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PRIME PATH ATHLETICS
PPA PRO
Issue No. 27 · Week of September 14
OUR MISSION
Helping families spend their time, money, and trust on what actually moves their athlete forward.
THIS WEEK Five pieces of advice, boiled down to one line each — advocating for himself, the exposure economy, the one trait that matters most, the professional appreciator, and the weight room.
🏈FOOTBALL
🏀BASKETBALL
⚽SOCCER
⚾BASEBALL
🥎SOFTBALL
CAMP SPOTLIGHT
Offense-Defense Mega Camp — Rochester, NY
June 19–21, 2026 (2027 TBA)
Youth & HS — all positions · $599 day / $799 extended / $999 overnight
Registration OpenCAMP SPOTLIGHT
USA Basketball Gold Camp — Omaha
2026 — see usab.com
Grades 6–9 (age 16 or under) · $185
Registration OpenCAMP SPOTLIGHT
Barça Residency Academy Tryout Camps
Multiple 2026–27 dates
Ages 13–18 (born 2009–2014) · $529 resident; $299 commuter
Registration OpenCAMP SPOTLIGHT
University of Michigan August Prospect Camp
August 2026
Classes 2027–2030 & transfers · Varies — verify at registration
Check WebsiteCAMP SPOTLIGHT
Softball Factory / Perfect Game Softball / Ryzer Combines
Multiple
HS · Varies — verify at registration
Check WebsiteTrainer picks are pulled from the PPA Trainer Directory. Want to update your info? Claim your listing →
RECENT FROM PPA
Clips from this week's shorts and podcasts — links go live once published.
⚾►
Incredible Baserunning IQ: Escaping a Bases-Loaded Rundown (Youth Baseball Breakdown)
YouTube Short
10 Reasons Why Youth Sports Matter
Rotates every issue — sport-specific some weeks, big-picture others.
- 01A kid should practice the actual words before the real conversation.Coaching him on exactly what to say to a coach — not having the conversation for him — builds a skill that outlasts the sport.
- 02A viral clip and a useful skill are often different things.A 30-foot pull-up gets more views than a simple two-dribble jumper — even though the second one wins more actual games.
- 03Full effort on unfilmed plays is a real, trainable habit.One pro scout says a player sprinting back on defense in a decided game tells him more than any highlight-reel moment.
- 04Strength training may matter more than another private lesson.A D1 coach says players who arrive strong handle a long season better than technically skilled players who skipped the weight room.
- 05The most useful parenting role is often the quietest one.One veteran scout calls it being a 'professional appreciator' — showing up and celebrating effort, not managing every input.
- 06A one-line takeaway is only useful if you actually remember it.Every piece this issue compresses into a single, repeatable line — something worth having on hand in the actual moment.
- 07Some advice is simple to say and still hard to live by.Coaching the conversation instead of having it, staying quiet instead of managing — simple ideas, genuinely hard in practice.
- 08A short version doesn't mean a shallow one.The full reasoning behind each one-line takeaway is still there for anyone who wants the whole story.
- 09The best advice is the kind you can actually use under pressure.A single sentence remembered in the moment beats a paragraph forgotten by the time it matters.
- 10We ask the same question every time.What's actually worth paying for, and what isn't? Every PPA guide and every issue of this newsletter starts there.
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FUEL UP — MEAL PREP MEAL OF THE DAY
Tuna Salad Protein Boxes
No-cook lunch option, ready in 15 minutes. Serves 4.
DIRECTIONS
- Drain tuna and combine with Greek yogurt, mayo, celery, and relish in a bowl.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Divide tuna salad into 4 containers.
- Add crackers, cut vegetables, and a hard-boiled egg to each box in separate compartments.
- Keep crackers separate until eating to avoid sogginess.
- Refrigerate up to 4 days.
GROCERY LIST
- 3 cans (5 oz each) tuna, drained
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp mayo
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 tbsp relish
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 box whole-grain crackers
- 2 cups cut vegetables (carrots, cucumber, bell pepper)
- 4 hard-boiled eggs