The Pure Athlete Podcast

PA Replay: Dr Neeru Jayanthi: Research Expert on Youth Sports Specialization

Joining us today is one of the world’s leading researchers and experts on injury prevention. Dr. Neeru Jayanthi, the Director of Emory Sports Medicine and Research, chats with the guys about healthy training models and sport specialization for young athletes. Dr. Jayanthi has been on HBO’s Real Sports, ESPN, ABC, NBC, CBS, while also working with MLB, NFL, US Soccer, ATP/WTA Tennis, among others. We discuss his research on thousands of young athletes on topics such as:- high intensity sports impact on young athlete bodies-research results on risk-rewards of early age sport specialization-injury propensity for male vs female athletes-load management advice by age-benefits of multiple sport playing-benefits of "free-play" sports activities-benefits of multi-sport participation and breaks

PA Replay: Clemson Head Football Coach Dabo Swinney

As summer ends and college football approaches, we thought it was time to replay one of our most popular episodes, with Frenchy's good buddy Coach Dabo Swinney. Dabo shares his compelling youth sports journey, including how he credits sports for giving him sanctuary from a difficult family situation. The coach shares incredible insights about coaching, what he prioritizes in his interactions with players and his coaches, life lessons that are available in sports, how he parents his own kids, and his unique overall approach to coaching in the current state of college football. If you are a coach, this episode will inspire you to strive for excellence but also to prioritize the impact you make in player's lives.

PA Replay: Matt & Leslee Holliday on Sports Parenting

Having just Ethan Holliday drafted in the first round of the MLB draft by the Colorado Rockies, following his brother Jackson being drafted #1 overall several years ago, we believe it's a great time to replay our conversation with Mom and Dad. Former MLB Star Matt Holliday and his wife Leslee are raising their four kids in today's complex world of youth sports. Their oldest two boys shared their dad's passion for baseball, and their talent led the family into the crazy world of travel ball. In addition to Ethan and Jackson, Matt and Leslee have another younger son and daughter who have other passions, which Matt and Leslee are equally committed to supporting. In this episode, Matt and Leslee share their hearts for how they wanted to raise their kids, not just as athletes, but as high-character people. They share how they are navigating the craziness of sports and other activities to support their kid's dreams, but not at the expense of their marriage, their family life or their faith. You will be challenged and encouraged to hear Leslee's and Matt's hearts and wisdom as a sports mom and dad trying to get all of it right.

137. Coach Ballgame: The Right Approach to Sports Parenting & Coaching

If you aren’t familiar with Coach Ballgame (James Lowe), you are missing out on one of Major League Baseball's best and most important ambassadors. This week, the guys have an inspiring conversation with Coach Ballgame, learning about his story as a talented college player to being MLB’s representative to promote the fun and life lessons available to youth players all over the country. Coach Ballgame shares a pivotal moment in his baseball career, involving a college at bat against Justin Verlander. He discusses how his relationship with Joe Buck led to his current role with MLB, and share the primary message he takes to kids, parents, and coaches around the country. This episode is full of positive, challenging, and specific advice for youth coaches and parents to ensure kids learn the game, learn to love the game, and most importantly, learn important life lessons from the game - and his message extends beyond the diamond to other sports and activities. If you are a youth coach or parent, you don’t want to miss this fun and informative episode.

125. Dr. Mark Kovacs: What You Need To Know About Physical Development in Youth Sports

On this episode, we welcome back renowned Sports Science expert Dr. Mark Kovacs, who shares a wealth of valuable and practical insights to help coaches, parents, and young athletes understand many critical physical development factors for boys and girls, emphasizing strategies to enhance performance while also minimizing the risk of injuries and long-term burnout. Dr Kovacs shares valuable scientific information including the risks of overtraining during peak growth spurts, the prevalence and impact of Vitamin D deficiency for athletes, the importance of annual bloodwork panels and what to test for that impacts performance, the differences in development of girls vs boys, and much more. In addition, we discuss the risks of sport specialization, and have a very interesting and fun discussion, based on his experience and expertise, on which sports requires the highest level of athleticism, and which skill, from all sports, is the most difficult. This conversation is packed with great information to help ensure young athletes - boys and girls - are physically in the right place to maximize performance and prevent injuries.