2016 Athlete Gift Guide

Nothing matters more for being good at basketball than practice, and this official sized ball is exactly what you need for either indoor or outdoor play. I selected a reasonably priced basketball that can take a lot of abuse. There are many more expensive and fancier basketballs out there, but real leather balls have a tendency to get beat up and get wet. This basketball is perfect for playing in the driveway or in a gym.

Part of helping kids to be successful in sports is helping them to have the best gear for their needs. This basketball is 25% lighter than standard youth size balls which will help them to shoot and rebound the ball. This basketball is designed for kids under the age of eight.

Practice and timing are key to practicing free throws, and this ball return is designed toss the basketball back without getting in the way of the shot. It clicks on the rim in seconds and can be quickly removed for a game. When the basketball is thrown through the hoop, it bounces towards the shooter instead of ending up in the yard behind the hoop.

This home sports ball pump is easy enough to be used by small kids, durable enough for a team, and small enough to fit in a gym bag.

If you have a basketball court in the driveway, pick up a new net to bring it to life. This heavy-duty net is designed for driveway courts.

Do your kids like playing baseball in the yard? If so, these bases will allow them to quickly set up a field. One of the great things about these is that the field size can be quickly adjusted. These rubber bases can be used either in a gym or on grass. They are a great choice for softball, baseball, and even kickball.

When I played baseball as a kid, my dad got me one of these battery operated pitching machines. It doesn't use real baseballs, but it helped me to get down my timing. This pitching machine is suitable for kids playing in baseball leagues that either use pitching machines or are just starting to use pitchers.

Every young pitcher who goes to a professional baseball game gets envious of their speed guns on every pitch. This easy to use speed gun is perfect for measuring their pitching speed up to 110 mph. It is designed to be easy to use without much practice and reports the fastest speed that was recorded before the button was released.

Every baseball player is judged by their ability to hit, but it is difficult to stay focused during long sessions in the batting cage. This sensor will connect to your baseball player's smartphone, and it will allow them to review and replay their swing after every hitting session. The connection to the bat is wireless, and it will provide additional instructions on improving their swing. As an added bonus, the included sensor and also be attached to tennis rackets and golf clubs with inexpensive adapters.

If your baseball player once to increase the power of their swing, you should buy them a swing weight to put on their bat. When they are on deck getting ready to hit, they can drop this weight onto the bat in two seconds as they are warming up. These help to increase their swing speed when they get up to bat.

Learning how to pitch is hard because there are so many competing priorities. This baseball is marked with the finger positions for fastballs, curveballs, sliders, and changeups. It also comes with raised seams that help with feeling the ball properly. After consistently practicing with this ball, they will develop muscle memory to help them in the field.

Getting into boxing or strength training with a punching bag can be expensive, so I found you this affordable starter kit. This includes a 70 pound bag, hand wraps, and gloves. The height of the bag is also adjustable.

Having the right gear to train at home doesn't have to be expensive. This quality leather speed bag comes in two sizes is designed for smooth rebounds and durability. It easily mounts and has excellent balance.

A good yoga mat has the right balance between cushion, size, durability, and portability. This portable and colorful yoga mat is perfect for workouts doing Pilates and yoga. It also comes with a convenient carrying strap to get it back and forth from the gym.

Cross country running requires sustained intensity, and the cross country runners I know have always made fun of us in other sports who complain about having to run as part of our training. This shirt is a tongue-in-cheek reminder of who the real athletes are.

Whether you are a rower or not, making fun of the stubby arms on the king of the dinosaurs is always hilarious.

I have been a swimmer for most of my life, and today I use swimming as a blend of exercise and retreat. Some days are easier to get in the pool than others, and an underwater MP3 player makes workouts much more enjoyable. To be honest with you, there is no such thing as a perfect underwater MP3 player, and I've owned one for years. There are two major categories of underwater MP3 players, ones that use headphones and ones that press against the side of your head. After having used the underwater headphones type for years, I can say that the bone conduction version is an improvement despite the drawbacks. I was never able to get the headphones to fit quite right, and this solves that problem.

Maybe your swimmer doesn't need any help counting laps, but I'm willing to confess that I do. Even though it should be the simplest of tasks, I can never seem to keep track of my laps during a long interval. I've used these finger counters for years to help me track my workouts. This model also comes with a handy timer for speed training.

If your house is anything like mine growing up, you probably have so many balls rolling around that you have to be careful not to trip over them. That being said, there is nothing quite like the feel of a new football. This official sized football that I found for you is the best mix of durability and feel for the best price.

If you want to get a special treat for your young football player, did him one of these football kicking holders that holds the ball from the top like the pros use. Growing up, we only had the football stands, but I wish we had one of these.

This football stand makes a great stocking stuffer. At less than five bucks, this proven style is sure to please.

If you want to bring the fun of football to the whole family, it is hard to beat a flag football set. This set includes enough football flag belts for 10 people. With its own carrying bag and compact size, this set is perfect for your kids at recess, the family at the holidays, or your after work league.

Sometimes the situation calls for getting muddy, and this football washes off as easily as your kids do. Unlike your normal football, this Nerf ball is designed to get ridden hard and put away wet.

