I Football I Golf I Gym Training I Sports Helmets Hockey I Lacrosse I Lose Weight I NAIA Conferences I NCAA DI Conferences I NCAA DII Conferences I NCAA DIII Conferences  NCAA Emerging Sports I NCAA Games Rosters I Quit Smoking I Rowing I Running I Scholarship News I Sports Shoes I Soccer Softball I Sports Clothing I Sports Medicine I Sports Training I Steroids I Swimming I Tennis I Volleyball I Weight Training  Wrestling