Keepers, if you are in the market for some new gloves, you are in luck! Epic Sports just added several new Rinat styles. Including the Rinat Kancerbero II Soccer Goalie Gloves, which form fit to the players hand promoting a better catch. This glove features a lot of extras that make it a good choice for serious soccer goalkeepers!

Other new Rinat gloves to hit the Site include the Rinat Supreme, Rinat Felinus, Rinat Uno Premier, Rinat Gladiator II, Rinat Evolution II, Rinat Bionic Flexguard II, Rinat Kronos, Rinat Kancerbero Replica and the Rinat Extra Safe Soccer Goalkeeper Gloves.

As you can see, there are lots of new options available at Epic Sports. There are also some really great deals on soccer goalkeeper gloves in the closeout section of the Website. Keep in mind that not all sizes are available in each of the closeout items. As of 10:20 AM today, August 24, there are 16 pairs of size 9 Tufgard Defender 3MM Latex Soccer Goalie Gloves available on closeout for just $4.99 per pair! There are also 36 size 10 and 23 size 11 Tufgard Tecnico 3MM Latex Soccer Gloves on closeout for $9.99 per pair.

Head on over to Epic Sports and get your new gloves today!

Are you looking to start playing sports this year?  There are lots of pros and cons associated with each sport that should be evaluated before choosing the one that's right for you!  Something that may be a pro for someone else, may be a con for you, so we can't really break it down for you like that, but here are some things you might take into consideration when identifying which sport(s) you want to start playing.

Not all schools offer the same sports to students, so check your school for available options.

Consider your personal abilities and strengths before jumping into a sport, but don't let shortcomings rule out playing a sport in which you have interest.  If you aren't a strong runner but soccer interests you, you should go for it!  Your body will change and adapt throughout the years and you have a great deal of control on how it changes.  So, if you want to be a faster runner, you can train to get there!  If you want to improve endurance, or the amount of time you can run without having to stop, you can improve that with training as well!

Do you want to play an indoor or outdoor sport?  Does it even matter to you?  Volleyball is mostly an indoor sport.  This provides protection from the elements such as rain, snow and extreme heat.  It's also nice for people who don't want to participate in a contact sport.  It is a team sport so you don't miss out on that connection or lose out on learning the value of teamwork!  While the chances of being rained out are a lot higher for soccer than they are for volleyball, soccer can be a very aggressive sport.  The benefits include a variety of positions that can play on multiple strengths.  If speed is your strength, perhaps playing forward will be a good fit.  For those who have great endurance, your team will likely rely on your to play a midfielder position.  Have great hand eye coordination and no fear?  Goal Keeper!  Soccer can be an indoor or outdoor sport, while baseball tends to be an outdoor sport due to the need for lots of space in order to play it.  Sometimes games get cancelled due to weather but lots of times these can be made up.  Practices and games are held in the heat or in the cold, and players are exposed to all the natural elements, like wind which can make playing well a bigger challenge.

Why do you want to play?  To get fit or stay in shape?  To develop healthy habits?  To challenge yourself?  If learning teamwork isn't a goal, there's nothing saying you have to participate in team sports.  It will be difficult to find a sport offered in schools that focuses on individual athleticism but competing in wrestling, swimming or track and field gives you a chance to work on your sport as an individual, compete as an individual and still be supported by a team system.  If these don't interest you, there are lots of individual sports offered by recreation centers and privately owned businesses at your disposal, including Karate, Archery, Golf, etc.

Try not to make too big of a deal of sport selection because you can always change which sport you play later if you start one and it isn't as good a fit as you thought it would be.  In fact, trying multiple sports may be beneficial as it provides you with new experiences, a chance to meet new people, a way to explore your interests and strengths as well as provides you with opportunity to expand your overall athletic abilities and fitness level.

Epic Sports offers everything you need to get started in a variety of sports and at such low prices you can afford to experiment with which sport is right for you.  Check out our closeout selection to find the best prices on sports gear.

Did you win in the Epic Sports Q & A Sweepstakes this week?

Weekly Winners:

Peggy D.

Marika P.

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If you don't see your name you aren't completely out of luck because each week throughout the sweepstakes period, 3 new winners are selected to win a $50 gift certificate prize.  There are 3 more weeks of winners before the sweepstakes ends on September 13 which means you still have lots of chances to win!  You could even win the Grand Prize of $3000 cash to spend on whatever your heart desires!

Get all the details here and good luck to you!

Aside from a couple returning payers, you may find yourself as a coach with a new team; a team of players who had a different coach with different drills and an entirely different way of doing things.  Now you have their talent in your hands.  You can impact their game with your advice, your enthusiasm and your way of doing things.  Hopefully you are doing them effectively so that your existence as the team's coach will positively affect each player's life.

Expect some resistance.  With all change comes resistance.  To help players understand why you are having them run a drill, be able to answer why you are.  Don't let your answer be that it is what you have always done.  Is it to help with speed?  Does this drill aid in defense skills?  How has this particular drill helped your teams in the past?  Share your experience with the team, and patiently explain why you do things the way you do, and your team will come to trust you and reduce the amount of resistance in the future.

Measure the effectiveness of your strategy and be willing to share the results with your team.  If you run a particular drill over time that is supposed to help with a particular skill, let's say passing for example, and the team doesn't get better at it, admit that it isn't working and move on to a new drill that might.  Be open to suggestions from your team, too.  That's perhaps the best part of having a group of players come together from different backgrounds, they all bring to the table different experiences, making the entire team more knowledgeable.

