In preparation for the upcoming Tri-City Basketball 2024-25 fall/winter season, we are looking for girls and boys coaches in a variety of age groups.

If you are interested in coaching a team, please contact coachcoordinator@tcyba.org to secure your gym time.

Our fall/winter season will begin the week of September 23 and end the week of March 3, 2025.

TCYBA is pleased to announce, tryouts for 2024-25 Fall/Winter Elite teams will take place May 2 - May 23 for U11 – U16 girls and boys.

ELIGIBILITY

BOYS DIVISIONS

U11 - Born on Sept 1st, 2013 or Later

U12 - Born on Sept 1st, 2012 or Later

U13 - Born on Sept 1st, 2011 or Later

U14 - Born on Sept 1st, 2010 or Later

U15 - Born on Sept 1st, 2009 or Later

U16 – Born on Sept 1st, 2008 or Later

GIRLS DIVISIONS

U11 – Born on Jan 1st, 2014 or Later

U12 - Born on Jan 1st, 2013 or Later

U13 - Born on Jan 1st, 2012 or Later

U14 - Born on Jan 1st, 2011 or Later

U15 - Born on Jan 1st, 2010 or Later

U16 - Born on Jan 1st, 2009 or Later

The Elite Division at TCYBA is suited to players who wish to further develop their basketball skills in a more competitive atmosphere and are willing to commit to more practice time and a higher level of competition. If your son or daughter is new to basketball, then Elite tryouts are usually not the best place for them to start their basketball experience. While the emphasis will still be on fun, friendship and sportsmanship, there will be a greater focus on competition and expectations of commitment will be higher for players. While we encourage all young players to be multi-sport athletes and will not ask anyone to quit another sport to focus solely on basketball, the Elite Division does expect a commitment to the entire season and a willingness to make all practices and games. 

The number of teams participating at each age/gender level will be determined after tryouts are complete and player assessments are finalized. The number of teams will be determined by the number of players who are assessed as being Elite level players. 

U11 Elite Division Commitment

●        Two x 1.5 hour practices per week 

●        Participation in the TCYBA Development League Games in an older Division on Friday evenings

●        Two other tournaments – coach/team choice 

●        Season duration – late September - March (pending tournament participation details) 

U12 Elite Division Commitment

●        Two x 1.5 hour practices per week 

●        U12 Club League of Choice (in the appropriate division)

●        Two other tournaments – coach/team choice 

●        Season duration – late September - March (pending tournament participation details) 

U13 Elite Division Commitment

●        Two x 1.5 hour practices per week 

●        U13 Club League of Choice (in the appropriate division)

●        Two other tournaments – coach/team choice 

●        Season duration – late September - March (pending tournament participation details) 

U14 Elite Division Commitment

●        Two x 1.5 hour practices per week 

●        U14 Club League of Choice (in the appropriate division)

●        Two other tournaments – coach/team choice 

●        Season duration – late September - March (pending tournament participation details) 

U15 Elite Division Commitment

●        Two x 1.5 hour practices per week 

●        U15 Club League of Choice (in the appropriate division)

●        Two other tournaments – coach/team choice 

●        Season duration – late September – early November (pending tournament participation details) 

U16 Elite Division Commitment

●        Two x 1.5 hour practices per week 

●        U15 Club League of Choice (in the appropriate division)

●        Two other tournaments – coach/team choice 

●        Season duration – late September – early November (pending tournament participation details) 

PARTICIPATION COST

The cost to tryout for an Elite team is $15.00

The cost to participate is approximately $975.00 for U11 to U14 divisions and $550.00 for U15 & U16 divisions. Fees will be payable via credit card payment through our Team Snap registration system. As a registered Not-for-profit organization, TCYBA charges only what it anticipates the overall costs of the Elite program will be. 

All selected participants will also be required to purchase the TCYBA uniform if they do not already have one.  

Age confirmation to participate in the Champions League is mandatory through National Sports ID. Any cost related to this process is the responsibility of the participant. 

