The "bully" Parent

This is upsetting. I just got word from a player that her friends dad was making her play. She was in pain, and he would not let her come out.

I've tried sending emails and talking to parents. But many parents won't listen. 

they think I'm trying to tell you how to parent. 

They think I'm calling you out on your ability to parent.

They think I'm just some guy who doesn't know how to "groom" a young athlete to be a professional athlete.

Guess what? I am on their side, I am for them, I care about their kids and I care about their health.That is why I am going to be blunt. And I realize this may run some of them off from having their kids train with me. But this is where the rubber meets the road.

When your kids say they are hurt, LISTEN TO THEM!!

Don't call them a wimp. Don't call them lazy and sure as heck DON'T LEAVE THEM IN THE GAME!

Why would a parent possibly want their kids to play through pain? I wish someone would explain it to me. Because the reasons i've heard are nothing but parents enforcing their lost hopes and dreams onto their kids.

"It builds mental toughness," "It promotes a good work ethic" "They need to get ready for college," "They're just faking it to get out of playing."

Mental toughness can be developed in other ways than playing through an injury, a good work ethic can be developed by completing homework and school projects, and they don't need to get ready for college until they are a sophomore or junior in high school, and even then if they were, an injury is a serious thing. 

If it turns out they are faking it, then do you really think they've got the drive to play in college? Maybe they SHOULDN'T play in college if they don't want to play in high school?!

Here's my point. Parents care for their kids when it comes to their feelings, when it comes to them being sick, they care for them when it comes to their mental health. But for some reason, they insist on implementing their own goals for them regardless of the roadblocks.

Listen to these young athlete. If they say they are hurt, pull them out and don't let them play for 2 weeks!! But they say a "scout" is there?? At that point I ask, which is more important, your kids health or impressing a "scout"?

Your kids are smart enough to know when they are hurt. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Don't make them play through pain and don't work them so hard that they suffer a career ending injury!


We all want our kids to be the best. but at some point parents have to stop being fans, and start being parents who are looking out for the well being of their kids.

If you really want them to get better at their sport, register them for our Peak Performance Summer Camp. Starting June 7th, the Peak Performance Camp will have 3 different groups meeting.

1. Junior Peak Performance 1-2:30pm M,T,Th,F
2. High School Women's peak Performance: 3-5pm M,T,Th,F
3. High School Men's Peak Performance: 3-5pm M,T,Th,F

For more information shoot me an email at aaron@pairmarotta.com

The "Bully" Coach

The other day I was speaking with a parent whose son runs track. She was telling me about his ankle injury and how he had gone to see the doctor, who said it was just a sprain and that he should just take it easy. This doctor visit was back in January. Doc said he didn't see anything, however swelling was obvious along with some discoloration. A true sign of a ligament sprain.

So this kid finishes soccer season, ankle still causing pain, and starts running track. He's pretty fast so the coach puts him on a relay team. This poor kid wants to run, likes to run, but has an ENORMOUS amount of pain in his ankle following any prolonged running.

The parent calls and says that they finally got the doctor to prescribe physical therapy with us. The parent calls to schedule the initial evaluation and I tell them that the best time is going to be in the early afternoon, between 3-5pm. What does this parent say?

My son is afraid to miss practice because his coach said if he can't practice then he might as well not show up for the meet this weekend. So what happens?

This young athlete has to make a choice between his own health or submitting to the will of his coach. This parent tells me that every time this young athlete runs, his ankle is absolutely killing him after practice, to the point to where he can't walk.

Three things that should be blatantly obvious here:

1. This kid is hurt. Why the heck is he STILL participating?? Not only should he not practice, despite his coach's threats, but he shouldn't run the coming weekend!!!! Common sense would tell you this kid should not be running if he is hurt!! 
2. Why has this parent taken so long to finally "force" their child into rehabilitating this injury? They are the parent, not the kid!! They should not be caving to the wishes of the coach either! Take care of your kid. 
3. This coach has done an excellent job of demonstrating that his own desire to win is more important than the health of his athletes. Great job man, way to keep your priorities straight. Any parent who has their child playing for a coach like this should immediately pull their child off that team. That is no way to treat a 7th grade athlete.

Contrary to popular belief, playing through an injury is not manly, masculine or heroic. It's foolish. This isn't war where if you lose you die. This is youth sports, where if you lose you still get a sno-cone.

Coaches, DON'T BE THAT COACH. Don't be the coach who places winning above the well-being of your athletes.

Parents: DON'T BE THAT PARENT. Don't be the parent who caves to the demands of overbearing coaches.

Do you want your child to play well? Make sure they are healthy. Don't let them try to play through an injury. If something is obviously wrong with the way they throw, run, jump or swing, get them out of the game and get them to a physical therapist or athletic trainer to evaluate the injury.


The ultimate way to decrease the chances of an injury is to prepare your child for the sport. Enroll them in our Summer Peak Performance Camp. The camp is 4 days per week, and is 6 weeks long. Enroll before the end of May and get a free T-shirt as well as a free Peak Preparation warm up manual. Give them every chance to succeed. 


Because the best athlete is a healthy athlete.

Preventing Injuries...through common observation

There are many strategies for preventing injuries. Many training facilities will offer a "pre-hab" or specific injury prevention program. These programs are - hopefully - research based on the specific contributing factors of common injuries in the specific sport. These injury prevention programs are very good at getting parents and athletes very excited about the program.

But here is the kicker - Any good program, will be an "injury prevention" program. That is what a good training program is supposed to do!! What is the alternative? An injury causation program??The first goal of any and every program should be to prevent injury. If a training program results in you jumping 3" higher, but it changes your mechanics to a more injury prone movement pattern, then are those 3" really worth it??

So here are the basics of "designing" an "injury prevention" program.

1. Look at the sport being played and look at the fundamental movements. Remove any implement, such as a ball, bat or stick, and just look at how the body moves and then simply emphasize balance and train these movements for strength, balance and stability.
2. Look at factors related to injury in that sport. If injuries in the sport often occur during a "plant and cut" maneuver, then slow the motion down and train that motion for strength. For planting and cutting, a perfect exercise would be single leg squats, single leg lateral hopping, and lateral shuffle then sprint.
3. Assess the athlete. Some athletes are more prone to injury than others. This can be a result of biomechanical differences, previous injuries or simply poor technique. But understand that not every athlete will have the same needs. Actually, most athletes will not have the same needs. Instead each athlete will probably have a different priority during strength training.
   
4. Warm-up properly. Failure to adequately warm-up is a very common cause of injury. Why? The warm-up prepares the body and its systems for what is about to occur. Warm-up is the time to perform these "pre-hab" drills, which are really simply calisthenics such as pushups, squats, hopping, shuffling, etc. You can get a great warm-up program by sending me an email with Warm-Up Manual in the subject line. --> aaron@pairmarotta.com

Overall, injury prevention is simply good coaching, good training, and good preparation!!

Pair & Marotta Peak Performance will be having their Summer Speed, Strength and Power (SSP) Camp starting on June 7th!! Sign up before May 31st and get the Warm-Up Manual and a Peak Performance T-Shirt!!