Keep Your Halloween Spirits on High Halloween is just around the corner, and while we aren’t sure exactly what it will be like, we know it won’t be the same trick or treat mayhem as last year. That does not mean, however, that we can’t still have the same amount of fun! Check out our ideas on how to keep your spirits on high this Halloween! 4 Fun & Easy Games for a Goulishly Good Time Some of the best activities are the ones that require very little equipment or set up, and these 4 fit that bill. In fact, they are so fun and easy even the zombies dust off the dirt to come and play! Plus, e ..read more

Strength, Resilience, Motivation, Passion, Introspection, Self Improvement On Sunday, with a 'KB' patch on their jerseys, the Los Angeles Lakers won their 17th championship, which ties them with the Boston Celtics for most all-time. It was a fitting end to the season like none other before it, and came nearly 9-months after Kobe and Gianna Bryant's tragic death. During their run, the Lakers found ways to pay tribute to Kobe and Gianna. They brought back the 'Black Mamba' jerseys and added a No. 2 patch in memory of Gianna. Superstar Anthony Davis revealed “Not just me, but the entire team ..read more

Virtual Activities & Adventures for the Whole Family It’s Day ? of Quarantine, and if you’re like us, you might be looking for some more fun activities to keep the family occupied during this time. Check out our cool list of Virtual Activities that everyone can enjoy! Hang Out with the Animals!  Many aquariums and zoos are offering live videos where you can watch the handlers feed the big cats or see penguins roam the enclosures to see other animals they didn’t know existed! Out of Africa Wildlife Park hosts daily live “Keeper Takeover” videos where the zookeepers visit various animal ..read more

Grab Your Little Athlete and Begin Functional Strength Training Now As athletes, we are constantly developing our mental and physical skills to be the best competitor on the court. To perform daily activities as well, we need to make sure that our bodies (muscles, joints and ligaments) can effectively execute these movements, too. We can do this through Functional Strength Training. Functional strength training develops our muscles so we can execute daily life activities that require power in our whole body¹. For parents, these activities may include lifting heavy objects like groceries, getti ..read more

Advice from 3 CORE Coaches: How to Keep Your Head in the Game All Year Long As athletes, we know there is always an off-season to any sport we play, but the unexpected off-season of the stay-at-home quarantine brings new challenges for each of us. Although we would prefer to be playing sports, let’s make the most of this off-season by strengthening our body, mind, and athletic skills through complementary training.  The off season helps us grow in complementary ways. It is an opportunity for us to strengthen mentally and physically and it challenges us to continue to work hard towards o ..read more

Use These 2 Practice Techniques to Lock-in New Skills! At CORE, we teach our kids to push themselves to work hard at all times, especially when facing challenges. In fact, Try Your Best is one of our three CORE Kid values that we expect everyone—kids and coaches—to embody at all times. The other two CORE Kid values are Be Respectful and Have Fun! We know that learning new skills is tough and that each one can take a long time to master. It’s easy to get discouraged when we don't see quick results so when plateaus happen, don’t quit. Dig deep, shake things up and try these two proven practice t ..read more

Improve Sports Skills & Game Performance with Dynamic Movement Drills Diagonal movement, lateral movement, linear movement. You have heard these terms in sports before, but do you know what they mean or why they are important? These are all forms of Dynamic Movements--active movements, either singular (like arm swings) or a series (like karaokes) of movements, that require continual motion at the joint or muscle’s full range. Dynamic movements are found in all sports, and perfecting them is often the difference between an average athlete and an all-star. So, go grab your athlete and let’s ..read more

Cooped up at home with the kids? Take a Field Trip into Nature to Energize and Engage the Whole Family! Frequently, families tell us it is a challenge to create new ways to entertain their kids. Games and toys quickly become old and it is hard to find free or affordable activities that are fun for the whole gang. We can relate to this dilemma! CORE Coaches are always eyes-wide-open for inspiration and ideas on how to put an exciting twist on our sports lesson plans and activities. Plus, with state-wide stay-at-home orders, you may feel even more challenged. For many of us, this new way of lif ..read more

Struggling to make games and activities engaging for your kids during Stay-at-Home? Use these tips and tricks from CORE Coaches to bring back the fun! We hear it all the time--“My kids always want to play games, but I’m running out of ideas on how to make them fun.” At CORE, coaches thrive on the challenge of making games and activities fun, engaging, and entertaining for every kid. Each CORE Coach has their own techniques for connecting with the kids and making activities and games fun. The cool thing is, it is easier than you think!  We asked our coaches to share their tricks and whitt ..read more

Rally Your Family Team Together Using the Psychology of Teamwork We frequently hear about the importance of teamwork in sports, but we don’t talk about it as often in relation to our daily lives. More specifically, we don’t talk enough about the importance of team cohesion in our family unit. After all, these are the people we interact with the most, and as we navigate this “new normal” of the whole family being home all day, it is more important than ever that our family unit works together as a team.  On any team--sport or family--unity is created through a shared goal or objective. On ..read more