***PLEASE NOTE*** Due to advance monetary commitments for league and tournament play, no refunds will be given for Elite team players. The only exception will be for a verified medical reason and if that player’s spot can then be filled on the roster at a prorated amount by another player designated by the coach to be an Elite calibre player. 

TRY OUT DATES

TRYOUT INFORMATION

Only pre-registered players will be allowed to try out. No walk-ins are permitted.

On the first night, please arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled start time to allow for check-in. This means 5:45 pm if your start time is 6:00 pm and 7:15 pm if your start time is 7:30 pm. 

Register now to reserve your tryout spot!

Please ensure the following information is correct: 

●        Player’s name (first, last) 

●        Grade the player currently is in 

●        Birth date 

●        Email address for contact 

You will receive a confirmation email once you have completed the registration process. If you did not receive the confirmation email, please log into your member account to ensure you have completed the registration and that it was not left as a Pending Registration.

We look forward to seeing you at tryouts!

Tri-City Basketball is now offering Drop-In basketball this spring!

Come and practice your skills, your shot or scrimmage with your friends at Drop-In Basketball!

When: Saturdays from 3:00 pm to 5:15 pm

Where: Banting Middle School

Who: All girls and boys from Grade 7 to Grade 12 may take part

Session Dates: Apr 20, 27, May 4, 11, 25, Jun 1, 8, 15

The cost to participate is $8.50 per session and you can sign up for as many sessions as you like!

TCYBA drop-in basketball requires online pre-registration. No payment will be taken at the door.

Register Now to secure your spot! 

Spots are limited and our online registration will only be open until sessions are full.  

Our Spring season is about to begin and registration is now open for our extremely popular Spring Skill Development Performance Academy Sessions! 

Coaches instructing at these sessions have experience at the elite youth, high school and Provincial level.

These sessions are for players who want to develop and enhance their individual abilities, focusing on:

·       Footwork

·       Shot Preparation

·       Shooting Mechanics

·       Ball Handling

·       Passing

·       Decision Making

·       Attacking the Basket & Finishing

Interested players, especially those at lower grade levels, do not need to have a great deal of experience to take part. The most important factor when participating in the Academy program is to simply be dedicated to improvement and being committed to attending the scheduled sessions.

If you are new or fairly new to basketball these sessions are great to help you improve your skills quickly.

The Spring sessions have been split into 2x 4 week sessions:

Session 1- April 11 to May 11

·       Grade 4-5-6 Boys: Thursday 6:30 - 8:00 pm (Como Lake Middle) - Dates: Apr 11, 18, May 2, 9

·       Grade 7-8-9 Boys: Thursday 8:00 - 9:30 pm (Como Lake Middle) - Dates: Apr 11, 18, May 2, 9

·       Grade 6-7-8 Girls: Saturday 9:00 - 10:30 am (Moody Middle) - Dates: Apr 13, 27, May 4, 11

·       Grade 4-9 Boys: Saturday 10:30 am - 12:00 pm (Moody Middle) - Dates: Apr 13, 27, May 4, 11

Session 2 – May 16 to June 15

·       Grade 4-5-6 Boys: Thursday 6:30 - 8:00 pm (Como Lake Middle) - Dates: May 16, 23, 30, Jun 6

·       Grade 7-8-9 Boys: Thursday 8:00 - 9:30 pm (Como Lake Middle) - Dates: May 16, 23, 30, Jun 6

·       Grade 6-7-8 Girls: Saturday 9:00 - 10:30 am (Moody Middle) - Dates: May 18, Jun 1, 8, 15

·       Grade 4-5-6 Boys: Saturday 10:30 am - 12:00 pm (Moody Middle) - Dates: May 18, Jun 1, 8, 15

·       Grade 7-8-9 Boys: Saturday 12:00 - 1:30 pm (Moody Middle) - Dates: May 18, Jun 1, 8, 15

You can register for Session 1 or Session 2 or both Sessions right now!

Registration is now open. These sessions have limited space so don’t delay. Register today!

Register now for Spring 2024 Academy Sessions

Registration is now open for our Spring season individual and small-group basketball training sessions with Coach Zach Hamed, one of Tri-City Youth Basketball's most successful and popular coaches.

