Skip to content
Parent Coach Desk
Start here
Scripts What to say in the first 90 seconds. Before tryouts. After a bad game. Decisions Travel ball or rec. Specialize or stay multi-sport. Quit or push through. The Sideline File Concussion, arm care, sleep, burnout. What parents Google at 11pm. Parent-coach The lineup at midnight. Coaching your own kid in front of the team.
Full archive →
Camps By sport Drills

Field & team sports

  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Football — Flag
  • Football — 7v7
  • Football — Tackle
  • Hockey
  • Lacrosse — Boys
  • Lacrosse — Girls
  • Soccer
  • Softball
  • Volleyball
  • Rugby

Individual sports

  • Pickleball
  • Crew
  • Cross country
  • Golf
  • Gymnastics
  • Martial arts
  • Wrestling
  • Swimming
  • Tennis
  • Track and field

Performing arts

  • Ballet
  • Band
  • Cheerleading
  • Choir
  • Dance
  • Stunt and tumbling
  • Theater

For coaches

  • Parent-coach gear
  • Video and tracking
  • At-home training gear
  • Boosters and events
See all guides →

CALCULATORS & CHECKS

Cost calculator Real annual cost of any sport. Pre-filled, edit any line, share the result. Season calendar Twelve months by sport and level. Tryouts, peaks, off-season. Age pathways What "good" looks like at 7, 10, 13, 15, by sport. The pendulum Where is your family on the fun-to-performance spectrum right now?

PLANNING & REFERENCE

Recruiting College recruiting honestly, by sport and level. What parents actually need to know. Rules at-a-glance Five-minute primer on any youth sport. What parents actually ask at the game. This Season Rule changes, registration deadlines, equipment updates. What's changing now.
All tools →
Search Friday LetterAbout
Start here

READS

All reads Scripts Decisions The Sideline File Parent-coach

SPORT & GEAR

By sport Drills Gear Files Camps

TOOLS

Cost calculator Season calendar Age pathways The pendulum Recruiting Rules at-a-glance This Season
Search Friday Letter About

Gear Files · Parent-coach gear · Sizing

Parent-coach gear sizing guide.

Sizing notes for this activity are coming. Email us at [email protected] if you want a specific question answered first.

A note on used gear

Used cleats, skates, and shoes are fine if you replace the insole. The insole is the only piece that molds to a foot. A fresh insole resets the shoe to a neutral position so your kid is not standing in someone else’s shape.

Used helmets are fine if the certification sticker is current and the re-conditioning record is intact. NOCSAE for football, baseball, lacrosse. HECC for hockey. ASTM for women’s lacrosse goggles.

Used pads, bats, sticks, rackets are usually fine. Inspect for cracks. Trust the kid’s hands and feet on a fit test.

Back to the parent-coach gear guide →
Parent Coach Desk

Sideline notes for parents in the middle of it.

Sideline notes from the editorial desk for parents who coach, organize, drive, and supervise the snack rotation.

  • Start here
  • Reads
  • Parent-coach
  • Drills
  • What to buy
  • Team parent
  • Cost calculator
  • By sport
  • Season calendar
  • Age pathways
  • Recruiting
  • Rules at-a-glance
  • Camps and leagues
  • Governing bodies
  • Adaptive athletes
  • This Season
More
  • About
  • Newsletter
  • Search
  • Privacy and disclosure
  • Terms of use
  • Accessibility
  • Sources
  • Corrections
  • RSS feed
  • [email protected]
© 2026 Parent Coach Desk.
Some links pay us when you buy. We only recommend things we use. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Written by the Parent Coach Desk.

We use Google Analytics to see which articles help parents most. No ads, no profiles, no selling your data. Full details.