With the days getting shorter at the end of the year, it can be challenging to get in enough time outdoors. This red light up football is perfect whether you are playing a game with the family in the campground field after dark or throwing a football in the yard with friends. Steer clear of competing balls that are weird sizes and weights to compensate for the lights. Unlike most balls, this one is designed to be the official size and weight with a good grip. That's what makes the one I'm recommending here so good.

If you are looking for a cheap black wax stick for your football player, this stick by Wilson is less than five bucks and the gold standard.

It is all too easy for hockey sticks leaning up against the wall in the hallway to get tripped over or for sticks in the garage to get driven over. Save yourself the headache and expense with this stick rack that holds up to 15 hockey sticks.

Good home hockey goals have to do a lot of things. I wanted to recommend a less expensive model, but I also wanted to help you find one that would be high quality. At $140, this is not one of my less expensive recommendations, but it offers a lot for the price. This goal includes backstops to keep pucks from hitting your garage door, corner targets for practicing, and the metal frame for durability. It is a regulation size goal that is able to fold flat to easily fit in the garage.

This stick bag holds two goalie sticks or three player hockey sticks, and it has a place for a name tag to help you find the right one.

One of the challenges for families with kids in contact sports is balancing the fun of the game with the risk from head impacts. The long-term damage from concussions is in the news more and more often, we have seen major developments in helmet mounted sensors to protect players. This recommended helmet sensor is currently the highest ranked model available. The batteries last for 100 hours of play time, and it connects wirelessly to your phone to monitor impacts at a distance. Using the app on your phone, you can display the history of impacts and keep track of what is happening on the field.

If you have ever opened up a stinky duffel bag, you appreciate the need for purpose built sports bags. By putting the cleats and mesh pockets on the outside, you can keep the sweaty mud off the gear inside the bag. This bag includes a large main pocket to fit a soccer ball or volleyball. The zipper front pocket is perfect for valuables. There are pockets inside the bag for gear like tape and shin guards.

Change up the drills in your next workout with this deck of cards featuring 56 workouts for soccer. The cards include information such as instructions for beginner, intermediate, and advanced players. By going to the product page linked here, you can also select these cards for activities ranging from Navy Seal training to cross training to office exercise.

This portable soccer goal comes in three sizes for practice and backyard fun. They are quite a bit smaller than a regulation goal, but they are the perfect size to be portable. These goals are designed to break down quickly yet be durable enough to take abuse.

Soccer balls primarily come in three sizes. This ball is designed for players under the age of eight who use a size 3 ball.

For players between the ages of eight and 12, this size for ball is a great and affordable choice.

Wilson makes great soccer balls that are the best balance of quality and price that I can find anywhere. This official sized ball comes with a synthetic leather cover which feels great yet stays durable.

Unless you want your garage door to look like the police tried to break in with a battering ram, you should consider picking up one of these bungee cord trainers. By wrapping the soccer ball in a neoprene holder strapped to a waistband, your soccer player can practice dribbling, passing, and kicking without chasing the ball or kicking it repeatedly against your garage door.

One of the hardest parts about training for track and field is perfecting your hurdles. Competitive track and field athletes often compete in several events which can limit their amount of time to practice the hurdles with the team. Pick up one or a few of these adjustable height hurdles for the yard to let your track and field athlete practice longer and with privacy.

Many track and field sports require measuring, and these reel measuring tapes are much safer and friendlier than metal home improvement measuring tapes. Their appearance is deceptively simple, and they can be used in several ways such as unrolling the tape as you walk along or holding the spike into the ground as someone else pulls the tape out. The other big advantage of these tapes over the metal one you have in your garage is that you can buy them in lengths up to 330 feet.

Resistance training improves strength and speed, but it is harder to achieve when running outside in competition environments than it is when you are training on a treadmill or stationary bicycle. You'll want one of these for training at the track. This resistance parachute includes a waistband and strap, and the large size suggested here offers 25 to 35 pounds of resistance.

If your family wants to start playing lacrosse, you may be surprised at how expensive it is to buy each of the components. This gear is admittedly not the most impressive, but this set is designed to help your kids see if the game is right before them before you make a bigger investment.

Once your lacrosse players are more advanced, they will need to start drilling with a goal target. This target fastens onto a lacrosse goal and provides small openings in key areas around the goal to practice getting shots and around the goalie.

If you just play a game of tennis every now and then, then it's fine to pick up a tube of balls a couple of times a year. If you are learning to play the game or play more seriously, then you will need dozens of balls to do drills and practice. For 25 bucks, this is a cheap way to get three dozen heavy-duty tennis balls from a good brand. Also consider picking up the ball hopper I recommend below for storage and picking them up on the court.

If you've never used one of these hoppers before, then you are probably missing its coolest feature. When you push down the hopper on top of a tennis ball, it gets quickly picked up. This allows you to quickly pick up 75 tennis balls without bending over. Once you have picked up the ball, the handles flip to the bottom and can be clipped in to form a stand. This makes it much easier to grab tennis balls for play without bending over.