Our Mission

At TCYBA, the mission of our individual and small group sessions is to foster the development of game-specific skills for players of all ages and abilities, ensuring success on the court.

Competition/Games Preparation Model

Our sessions implement a "Competition Based Preparation Model" that focuses on preparing players for in-game situations, by developing and teaching athletes how to apply in-game practical skills.

SESSION DETAILS

• 60-minutes in duration

• Skill enhancement is tailored to individual needs

• Flexible content focusing on key basketball skills

Areas of focus may include:

1. Shooting Fundamentals & Refinement

2. Dynamic Dribbling/Finishing

3. Finishing at the Rim

4. Understanding Spacing

5. Creating Space and Movement Without the Ball

6. Decision Making

SINGLE PLAYER TRAINING

Sessions are tailored to each player's needs with a focus on improving individual development areas and perfecting in-game skills.

"Development" and "Advanced" levels are available.

Single Player Training Sessions & Fees

• Single Drop-In Session: $65

• 5 Sessions: $310

• 10 Sessions: $575

SMALL GROUP TRAINING (3-6 Players)

Focuses on fundamental skills development and offers competition against other players.

"Development" and "Advanced" levels are available.

We recommend all participants are of similar skill set and position (older players).

Small Group Training Sessions & Fees

• Single Drop-In Session: $45/player

• 5 Session Bundle: $220/player

• 10 Session Bundle: $410/player

ABOUT COACH ZACH HAMED

 Coach Zach brings years of playing experience with the Tri-City Youth Basketball Association, having been a part of the club for more than a decade. As a graduate of Heritage Woods Secondary School in 2019, Zach's efforts on the court earned him recognition as a 2019 AAAA Provincial Championship All-Star Selection.

After furthering his basketball journey at the University of Victoria, Coach Zach seamlessly transitioned into a coaching role within TCYBA. He has served as a head coach in our academy training sessions, skill enhancement program, TCYBA basketball camp programs and has also served as a head coach for multiple elite teams from the U12-U16 level. 

Zach has extensive experience in both team and individual training. He has worked with coaches and trainers at all levels of the game. He has had the opportunity to train under several mentor coaches including, legendary coaches, Alex Devlin, Chris Martin and Rich Goulet. Zach has also had the unique opportunity to gain coaching experience by taking part in an international player development camp in China and training all-star players from across Asia. This wide range of coaching experience provides him with an enhanced opportunity to pass along critical training and skill development techniques to the next generation of young players.

REGISTRATION

 For further registration information or to book your sessions now, please email Coach Zach directly at zhamed@tcyba.org to check availability. Current sessions will be offered Tuesdays between 5:00 to 8:00 pm. We recommend participants who wish to take part in small group sessions attempt to group yourselves with other players at the same position (older players) and at approximately the same skill level.

There will be no refund for withdrawals. If sessions are cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances an additional session will be added if possible. If a replacement session cannot be added, a prorated refund will be issued.

Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your skills under Coach Zach's guidance. Email him now at zhamed@tcyba.org to book your session!

Our U15 Boys Red team secured 1st place, showcasing their talent and hard work. Big congratulations Owen Sholdra on receiving tournament MVP. A shoutout to our U15 White team, who also claimed 4th place, playing up in a challenging U16/U17 division. Kudos to both teams for their continued outstanding performances!

Our U14 Red team won the Gold division by 9 in the finals, led by our top scorers of the game Ethan Toy and Matthew Shneor.

Our U14 White team won the Bronze division by 1 in the finals, with the game-winning layup scored by Christian Garampil.

Keep up the great work!

COQUITLAM, BC. - Tri-City Youth Basketball is excited to announce a new partnership with Canada Basketball, Basketball BC and NBA Canada to bring the Jr. NBA Youth Basketball program to the Tri-Cities (Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody) as well as Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Burnaby and New Westminster.

