Our 2016 Books of the Year
Saturday, 03 December 2016
“You cannot open a book without learning something.” – Confucius Yes, it is that time of year again, the time where our staff shares some of our favorite reads in the world of coaching, parenting, and athlete development. We are all avid readers and lifelong learners, and every year we pour through numerous books, articles,
- Published in Book reviews
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The Rule of One: How One Person, One Comment, One Time Can Change a Life Forever
Monday, 21 November 2016
I remember it like it was yesterday. I was a junior in high school, and sat three rows back, middle row of my English literature class at St Anthony’s High School in New York. Brother Jeff, a Franciscan brother who was a pleasant combination strict and jovial, was my teacher. He was handing back some
- Published in Coaching, Motivation
Four Words That Can Change the Culture of Youth Sports
Monday, 07 November 2016
If you have ever flown Southwest Airlines, you know that they do things a bit differently. If you ask an employee of the airline what that difference is, they will tell you one word: culture. The culture of Southwest is one they have worked very hard to cultivate, and every pilot, flight attendant, mechanic, and
- Published in Article
8 Coaching Mistakes I Wish I Never Made
Wednesday, 19 October 2016
In 2002, I received a phone call from Patrick, a former high school player I had coached. He had graduated college and was applying to medical school. “Coach,” he said, “I just wanted to let you know that I am studying for my medical school exams, and it is really hard. But every time I
- Published in Coaching
Let’s Stop the Early Sport Specialization Madness!
Tuesday, 27 September 2016
“I have a question,” said a mother recently at one of my speaking engagements. “I have an 8-year-old son who loves soccer. But the only soccer team in our town requires that he play all year round, and he still wants to play other sports. What are we to do?” Sound familiar? Across the country,
- Published in Specialization
Yes, I Do Play My Favorites
Monday, 12 September 2016
(Article written by James Leath (@jamesleath)) “I am sick and tired of coaches playing favorites” a parent once told me at a speaking event. “A coach should be completely impartial. It teaches the wrong message when he or she only plays favorites. Am I right?” I smiled, took a breath and responded, “I actually think
- Published in Article
An Open Letter to My Dad, who Makes Me Want to Quit Sports
Wednesday, 31 August 2016
Dear Dad, I was afraid to say this to your face after the game today, but I was thinking that maybe you could stop coming to my games for a while. It doesn’t seem that fun for you anyway, and I know it’s not fun for me when you are there. I used to love
- Published in Parenting, Problems in Youth Sports
The Extra Mile
Tuesday, 16 August 2016
The extra mile is a lonely place, but it is the only path to greatness. There are no fans lining that mile. No cameras. No bright lights. Most of your teammates won’t join you there, because your dreams belong to you, not them. Many of your “friends” will tell you that you are wasting your
- Published in Goal Setting, Mental Toughness, Motivation
Dear Potential Recruit, Your Talent Only Gets You So Far
Wednesday, 10 August 2016
Contributed by James Leath (@jamesleath) “He is going to be shocked we no longer want him.” “Come again?” I asked the college assistant coach seated across from me at lunch. “You flew across the country to meet him, and now you won’t recruit him anymore?” The coach had recently stopped for a day in another
- Published in Article
3 Questions That Turn Losing into Learning
Wednesday, 03 August 2016
“Do you want to win every game you play for the rest of your life?” That was a question that Olympic gold medalist and current USA Women’s Volleyball team head coach Karch Kiraly asked his team as they prepared for the 2014 World Championships. “Because we can,” he told them. They could schedule easy opponents,
The Ostrich Effect: Why We Ignore Our Coaching Problem, and How to Fix It
Tuesday, 19 July 2016
“Come on, you pachyderms,” boomed my first soccer coach, Tom Breit, with a big grin on his face. “Squash those bugs! Move your feet. Quicker, quicker! Come on O’Sullivan, is that as fast as you can go?” Calling us baby elephants? Telling us to squish bugs? What was going on here? We were 7-year-olds, learning
- Published in Coaching
Never Stop Learning: 3 Essential New Books for Parents and Coaches
Wednesday, 29 June 2016
This week we lost a true coaching legend, Pat Summit. Summit was an 8x national champion and never had a losing season at the University of Tennessee, but those were not her most impressive statistics. She valued academics, and being a lifelong learner, and as a result, every single one of her players who completed
- Published in Book reviews, Coaching
Life Lessons from my “Old School” Sports Dad
Tuesday, 14 June 2016
I remember the conversation like it was yesterday. I was a sophomore in high school, and I was mad. I was offended. I was aggrieved… I had been benched. When I got home from school, I wanted someone to tell me how I was right, and the coach was wrong. I wanted someone to tell
- Published in Parenting
3 Ways Coaches Can Inspire Their Athletes
Tuesday, 31 May 2016
