Sponsored by
The Warm up
Tip-off week: college basketball is back
The college basketball season tipped off Monday, and NBC opened it with a doubleheader of the No. 2 UConn women and No. 4 UConn men. South Carolina is No. 1 in the women's AP preseason poll, ahead of UConn, USC, Duke, and Michigan. On the men's side, Florida starts at No. 1 for the first time since 2006, followed by Duke, Illinois, UConn, and Arizona.
Congratulations to the Golden State Valkyries, WNBA champions in just their second season. They beat the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in the first winner-take-all Game 7 in WNBA history, with Gabby Williams scoring 30 points. At the New York City Marathon, Kenya's Sheila Chepkirui won the women's race in 2:24:36 with American Jess McClain just six seconds back. Sweden's Andreas Almgren won the men's race in his marathon debut, and Zouhair Talbi ran the fastest time ever by an American man on the course. In the wheelchair races, Catherine Debrunner won the women's title and Marcel Hug won for the eighth time.
Also on the calendar this week:
Youth soccer: The U.S. beat Spain 2-1 at the U-17 Women's World Cup before falling 3-0 to defending champion Korea DPR in the quarterfinals. Maddie DiMaria finished with 12 goals.
Horse racing: Sovereignty won the Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland under jockey Junior Alvarado in the final race of his career.
Pro soccer: The NWSL quarterfinals are this weekend, with Gotham FC as the top seed. MLS wraps its regular season with Decision Day on Saturday.
Tennis: The WTA Finals start Sunday at Indian Wells, the first time the event has been held there, with Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula in the field.
College volleyball: Nebraska, Pittsburgh, and Louisville are still the top three in the AVCA poll.
College field hockey: The NCAA Division I tournament field is revealed Sunday.
NFL: The Jaguars visit the Ravens on Thursday Night Football.
From the WNBA Finals to the season's first college tip-off, the players who win are often the ones doing the work you do not see: defending, cutting, and reading the floor without the ball.
The Lead Off
The best players do their best work without the ball
THE SCIENCE: Here is a stat that surprises most parents. Jalen Brunson of the Knicks leads the NBA in time of possession, and he holds the ball for 7.8 minutes a game (NBA.com). That is in a 48-minute game, and he is the league leader. Every other player has it even less. In a soccer, hockey, or field hockey game, the gap is even bigger. Most of what your athlete does in a game happens without the ball.
So what separates good off-ball players? A big part is looking around before the ball arrives, which researchers call scanning. In a study of 35 midfielders at the 2016 European Championship, players who scanned more often completed a higher share of their passes (Journal of Human Kinetics). The effect was small, but the habit can be trained. In a 5-week program with 36 Swiss under-19 female players, short scanning-focused sessions raised scanning from 0.88 to 1.44 looks per game situation, and the gain held 3 weeks later (Frontiers in Sports and Active Living). The biggest gains came in the elite players, so expect younger kids to need more time.
Reading the game is also a skill that grows with game-like practice. A meta-analysis of studies in basketball, volleyball, handball, and soccer players ages 10 to 18 found that decision-making training produced a large improvement in tactical behavior, meaning where players moved and what they chose to do (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health). It did not change technical skills like shooting or passing form. Drills build technique, and games build judgment. Your athlete needs both.
Defense is where off-ball work and injury prevention meet. Sliding, cutting, and landing put a lot of load on the knee, and girls carry more risk. In a study of top-level Swedish athletes, female basketball players had 5.7 times the rate of ACL reconstruction of male players (British Journal of Sports Medicine). The good news is that neuromuscular training, a warm-up built around strength, balance, landing, and agility, cut the odds of ACL injury by about 63% in athletes under 18 (meta-analysis in PMC). In youth basketball, a coach-led 20-minute version of that warm-up also lowered rates of non-contact ankle sprains (systematic review in PMC).
What This Means for Your Athlete: If your kid only seems "in the game" when the ball is in their hands, that is normal, especially early on. Off-ball skills are learned. If this is your first season, here is the simplest way to help: start watching what your athlete does when they do not have the ball, and praise it. Good defense, a sharp cut, or a quick look over the shoulder are real skills, and they deserve as much credit as a basket.