The Jr. NBA Youth Basketball (JNYB) program is the official grassroots basketball development program in Canada and aims to deliver an aligned, consistent and systematic development model for all youth across Canada. NBA and Canada Basketball have recently announced the merger of their existing Jr. NBA Rookie Division and Steve Nash Youth Basketball programs which will strive to empower communities across Canada to provide boys and girls with more opportunities to play the game - the right way. The goal of the program is to allow participants the opportunity to maximize their potential, while promoting the importance of youth basketball as a vehicle to build character, discipline, self-esteem and sportsmanship.

The partnership of Tri-City Youth Basketball with Jr NBA and our national and provincial governing associations will strengthen our programming so we can continue to provide an outstanding basketball environment for our membership.

Todd Purves, President of Tri-City Youth Basketball, commented on this new partnership:

“As a volunteer driven not for profit basketball club that is both development and excellence driven, we welcome the opportunity to further enhance our club by offering this premier program… It is an exciting time for our sport both locally and nationally with the Toronto Raptors capturing the NBA Championship and we are extremely excited to announce this partnership as we all celebrate the first NBA Championship by a Canadian team.

Tri-City Youth basketball offers opportunities for kids from kindergarten to high school to discover the sport, develop their abilities and play competitively in a cost recovery model that truly makes the game accessible. Hundreds of our players have gone on to play competitive high school basketball and there are many now playing at the college level having learned to enjoy the sport through our club.

Our hundreds of volunteers, using facilities largely sourced through School District 43, help to deliver a great experience for all of our youth players while our staff ensures that our organization runs optimally. Our dedicated Board of Directors is focused on continuing to provide the best basketball experiences and opportunities through extensive and innovative programming and Jr. NBA is the perfect fit for our goals. Having been a founding partner with Jr NBA Rookie Division, implementing the full Jr NBA program is a natural progression”.

Partnering organizations Canada Basketball and Basketball BC provided the following comments regarding the new programming partnership:

“The Jr. NBA Youth Basketball program showcases NBA, Canada Basketball and Basketball BC’s commitment to positively impact Canadian youth by teaching them to learn the game the right way, while using basketball as a vehicle to develop important life skills such as leadership, teamwork and self-esteem.

We are excited to partner with Tri-City Youth Basketball to bring this program for children and families in the communities to be able to participate in a fun, safe, and age appropriate introductory basketball program. With the recent success and excitement around the Raptors winning its first championship, it is our hope that the Jr. NBA Youth Basketball program will further help introduce youth to the game and create a lifelong passion of our sport and foster a healthy active lifestyle.”

- Ron Yeung, Manager Domestic Development, Canada Basketball

“It is fitting that as we celebrate the Toronto Raptors NBA Championship we also celebrate and congratulate the Tri-City Youth Basketball Association on their 20th anniversary. Professional basketball success adds to the validation of a program such as the one run by the Tri-City Youth Basketball Association. A successful youth program focuses on a safe environment, trained coaches, adherence to Safe Sport practices and understanding of well-developed Long-Term Athlete Development principles. TCYBA does this and more in offering programs for girls and boys from ages 5- 17 and even beyond in some cases.

The TCYBA model is one that includes beginning and recreational players, team formation and high-performance training and competition. TCYBA was an initial BC member of the Junior NBA Rookie Division (ages 5-7). It will be adding the Junior NBA’s age 7-13 programming in the near future in their continuing effort to support the development of grassroots basketball in their community as well as continuing to train high performance players who compete with our Provincial teams and various post secondary teams. Happy Anniversary Tri-City Youth Basketball Association!!”

-Lawrie Johns, Executive Director, Basketball BC

Additional Jr. NBA programming information will be available shortly on Tri-City Youth Basketball’s website www.tcyba.org.

The new Jr. NBA program framework will initiate in the upcoming TCYBA 2019/2020 Fall/Winter season and will seamlessly flow into Tri-City’s current programming, which is currently open for registrations. Register at https://www.tcyba.org/registration.

Follow Tri-City Youth Basketball on Instagram

Thank you to all of those parents that contributed to this through their donations made during our league registration process. All of your contributions add up in a big way and help us to ensure that no kids are left without the opportunity to play the sports they love.

