Three Things All Great Coaches and Leaders Do…And You Can Too! Part I

As a coach who has spent nearly two decades studying and learning about leadership, I know that my thinking has evolved immensely on this subject. For those of you who are looking for a few new ideas, or better yet, you are a  new coach trying to accelerate the learning curve, for the next three
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What Do You Value Most, and Are Youth Sports Delivering For You?

All too often, I see many adults who are involved in youth sports, either as a parent, administrator or a coach, adhere to one set of core values when it comes to family, education, and relationships, and an entirely different set of values when it comes to sports.  We value things like hard work, commitment,
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“Come on, Ref!” Some Thoughts on Officials, Umpires and Referees

As summer tournament season is upon us, many families are traveling far and wide, and spending hard earned dollars on tournaments and other sports travel. Inevitably, there will be a game or a match where a referee makes a poor decision, or gets a call wrong, and this can often lead to yelling, screaming, and
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Don’t Choke: The Difference Between Playing to Win, and Playing Not to Lose

Is your child a great practice player, but one who struggles to perform in games? Does she score at will in easy games, but cannot find the net in the competitive ones? Does your team play great in meaningless games, but tense up and play poorly when the result matters? Does your team always play
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Are You Setting Goals AND Expectations for Your Athlete? Do You Know the Difference?

As a parent, it is incredibly important that we understand the difference between the goals we set with our children, and the expectations we place upon them. The difference is subtle but very important, for both are crucial tools when it comes to raising high performers. We should place expectations upon our children and set
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Controversial Book for Sports Parents, but Well Worth the Read: The Gold Mine Effect

I am an avid reader, and from time to time I add books to my recommended resources page which I believe will help parents, coaches and adults involved in youth sports. I just finished reading The Gold Mine Effect by Rasmus Ankersen, and I will be adding it to my list.  While this book consists of a
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Lionel Messi Talks About the Need to Enjoy Your Sport

In our never ending rush to get our kids on the right team, with the right coach, and positioned to win the big games at very young ages, we have lost sight of the real key to helping our kids perform their best: ENJOYMENT! Before we worry about ten thousand hours of practice, extra coaching,
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Helping our Kids Deal with Injuries

Throughout my coaching career, I got many emails and letters from parents, but one question I was asked often was “How do I deal with my child’s recent injury? He/she is emotional, scared, and unsure about the long road back to recovery.” This is a difficult time for any parent – and athlete – and
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Utah Referee’s Death is One More Example of the Need to Change the Game!

The recent tragic death of Utah youth soccer referee Ricardo Portillo has once again highlighted the need to make drastic changes in the youth sports environment. Portillo was killed after being punched in the face by a 17 year old player that had been cautioned on the previous play. Once again, the ugly side of
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Youth Baseball Gone Mad!

It was quite sad to read the article below regarding the state of elite travel baseball by Ft Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel Reporter Amy Shipley, and to watch the embedded video.  It is sad because these parents are clearly well intentioned, and love their boys, but just cannot see the forest through the trees. Read the article,
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My Kid Stopped Trying! What Now?

One of the questions I am often asked is “How do I change my kid’s attitude toward sports? He just does not seem into it anymore, and he is not putting any effort in.” This is a situation that can be very confusing and discouraging for both children and parents, as well as cause stress
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The “State” of High Achievers

As parents and coaches of young athletes, we spend a great deal of our time and energy focusing on our children’s performance. We look at their efforts, their results, and their commitment. We help them set goals, and do our part to help them achieve those goals by taking them to and from training and
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Don’t Neglect the Small Things in 2013

It’s getting close to that time of year when we resolve to make positive changes in the upcoming year: New Year’s Resolution time! Here is a resolution to add to your list. It is not one that will help you lose weight or get fit physically, but it can make all the difference in building
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This Thanksgiving, Express your Gratitude

“If we magnified blessings as much as we magnify disappointments, we would all be much happier.” ― John Wooden, UCLA Basketball Coach As the holiday season approaches, we are often reminded to be thankful for all our blessings that we have received the past year.  As we sit with our closest friends and family, and
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Five Messages Your Kids Need to Hear

Youth sports can become an all encompassing component of childhood, and for that matter, parenthood.  As we shuttle kids to practices, games and tournaments, we can easily forget about the big picture. We can lose sight of the main reasons we put kids in sports in the first place.  If we want our children to
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When Adults Don’t Act Like Adults, Bad Things Happen

I recently read an article in the NY Times by Ken Belson about the suspension of Pop Warner Football coaches in Massachusetts for creating an unsafe playing environment.  (Click Here to read Article)  The article discusses the penalties imposed on coaches of two teams in a mismatched game, during which 5 players on the ‘smaller’ team were diagnosed
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The Problems We Face Part III: Values

Today’s children need youth sports to teach them valuable life lessons and core values more than they have ever needed them in history.  As recently as 15 years ago, popular television and music still exemplified many family values that we would consider, positive, such as friendship, caring, and respect, but that has all changed.  The
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The Problems We Face Part II: Money!

There is an astronomical amount of money being spent on youth sports by parents, as well as huge investments by corporations who profit off of equipment, tournaments, recruiting services, and even live, streaming little league games.  This has created amongst parents a ‘keep up with the Joneses mentality” in everything from Little League to youth
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Sports Skills do Not Always ‘Just Happen!’

Sports Parenting is an art, and for each and every child and family, there are a variety of parenting styles, methods and ideas that can all lead to the outcome of a positive sports experience, and the creation of a life long athlete.   Most of us rely upon our own athletic experiences to guide us with
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The Problems We Face Part I

It is hard to venture out to any youth sports fields these days and not think to ourselves “There is something wrong with this picture.”  Youth sports do not look like they did 20 or 30 years ago.  Sure there were a few ‘crazy’ coaches and over the top parents, but for the most part
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Confidence is Earned!

One of the most common questions I got as a coach from parents was “How do I make my kid more confident?”  I wish there was an easy answer, but really, there is not.  You see, one of the great misconceptions about confidence is that it can be bought, or given, and it CANNOT.  Confidence
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