🔄 TRANSLATE TO YOUR SPORT: Basketball: cuts, screens, and help defense. Soccer and futsal: checking your shoulder before receiving and getting open for a pass. Hockey and field hockey: finding open ice or turf and tracking back on defense. Volleyball: covering the hitter and reading the opponent's setter. Lacrosse and water polo: moving into passing lanes and staying between your player and the goal.
The Fuel Station
Recovery Smoothie: Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana
Basketball season means late practices and hungry kids. This smoothie takes 5 minutes, travels in a shaker bottle, and covers the three goals of recovery: refuel, rebuild, and rehydrate.
THE PLAYERS (serves 2 teens or 4 younger kids)
2 cups milk (dairy or soy)
2 ripe bananas, frozen if you have them
3 tablespoons peanut butter (or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free version)
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
½ cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon honey (optional)
1 cup ice
Water on the side
THE BUILD
Add the milk to the blender first, then the yogurt, peanut butter, oats, cocoa, and honey.
Add the bananas and ice.
Blend for 45 to 60 seconds until smooth. Add a splash of milk if it is too thick.
Pour into two tall glasses or shaker bottles, and serve with a glass of water.
THE GOAL: Serve it within 30 to 60 minutes after practice or a game. Stanford Children's Health notes that the body refills its energy stores best right after hard exercise, and that full recovery takes 24 to 48 hours of steady eating (Stanford Children's Health). For a hard-training teen, their target is about 60 grams of carbohydrate, 20 grams of protein, and 20 ounces of fluid, which one teen-sized glass plus a water bottle roughly covers. Younger kids can drink a half portion.
WHY IT WORKS
Carbs plus protein. Bananas, oats, milk, and honey refill energy, while Greek yogurt, milk, and peanut butter help muscles repair. Chocolate milk alone is an effective recovery option because it provides protein, fluid, and electrolytes (Project Play).
Fluid counts. The milk and ice add fluid, and the water on the side helps finish the job.
Skip the energy drinks. The American Academy of Pediatrics says energy drinks are never appropriate for kids, and sports drinks are only useful during prolonged, vigorous activity (MDedge).
Easy on tired appetites. Many athletes are not hungry after a hard session (Stanford Children's Health). A cold drink is often easier than a plate of food.
The Lab
Three drills for defense, scanning, and moving without the ball
THE PLAY: These drills take about 15 minutes in a driveway, backyard, or park. You only need cones (or shoes), one ball, and a partner. They work for basketball, soccer, field hockey, and any team sport with a ball and a goal. They are new this week.
Drill 1: Mirror Slides
Setup. Two cones about 4 big steps apart. A partner stands facing your athlete.
The drill. Your athlete gets in a defensive stance: feet wide, knees bent, chest up, hands active. The partner shuffles side to side between the cones, and your athlete mirrors them without crossing their feet. Go for 15 seconds, then rest for 30. Do 5 rounds.
Progression. Add a jump stop at each cone, landing softly with knees bent and pointed over the toes. Then let the partner change direction without warning.
Why it works. Lateral movement and soft, controlled landings are core parts of the neuromuscular warm-ups that reduced ankle and knee injuries in young female soccer and basketball players (systematic review in PMC).
Drill 2: Check Your Shoulder
Setup. Your athlete stands about 10 yards from you, facing you. A second person stands behind them, or you can use a phone propped up behind them.
The drill. Before you pass, the person behind holds up 1 to 5 fingers. Your athlete must turn their head, look, and call out the number before the ball reaches them, then receive it. Do 10 passes.
Progression. Use colors instead of numbers, then have them call out which way to turn ("left" or "right") based on where the person behind is standing.
Why it works. Short scanning-focused sessions increased how often young female players looked around during games, and the habit held weeks later (Frontiers in Sports and Active Living).
Drill 3: Pass and Cut
Setup. Three players: a passer, a cutter, and a defender. A hoop, a small goal, or two cones as a target.