To learn more about Kidsport visit http://www.kidsporttricities.ca

TCYBA would like to share this video with all our youth members as a message to work hard and never give up! Success is not an accident!

CLICK HERE to read a great bio on Stephen Curry by David Fleming

Many youth basketball coaches don’t know where to start or what to teach. Well, we hope to help you out in this area. Below, we provide some advice on what to teach youth basketball players. We break it down between 3 levels. As you perfect each level, you can advance to the next level to teach more skills & concepts.

All beginner players should start with Level 1 no matter the age. We put ages next to the level as a general guideline. Depending on the age and skill level, you’ll progress through the levels at different rates. You may notice that you’ll spend 4 years working on Level 1 with 7 to 10 year olds. At the same time, you may be able to progress to Level 2 after two weeks working with a group of 13 year olds who are playing basketball for the first time.

I would advise to go back and start at Level 1 every year. A lot of high school and college coaches start at Level 1 every year. They just progress through the levels more quickly than a youth team. It’s a great way to ingrain the fundamentals into your players year in and year out.

We advise to take a couple of hours and write up a master practice schedule for the season, so you can progressively teach them the skills mentioned below. It may take a few years to teach all of these skills at one level and THAT’S OKAY! For youth players, we want to focus on the long-term development, not how many games they win when they’re 11 years old. If you try to progress them too quickly, it will hurt them in the long-run.

You want to have a solid foundation first. You shouldn’t try to teach them every dribble move in one year or every option in the motion offense. The same way in which you couldn’t teach a person calculus if they did not know how to do simple addition and subtraction.

note: Throughout this article, you’ll find many links to the Breakthrough Basketball website to explain in detail the concepts that we advise to teach. My recommendation would be to read the entire article first, then go back and click on the links to read the other articles.

Level 1 (7 to 10 Year Olds)

Here’s what to teach, ordered by priority:

1. Lay ups – You should practice lots of lay ups with both hands. Your goal should be to get all players to make lay ups with their left and right hands equally well!! Teach them to jump off the proper foot. They should jump off the left leg when shooting a right hand lay up. They should shoot off their right leg when shooting a left hand lay up. It will be difficult but work on it. You’ll probably need to start really close to the basket, with no dribble, and take just one step to practice the footwork. Once you add the dribble, they should dribble with their left hand when shooting left hand lay ups. And vice versa.

2. Footwork – Teach them triple threat positioning, pivoting on their left and right foot without traveling, jump stops, and to square to the basket as soon as they catch the ball in a triple threat position. You should spend a lot of time on footwork!

3. Shooting form – For this age group, we highly recommend using smaller balls and lower baskets. If that is not possible, allow the players to dip their elbows which will give them more strength. To learn more on shooting, we also have the Breakthrough Basketball Shooting Guide.

4. Ball handling – You should teach your players to dribble with left and right hands equally. Basic dribble moves such as the speed dribble, crossover, protect-the-ball dribble, and back-up dribble.

5. Athletic & movement skills – Teach them how to run, jump and land, skip, stop, move laterally, squat, lunge and any other basic movements. If you don’t know how to teach these movements, ask a professional or PE teacher to show you how. 99% of the time they would be more than willing to help, and they may even come and show the kids themselves. Should We Teach Basketball Skills To Players Under the Age of 10? – Useful information for all levels of coaches, not just coaches who work with players under the age of 10.

6. Basic passes – Teach and practice the basic chest, bounce, and overhead passes.

7. Play plenty of 2 on 2 and 3 on 3 games to teach concepts (no dribble keep away). It gets the players more experience and allows them enough space to operate and use the new skills they have learned. Make sure to use plenty of fun basketball drills & games. For more on this, read Could 3 on 3 Basketball Be the Best for Youth Players?

