Short, dark and cold Winter days often mean busy parents are less motivated to wake up early and prepare kids lunches, or to spend as much time after work preparing dinner.  This makes forward planning and meal preparation even more essential.  Eating healthy, well balanced meals, will help your child athlete perform at their peak. So, we’ve prepared you this guide to providing warming and nutritious meals and snacks during the cooler months. All kids need to consume a variety of healthy foods, including: Protein: found in lean meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, beans, nuts and dairy foods. Kids do NOT …

Australian cricket legend Shane Warne was undoubtedly the best leg spinner to ever play the game of cricket, some may even say the best bowler full stop. He was the first bowler to ever take 700 test wickets and still stands at number 2 on the all-time test wicket taking list, with 708 wickets from 143 matches, behind Sri Lankan superstar off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. Shane Warne also took 293 wickets in one-day internationals taking his total record of international wickets to 1001. Making him one of only two players to break the 1000 wicket milestone. But it wasn’t just …

In today’s world, the use of electronic media, or ‘screen time’, is practically unavoidable and can provide many benefits.  However, it’s also a big contributor to sedentary behaviour in children.  Sedentary behaviour is categorised by sitting or lying down (except when asleep).  This increase in sedentary behaviour means our kids are less physically active than they should be. Australia’s Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for children recommend 60 minutes of physical activity daily for kids aged 5 – 12 years old.  Physical activity is defined as any activity that gets kids moving, causes their breathing to become more rapid, …

In Australia, we are fortunate to have quite mild Winters, meaning we can participate in team sports all year round.  Even so, the colder weather makes for increased risk of sports related injuries.  Statistically, sports injuries in Australia peak in May, June and July.  This figure, combined with the harsh Winter chill, can tempt parents to decrease their child’s sports participation in the cooler months. However, it’s vital to keep up physical activity throughout the year, as sports provide numerous health, psychological and social benefits.  Regular physical activity decreases the risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, Type 2 …

Winter school holidays are nearly here, and places are filling up fast for ASC Winter 2017 programs. Australia wide we offer Basketball, AFL, Hockey, Netball, Soccer, Karate, Rugby Union and Rugby League camps across all the major capital cities. These holiday camps are suitable for 6 to 16 year old boys and girls of any skill level. They run over 3 days from 9am to 3pm each day. We employ specialist coaches with a minimum Level 1 coaching accreditation, alongside guest talent so your kids can learn from the best and meet their sporting heroes too. QLD camps have concluded …

Getting your daughter involved in sports at a young age provides many benefits that she will carry with her both now and into adulthood. Some of these benefits include: More confidence Great fitness and cardiovascular health Stronger bones and muscles Better communication and social skills Improved grades at school and often better behaviour More discipline and respect Greater mental health and stronger self-image More friends from many different backgrounds Reduced risk of obesity and the many mental and physical health problems that excessive weight can cause Improved coordination and balance Better leadership skills Of course, the list goes on and …

Image credit Herald Sun. For most mere mortals, the dream of reaching the elite level in their chosen sport is one of the greatest challenges you can set for yourself. But doing that in two completely unrelated sports might seem near impossible. Unless of course your name is Erin Phillips. Erin Phillips is one of Australia’s most decorated female basketball players of the last 15 years with some of her finest achievements including: Being named to the WNBL (Women’s National Basketball League) All-Star Five in 2005. Being drafted to the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) in the United States in …

This Summer, Justin Langer is returning once again to coach at our 2018 cricket camps.  For over 20 years, Australian Sports Camps has been fortunate to have Justin Langer present each day at our cricket camps, at Hale School, Wembley Downs. Renowned for his incredible batting skills, Langer is considered one of the most successful top-order batsmen in cricket history.  Representing Australia in 105 test matches, he amassed 7,696 runs at average of 45.27 runs per game, including 23 test centuries over 14 years.  His career achievement totalled 28,382 first class runs at an average of 50.23runs per game including …

Serena is undoubtedly one of the greatest tennis players of all time, male or female. For 20 years she has been a dominant force and is now the record holder for the most Grand Slam Tournament Wins in the open era after defeating her sister Venus Williams to take her 23rd Grand Slam victory at this year’s Australian Open. That win also saw her return to the number one position on the rankings of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). A spot she has now held for 309 weeks during her career (third on the all-time women’s list.). She has also …

Resilience is the ability to bounce back from stress, challenge, trauma or adversity.  Resilient children are more courageous, more adaptable and more curious, and they do not let mistakes hold them back.  Rather, they acknowledge them and learn what to do differently next time.  They have a positive image of the future, with solid goals and a desire to achieve them.  They are more empathetic and compassionate, but they are not concerned by what others think of them, so are less likely to succumb to peer pressure.  Resilient kids perform better at school and are less likely to engage in …

Australia is a sporting nation. Whether it’s playing or watching, we love our sports and many young boys will play sports during their adolescence. Today, in no particular order, we’ll look at the top ten most popular sports played by boys aged 6-16 in Australia. Australian Rules Football Aussie Rules Football has long been one of Australia’s most popular sports and is still by far the most watched sport in terms of game crowds and tv viewership (the Australian Football League or AFL is the premier professional Aussie Rules Football competition). Although it’s much more popular in the southern states …

As the school holidays approach for Perth school kids again, as parents we all start scratching our heads for activities to keep the kids entertained, off the couch and out of our hair. So, to help you come up with some fun, exciting activities that your kids will love we have made a great checklist of school holiday activities in Perth that you can schedule into your holiday calendar. Outdoor Activities We all want our kids to stay active and healthy during the holidays so finding some great outdoor activities is the ideal way to stop them from becoming couch …

Over recent years soccer has become the most popular sport for kids in Australia, with some reports suggesting there are now 3 times more participants than that of Aussie Rules Football.  And still every year more and more young boys and girls are flocking to their local soccer clubs for the first time to emulate their heroes from the Socceroos and the Matildas (Australia’s senior men’s and women’s teams). While this is great for the game, it also means many parents are having their very first experience with soccer when their kids begin playing, and often have little or no …

For the past 30 years, Australian Sports Camps have been running the best in sports camps and coaching clinics across Australia. Our camps are for kids aged 6 – 16, for all levels and abilities, and provide a structured coaching program for kids over a three day period. Our camps are a great way to trial sports to see whether it’s the right sport for your child and before committing to the costs of a club membership or expensive sports gear. Our camps are are also a great way to prevent holiday boredom, knowing your child is safe, supervised, and having fun as well …

Some schools are cutting the length of recess and reducing Physical Education classes in favour of more sedentary, rigid classroom learning.  However, at a time when 1 in 4 Australian kids are classified as overweight or obese, the importance of maintaining 60 minutes of daily physical activity, as recommended by experts, has never been higher. Furthermore, there is a growing body of research confirming what teachers have long believed: physical activity does not need to come at a cost to academic performance.  In fact, research has found that active kids perform better in schools, have a lower dropout rate, and …