The drill. Play 2-on-1 with one rule: after every pass, the passer must cut to an open space. If the defender is watching the ball, cut behind them. Play to 3 baskets or goals, then rotate positions.
Progression. Add a second defender to make it 2-on-2, or allow only 2 dribbles before passing.
Why it works. Game-like decision training improves tactical behavior in young athletes more than technique drills alone (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health). The pass-and-cut rule turns "stand and watch" into "move and find space."
Your K-Cup Has Been Sitting in a Warehouse for Months
That grocery store pod? It was roasted long before it hit the shelf. Coffee starts losing flavor within weeks of roasting — which is why your morning cup tastes flat, no matter how nice your machine is.
Angelino's does it differently. A third-generation roaster in Los Angeles, they roast, grind, and seal every pod in-house for peak freshness, then ship it to your door within days of roasting. The difference is the first thing you'll notice: real aroma, real flavor, no bitterness.
Mix and match from 50+ specialty coffees, teas, and flavored blends — all Keurig®-compatible — and save more with every box you add, up to 34% off at 12+. Order once whenever you're running low, or subscribe for an extra 5% if that's easier. Entirely up to you.
New customers get 15% off their first order — applied automatically, no code needed.
Parent Playbook
Praise the plays nobody else sees
THE STRATEGY: Kids notice what you praise. In a classic set of six studies, fifth graders praised for effort kept trying longer, enjoyed the task more, and performed better after a setback than kids praised for being smart (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology). In youth sports, the most effortful plays are usually the ones off the ball. A help-side rotation, a sprint back on defense, or a hard cut that opens space for a teammate never shows up on the scoreboard. If you praise only points, that is what your athlete learns to value.
THE PLAY: Try the Invisible Plays game at your next game.
For one quarter, half, or period, watch only your athlete, and only when they do not have the ball.
Count three things: hustle back on defense, talking to teammates, and moving to get open.
On the car ride home, start with one specific invisible play you saw: "I loved how you sprinted back after that turnover."
Leave the scoring and the mistakes for another day.
If you are new to youth sports, this is also a great way to learn the game. You will start to see the spacing, the defense, and the patterns that make teams work.
THE CONVERSATION STARTER: "What was one play you made today that did not show up on the scoreboard?"
🏆 Play of the Week
Watch college hoops like a coach
THE PLAY: Pick any men's or women's college game on TV this week. For 2 full minutes, ignore the ball and watch one player on the court. Ask:
Where does the player go right after they pass?
On defense, are they in a stance, and can they see both the ball and their player?
How often do they turn their head to look around?
🔄 TRANSLATE TO YOUR SPORT: Watching the NWSL quarterfinals this weekend? Pick a midfielder and count how often they check their shoulder before receiving a pass. Watching Thursday Night Football? Watch a safety, who reads the whole field before the ball is even snapped.
THE GOAL: Help your athlete see that the game happens everywhere on the court or field, not just where the ball is.
THE FINAL WHISTLE
The work you do not see
The players who won titles this week, on the court, on the marathon course, and at the racetrack, did a lot of their best work far from the spotlight. They defended, cut, scanned, and showed up for the next play.
Your athlete can learn the same habits right now. Help them move, look around, and defend, and make sure they know you are watching all of it, not just the ball.
Head up, feet moving, and play the whole game.
See you on the sidelines,
The Seasoned Sidekick Team
Pass the Assist
Know a parent whose athlete is learning to play defense or find open space? Forward this issue before their next game.
Keep Reading
October 29, 2026: NYC Marathon: Pacing, Endurance, and Long-Term Discipline
October 22, 2026: World Series: Visual Focus and Staying "In the Zone"
October 15, 2026: Worlds Week: Sample Before You Specialize
Medical Disclaimer: The content in The Seasoned Sidekick is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace the advice of a licensed physician, registered dietitian, or certified athletic trainer. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your athlete's nutrition, training, or recovery plan. Individual needs vary. The information presented is based on available research and general guidelines for youth athletes.