8. Offense – Do NOT use any structured or patterned offenses. First, get them comfortable on the court. They will start to figure things out on their own. Your main concern should be to have them move & not stand still. If you use a few basic cuts and maybe screens in your shooting drills at the beginning of practice, then your players will already know how to move in a motion offense. Then you don’t have to waste time teaching offense. Just let them play. Once players feel comfortable on the court, show them proper spacing. As they progress, you can start to introduce them to motion offensens.

9. Basic cuts & how to get open – If time permits, you can introduce the basket cut and straight cut. I would suggest that you just work these cuts into your shooting drills at the beginning of practice. This will save loads of time.

10. Defense – Teach the basic stance, defensive slide, and basic off-ball principles. Don’t worry about spending as much time on defense. As they get older, you’ll gradually spend more time on defense. Focusing on it 5 to 10 minutes per practice would be more than sufficient.

Basic Off Ball Principles:

- Stay between man and the ball

- Always stop the ball if it is in front of you!

For this age group, we are against zone defenses for development purposes.

Level 2 (10 to 12 Year Olds)

You should expand onto more advanced skills for everything mentioned above. But remember, if your 10 to 12 year olds are inexperienced, you should start in Level 1. And at the beginning of each season, you should start at level 1 until those skills are perfected. Then you can progress into the more advanced stuff below.

1. Lay ups – jumping off one foot and jump-stop lay ups.

2. Teach more cuts: back cut, curl cut, etc.

3. Continue to focus on shooting form and introduce some movement for shooting drills (shooting off the dribble and off the catch). To learn more on shooting, we also have the Breakthrough Basketball Shooting Guide.

4. Ball handling & dribbling – teach more dribble moves such as the inside-out dribble (fake crossover), hesitation move, and between-the-legs.

5. Passing – continue to teach basic passes and introduce some advanced passes (baseball pass and wrap around pass). Use other drill such as machine gun passingand pass and switch.

6. Passing under pressure – you can use pair passing with a defensive player in the middle running back and forth to pressure the passer. You can use this drill to practice breaking pressure: full court press breaker drill.

7. Teach basic screens.

8. Footwork – introduce jab steps and ball fakes (pass fakes and shot fakes)

9. Rebounding – introduce rebounding technique.

10. Basic post moves. drop step and jump hook.

11. Spacing – introduce more basic spacing concepts.

12. Offense – keep playing 2 on 2 and 3 on 3 to teach concepts. You can also start to introduce more motion offense situations and play some 5 on 5

13. Defense – keep emphasizing and spend a little more time on the defensive stance, defensive slide, and off-ball principles mentioned in Level 1. If you feel that your players are ready, work on more off-ball defense principles. In our Man to Man Defense System, we provide step-by-step how to build and teach your defense. For this age group, we are against zone defenses for development purposes.

Level 3 (12 to 14 Year Olds)

You should expand onto more advanced skills for everything mentioned above.

1. Lay ups – practice contested lay ups. Also, you could start to teach players, same-leg same-shooting hand lay ups. I know that is against conventional wisdom, but think about it for a second….Your player just blew by a defender or is on a fast break. Do you want them stutter-stepping to give the defense time to recover and contest the shot? So if that means jumping on your right-leg and shooting right-handed on the same side, so be it.

2. Continue to teach basic cuts and add more cuts.

3. Continue to emphasize shooting form (move to big baskets and bigger balls). Practice shooting on the move off of the pass and the dribble. To learn more on shooting, we also have the Breakthrough Basketball Shooting Guide.

4. Ball Handling & Dribbling – teach more dribble moves such as the spin move, behind-the-back. Incorporate some double-moves (crossover followed with a behind-the-back).

5. Passing – introduce some other advanced passes (dribble pass, behind-the-back pass, pick and roll pass).

6. Passing Under Pressure – You use Pair Passing with a defensive player in the middle running back and forth to pressure the passer. You can use this drill to practice breaking pressure: Full Court Press Breaker Drill.

7. Teach Basic Screens.

8. Footwork – continue to work on jab steps, pivots, and ball fakes (pass fakes and shot fakes).

9. Rebounding – put more emphasis on rebounding technique and spend more time on rebounding drills.

10. Post moves – keep practicing post moves mentioned above while introducing a few more when the players are ready drop step counter and up-and-under move.

