Few schools in the United States can afford the costs of a full array of extracurricular activities without additional sources of funding. Booster groups help counter a good portion of the deficit at many schools, but parents of high school athletes or the athletes themselves are often asked to chip in as well.

What some label as pay-to-play schemes have been implemented in two-thirds (33) of the United States. This is not new. The Christian Science Monitor ran a story titled "Will Pay-to-Play Ruin High School Sports?" in September 2002 and reported that even then, more than... [read more]

In a recent article in the CanFitPro fitness magazine (September/October 2010) there was an article about what clients are looking for. Our students are probably not much different than fitness club clients and I thought the following (non-researched) suggestions might also be helpful in a university teaching situation.

1. Sometimes fitness trainers/professors can push clients too much and too soon which can lead to de-motivation and a sense of apathy.

2. Spend time to demonstrate exercies, explain the rationale behind the sequencing, and discuss the areas affe... [read more]

As the Fall sports season continues we see certain squads emerge at the top in conference competition. Their ultimate success might well hinge on dynamics within the team that aren’t as apparent as a won-loss record to its fans. Indeed the grounds for success were likely laid many months prior to the season as off-season training and skill development sessions got underway.

Leadership is essential in any successful organization, and in team sports it takes on special significance. Unlike in the animal kingdom, however, the best leaders aren’t simply the dominant a... [read more]

Laughter is such a powerful tool to deal with stress (chapter 8 in the Christian Paths book) that viewing these three YouTube videos will open your and your student’s doors to its power :)

  –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vfSk- 6tIvo&feature=fvst –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wIEihDAcpU –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P6UU6m3cqk [read more]

August not only means a return to the classroom but the preparation for fall sports as well.  The weeks leading up to the start of football and other sports’ seasons signal the end of summer and the building of interest and enthusiasm in school athletic programs.

This anticipation is heightened by media coverage of the teams and speculation as to how they might fare in conference competition and even state and national rankings. Coaches and athletic programs can use this opportunity to project a positive image of teams, individuals, and the entire organization if t... [read more]

FYI: OCDPA’s Evidence-Informed Messages

August 2010

Chronic disease accounts for a significant proportion of disability and death in Ontario, much of which is preventable. Community and health practitioners, networks and organizations have long expressed an interest in increasing their understanding of risk factors that are linked to chronic health problems and to enhance the impact of their chronic disease prevention efforts.

To that end, the Ontario Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance (OCDPA) has developed a ne... [read more]

I recently ran across a helpful website on depression. It is located at: http://www.depressionhurts.ca

It’s three major sections deal with understanding depression, the journey to improvement, and how friends and family can help out.

The site is easy to walk through, has some helpful checklists, points people to the medical profession for help, and lists several organizations for further help.

Across the country, high school athletes eagerly anticipate the first day of practice for fall sports. Coaches and administrators share this urge to get started and have been busy throughout the summer preparing to welcome athletes back to school. Coaches dedicate countless hours to map out season plans and to secure new equipment and uniforms, while mending those “well worn.” Administrators and coaches collaborate to manage risk by painstakingly preparing safe facilities. They implement policies to monitor the heat index and require regular water breaks to ensure a healthy expe... [read more]

What’s Up At Human Kinetics

Thanks for visiting humankinetics.com . The Human Kinetics staff and I feel you’ve landed at a special place. Since 1974 when HK was founded by Rainer Martens, HK has been committed to providing quality information for the physical activity and health fields including sports, fitness, physical education, sport sciences, recreation, and dance.

We are committed to providing information and, whenever possible, solutions that help our customers work, play, compete, and live healthi... [read more]

Now that summer is here, many people look forward to getting in the water and going for a swim, splashing around with their kids in a pool, or simply floating around on a raft and listening to the summer breeze blow. No one wants to think about the millions of bacteria that live on the human body, not to mention what might be introduced into the water through fecal contamination.

But for aquatic professionals, we have to think about the bacteria – and specifically we have to think about how to prevent that bacteria from causing recreational water illnesses (RWIs). I thi... [read more]