A few nights ago I went to a graduation. Not a high school or a college graduation, but one far smaller, and far more personal. In fact, there were only seven kids, one of which was my 9-year-old son TJ. He and six others were being recognized by their amazing teacher for their dedication, hard
- Published in Coaching, High School Sports, Soccer
It’s Time for the NCAA to Stop the Early Recruiting Insanity
Thursday, 19 May 2016
I recently received a phone call from a friend who is one of the national directors of coaching for a major US sport governing body. He told me the story of a recent phone call his office received from a distraught parent: “We just had tryout for our local club and my son was placed
- Published in College Recruiting, High School Sports, Youth Sports
The Accountability Problem in Youth Sports
Wednesday, 04 May 2016
“Thanks so much for your talk the other day,” wrote a coach from Calgary, Alberta to us recently. “It was so refreshing to hear that message, especially in light of the news I returned home to.” “My friend spent the weekend coaching his son at a spring hockey tournament for 9 and 10 year olds,”
- Published in Coaching, High School Sports, Problems in Youth Sports, Youth Sports
How Adults Take the Joy Out of Sports (And How We Can Fix It)
Monday, 18 April 2016
We have all seen it. I was recently watching a 12-year-old boys soccer game, and I saw it again. Like a deer in the headlights, the left defender on the blue team was seemingly stranded on the field and unsure where to go or what to do. He turned to one sideline, where his coach
- Published in Coaching, High School Sports, Parenting, Youth Sports
Why Sports Matter
Wednesday, 02 March 2016
In February 2016 I was speaking at an all day workshop in Montrose CO, and as I was finishing my morning setup the participants began arriving. It was the usual collection of coaches, parents, city recreation administrators, city officials and some younger kids decked out in the gear of their respective sports team. Then another
- Published in Coaches Across Continents, Family Values
What is Your Club’s D.N.A.?
Sunday, 24 January 2016
(This weeks blog is written by Todd Beane, Founder of TOVO International. Todd is the co-founder of Cruyff Football and Senior Advisor to the Cruyff Institute, and has consulted for FC Barcelona, Ajax Amsterdam, Chivas Guadalajara, Melbourne City FC, Mamelodi Sundowns, Austrian Football Federation) “We pretty much let the coaches decide what to do with
- Published in Leadership, Team Culture
Raising the Bar in Youth Sports
Tuesday, 05 January 2016
“Have I ever told you about the defining moment of my coaching career?” long time University of Portland baseball coach Chris Sperry asked me the other day over lunch. “It is a speech that changed everything for me at the 1996 American Baseball Coaches Association convention.” “No, please tell,” I said between bites, and so
- Published in Baseball, Coaching, Family Values
Does Youth Sports Get the Math All Wrong?
Monday, 14 December 2015
“I did not know there would be math on this test,” is something I say (jokingly) when I get a difficult question at my speaking engagements. Recently, I received an email from a frantic mom, and it got me thinking about math. Yes, math. When it comes to our current sporting environment, I think we often
- Published in Problems in Youth Sports, Specialization, Talent Development
3 Words Every Athlete Needs to Hear
Monday, 30 November 2015
By James Leath “STOP LOOKING AT YOUR PHONE!” yells Tasha, a point guard on the 6th grade YMCA basketball team I was coaching. Immediately, I smile and start to explain to her that I forgot my watch and I needed to make sure we were on schedule. Tasha rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed with my
- Published in Article
A Letter to My Son’s Coach
Monday, 09 November 2015
(This article by Mary Ann Ware first appeared here on her amazing blog and is reprinted with permission) To My Son’s Soccer Coach: Last weekend, after the final game of the season, you posed with my son and his seven teammates in front of the goal for some team pictures. There you were, one man
- Published in Coaching, Sports Parenting
The Secret Ingredient of Great Coaching
Tuesday, 03 November 2015
“I just can’t figure it out,” an exasperated coach said to me recently. “One day we are flying around the field, and the next it looks like we’ve never played together before. Why does this happen?” “Do you think your players lost all their skill?” I asked? “Do you think they forgot how to play?”
- Published in Coaching, Team Culture
Redefining Success: 8 Tips for Being a Great Sports Parent
Wednesday, 28 October 2015
By James Leath “When did parenting get to be so stressful?” began a recent post on the Changing the Game Project Facebook page. “I worry that if I don’t provide them with the best equipment, or get them on the best team, or take them to every camp or tournament, then I am letting my
- Published in Article
I Never Thought it Would End THIS Way
Friday, 23 October 2015
By Karrick Dyer (this originally appeared on www.KarrickDyer.com and is reprinted with permission of @KarrickD) For anyone who has ever coached youth sports of any kind, from pee-wee to middle school, and even high school sports in some cases………I have a deep question that has been floating in my mind in recent days. Just give
- Published in Family Values, Sports Parenting