11. Spacing – advance to higher levels of spacing drills.

12. Offense – introduce more motion offense situations. You should start to notice that your players are becoming much better at reading the defense.

13. Defense – Emphasize basics from previous levels and move on to rotations and situations. In our Man to Man Defense System, we go into great detail about rotations and situations.

For this age group, we are against zone defenses for development purposes.

CLICK HERE for Sample Practice Plan for 7 to 10 year olds.

CLICK HERE for Sample Practice Plan for 11 to 14 year olds.

This Blog has been brought to you by STEVE NASH YOUTH BASKETBALL BLOG

Sufficient fluid

The major ingredient of nutrition to any sporting kid is water content in the body, reason behind which is avoiding dehydration and fatigue. A kid is supposed to take water before, during and after the exercise in a schedule as follows:

• Before sports at least; 1-2 hours before sports: 3 to 7 ounces of cold water, 10 to 15 minutes before sports: 3-7 ounces of cold water and at least a good meal containing water like a slice of water melon.

• During sport at least; after every 20 minutes 5 to 10 ounces of sports drink like water or juice. Any time a child feels thirsty, every time out and breaks and adjust water content during practice according to the weather and equipment worn.

• After sports; this is essential to correct any fluid lost during the practice. After 30 minutes are over, drink chocolate milk or a special formulated drink containing protein and carbohydrates for energy recovery and muscle repair, Within 2 hours: 20-24 ounces of a sport drink for every pound of weight lost and eat good meal with foods containing water to replace all fluids lost during exercise and any lost through urination.

Carbohydrates

These foods are energy rich sports nutrition that coach’s need to ensure kids consume while in sports. Energy is required to supply fuel for working muscles especially the brain which is major organ in the entire body which controls all involuntary muscles. Types of carbohydrate food:

Simple carbohydrates: provides kids with instant energy. For example sweets and soft drinks. Complex carbohydrates: take longer for the body to break down but have more extras like vitamins and minerals within them. For example breads, pasta, rice fruits, and vegetables.

Therefore parents should provide complex carbohydrates on main meals for performance while simple carbohydrates should be consumed right up until the child starts and also during exercises or competition.

Protein food

Proteins are body muscle repair sources. Kids should have a regular schedule of protein. Here are some examples: -For breakfast, provide full cream milk and soy milk, yogurt, eggs and cheese. -For lunch, serve chicken in sandwiches, wraps, sushi, with salads or ham in sandwiches, with salad or cheese and peanut butter. -For dinner, either leaf bean, chicken, fish, beans, tofu, lentils or other legumes. -For snacks choices can be almonds and cashew nuts, sunflower seeds, peanut butter and soy milk.

Proteins are important for muscle building, fighting infections and for tissue growth. For athletes proteins are less suited because they impair performance thus tire quickly. Therefore for athletes they should mostly use carbohydrates. For kids taking proteins without enough sleep it is not advisable since most of the proteins don’t get to be metabolized completely in the body.

Fats

Fats are not often healthy as an energy source though may be of important in starvation, that is in case of carbohydrates and proteins absentia. Even though they should be avoided, low fat foods are important for health and are key as an energy source for young athletes.

Variety of food

Variety is the spice of life. A healthy lifestyle is all about making choices; therefore kids involved in sports should not eat the same food all along rather try different new foods and recipes regularly. Food with high in carbohydrates and fibre, like grains veggies and fruits, are essential for good health of athletes.

Avoid junk food

Junk food is a broad category of foods that are relatively high in caloric content, but low in nutritional value. So, kids participating in sports should avoid any kind of junk food rather get introduced to preferential foods like cereals with milk, fruits or a sandwich before sport or exercise for maximum performance. Junk food lets kids gain weight gain and expose them to illness due to not proper introducing any defensive mechanism in the body, instead increase fat content that may go to an extend of blocking blood vessels resulting in heart failures, obesity and high risk to develop diabetes.

This Blog has been brought to you by STEVE NASH YOUTH BASKETBALL BLOG