Topic
Rules of play
Why youth sports exists, what it is for, what it is not.
104 pieces
Longer read · Nov 9, 2026
Little League vs. Babe Ruth: What Parents Need to Know
The quick answer: Little League and Babe Ruth are two separate organizations that run youth baseball, and they overlap more than most parents expect.
Longer read · Soccer · age 5–7 · Nov 6, 2026
Soccer Ball Sizes for Youth Players: A Parent's Guide by Age
Most kids play with a size 3 ball through U8, a size 4 from U9 or U10 through U12, and a size 5 from U13 on. The exact switch point depends on your league, and that is where parents get tripped up.
Longer read · Soccer · Oct 30, 2026
7v7 vs 9v9 Soccer: What Changes for Your Player
In U.S. youth soccer, 7v7 is the standard format for U9 and U10, and 9v9 takes over at U11 and U12.
Longer read · age 15+ · Apr 16, 2026
When your kid isn't going to play in college (and that's fine)
The moment you know. The conversation that matters. What comes next.
Longer read · Volleyball · Oct 25, 2026
Playing Up in Youth Volleyball: A Parent's Decision Guide
Your child is good. Maybe the coach has said so, maybe a club director has hinted at it, or maybe you have just watched her dominate a gym full of kids her own age.
Longer read · Volleyball · Oct 23, 2026
Coaching With Your Spouse: A Youth Volleyball Parent's Guide
Coaching a youth volleyball team with your spouse can be one of the best things you do as a family. It can also quietly turn your kitchen table into a second bench.
Longer read · Oct 18, 2026
Youth Sports Parents: Win With Class, Report Injuries Without Penalty
Winning with class means chasing results inside a mastery-based, safety-first culture. Start now: praise effort out loud, and make injury reporting a private, no-penalty habit.
Longer read · Volleyball · age 11–12 · Oct 12, 2026
Switching Youth Volleyball Teams: A Parent’s 6–12 Week Plan
Leave for a pattern, not a bad season, and check the rules first.
Mar 20, 2026
The Unwritten Rules Every League Has
The stuff nobody tells you but everyone knows.
Longer read · age 5–7 · Apr 29, 2026
What age should kids start sports?
Early for movement skills. Later than most parents think for organized competition.
age 11–12 · Feb 4, 2026
The 11-12 Substitution Rules Every Parent Should Know
How playing time actually works at this age.
age 13–14 · Feb 13, 2026
The 13-14 Sportsmanship Rules
What actually gets kids in trouble.
Longer read · age 13–14 · Apr 17, 2026
The 4% rule
What college sports actually looks like. The math that matters.
Crew · Sep 16, 2026
What a head race actually is, and why it looks nothing like a sprint
Fall racing is a long time trial, not six boats blasting off together.
Longer read · Aug 25, 2026
Dealing With Sports Parents: A Coach's Playbook That Works
Set the rules in August so October stays calm.
Soccer · Aug 10, 2026
The heat-acclimatization rule your soccer program has to follow the first two weeks
A national practice-limit rule governs your kid's first two weeks of fall soccer practice.
Baseball · age 5–7 · Jan 12, 2026
Why Tee-Ball Doesn't Have Strikeouts
The answer starts with your league's current rulebook.
Longer read · Apr 20, 2026
The case for one sport per season
One active team is a calendar rule, not a prediction about talent.
Longer read · Band · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
Marching band vs concert band vs music major: the three paths
Three tracks, three different sets of goals, and most families never sit down to figure out which one they're on.
Longer read · Cheerleading · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
Sideline cheer vs All Star vs STUNT: the three tracks
Three activities, one word, and a lot of parents at the wrong meeting.
Longer read · Dance · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
Studio competition dance vs. pre-professional track: the two paths
Two dancers at the same studio can be on completely different tracks, and a lot of parents do not realize it until high school.
Longer read · Stunt and tumbling · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
STUNT roster spots: the real odds and how the four quarters decide floor time
STUNT is the one sport where you can watch the depth chart get decided in real time, because both teams run the same routine.
Longer read · Cross country · age 15+ · Jul 6, 2026
Why almost nobody gets cut from cross country
The sport that will take your kid no matter what mile time they're running today.
Hockey · age 15+ · Jun 10, 2026
High School Hockey and the Juniors Math
College hockey players don't come from high school teams. They come from juniors, two or three years later, through a billet family's spare bedroom.