Challenge your players.  Change up the routine.  Make things harder and seek out improvements.  Don't allow your players to get too used to the same old thing or they will check out when at practice and not learn what they need to learn.  Don't measure your team's improvement based on game scores.  Measure improvements on an individual basis.  Did player #1 get faster?  How do you know?  Test him.  Did player #2 get better at first touch?  How do you know?  Test him!  Figure out what you want to see each player improve on, develop a personal plan that can be worked on in practice with the team as well as at home, and then monitor each player for improvements and move each players goal as they get close to it.

Focus on the strengths of each player, but don't completely neglect the weaknesses.  Improvements can be more easily made in a skill or area that a player is already confident in, but a team is as strong as its weakest link or so they say.  Be sure that every player has a good basic foundation to start with.

Need some gear to help your team with training?  Epic Sports has everything you need to help with speed, endurance, agility and sport-specific skills at savings of 20-40% everyday!  Visit Epic Sports now and don’t forget to check out the closeout selection, where you can find savings of up to 90%!

As the variety of sports available to kids has grown, so has the notion of whether to specialize in one sport.  The increase in competition and the chase for college scholarships has spawned a bigger emphasis on the idea of specialization in sports.

Simply put, should your child concentrate on one sport rather than get spread out over a variety of sports activities through the year?

The answer is not as clear cut as you would think.  Let's look at some positive and negative aspects of that question.

Pros:

• Practice makes perfect - The more you work at a particular skill, the better you are going to be at that skill.  Obviously, the more you work at your ball handling skills on the court, the closer you are to being the point guard on your basketball team.  The more time you spend in a batting cage is going to hone your swing to the point where you can start moving up in the batting order.  Specializing in one sport gets the player to work on those sport specific skills more often and for longer periods of time.  Doing this will enable the athlete to not only get better at those skills but also get better in a shorter time window.

• Break it down - More often than not, the child specializing in one sport will gain the advantage of having their skills scrutinized and worked on in more detail.  Having more practice and game time in one sport gives the coach the ability to break down various elements of the athlete's game.  This enables the athlete to work on more subtle and detailed elements of their play.  This is where game film, specialized coaching (hitting instructors, individual golf coaches, etc.) can come into play when working with kids more attune to a specific sport.

• Competition - Playing year round and in more leagues opens the athlete up to more competition and a more diverse array of competition, as well.  Different types of players and teams to compete against helps in generating an increased skill level not only physically, but mentally, as well.  The player's knowledge of the game and how to react to situations and various types of opponents is more refined.

Cons:

• Injuries - There is a risk of overuse injuries in players who specialize in one sport.  A pitcher, for example, can be playing on multiple teams year 'round.  Putting an increased emphasis at a young age for that long of a period can possibly increase the chances of elbow, shoulder and arm injuries.

• Cross training - Focusing on one sport inhibits a player to develop athletic skills that other sports may need, and therefore, may help them in their specialized sport.   Strength, speed, balance, and different types of eye-hand coordination are different in how they are utilized in different sports.  The idea here is that developing these attributes would help a player in whatever sport they choose, more so than specializing in one sport.

• Fun - The idea of focusing on one sport can sometimes lead to a child having 'enough' of a sport earlier, rather than later.  Playing the sport year round can sometimes lead to a child playing the sport as more of a chore rather than something enjoyable.  There is an increase in pressure, as well.  Because the child is concentrating on just one sport, the expectation level rises.  If the player feels that they are not meeting that level, anxiety and stress can increase.

As you can see, there are many factors that come into play when deciding which way to turn when trying to decide whether to specialize in one area, or not.  Perhaps, the best approach is using a little on both sides of the aisle.  Have your child wait to specialize in one sport until they hit their teenage years, rather than at five or six, for example.

Kids should use those early elementary and middle school years as a time to try a variety of sports.  This gives them the opportunity to see which sports they truly enjoy and want to work at to get better.   From there, they can branch out into that sport at a time in their lives where they are more emotionally and physically mature to take on the focus and rigors of specialization.

Written by Mike Mancini, coach, parent and website owner of "Athletic Training Now" specializing in youth sports, athletic and sports training, where you can also pick up the Free Report – "Jump Start Your Training."

Now that school is in full swing and lazy days are filled with school then practice and other after school activities, you might find yourself a little hungry.  The constant go go go for students can keep them from eating on a regular schedule.  To keep up your energy, consider these tips.

1. Have healthy options on hand.  Plan out some healthy foods that you can eat conveniently before heading to the grocery store.

2. Eat a healthy breakfast.  It might be difficult to get yourself going in the morning, but making time for breakfast will help you stay energized throughout the day.

3. Pack a healthy snack.  If you know that you won't be seeing home for several hours after school lets out, plan ahead.  Simplify the process.  On the weekend, take 7 zip lock bags for each student athlete in the home.  Fill each bag with a daily snack.  One bag may include a snack size cheese, a beverage such as a 100% juice box and a fruit cup with a plastic spoon.  Another bag might include a hard boiled egg, raw carrots and a bottle of vegetable juice.  Just be sure to pack things you will want to eat after school and before practice.  If you eat too much you may become sluggish.  The snacks should include a protein to help stave off the hunger pangs and keep you going until dinner.  Be sure to properly store the snacks throughout the day.  If items need to be cold, store them in a refrigerator (in the teacher's lounge?) or pack with an ice pack.

Comment with your healthy snack ideas!

Epic Sports has uploaded a few videos for you to help you learn good baseball drills.

What do you think about this video in which Aaron Capista, former player for the Boston Red Sox describes and demonstrates a drill to help with hand speed?

Visit the EpicSportsInc channel on You Tube to see more!