Why We Rage: The Science Behind Crazy Parents and Over the Top Coaches
Friday, 13 September 2013
Have you ever noticed when you go to your child’s soccer game that you react one way to bad calls, aggressive fouls, or intense situations in your game, but have little or no reaction to similar situations in the game prior to yours, where you have no emotional stake? Do you can sit there with
- Published in Coaching, Leadership, Sports Parenting
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Trust Your Gut When It Comes To Youth Sports
Sunday, 25 August 2013
Every time I speak, I am always approached by parents who tell me that all the pressure and emphasis on winning for their young athlete, all the pressure to commit year round to a sport prior to puberty, just feels wrong. In their heart, they know that their children want to play multiple sports, and
- Published in Family Values, Problems in Youth Sports, Sports Parenting
“You Might Need New Friends!” Part II of Three Things Great Coaches and Leaders Do
Monday, 05 August 2013
In Part II of our 3 part series, I relate a simple business adage to sports. In business, it is said that if you take the five people who are your primary business advisers, add up what they make and divide by 5, that is probably what you are making. Coaching and leadership are similar.
- Published in Coaching, Leadership, Sports Parenting, State
Three Things All Great Coaches and Leaders Do…And You Can Too! Part I
Monday, 29 July 2013
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
- Published in Article
What Do You Value Most, and Are Youth Sports Delivering For You?
Thursday, 25 July 2013
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,
- Published in Article
“Come on, Ref!” Some Thoughts on Officials, Umpires and Referees
Monday, 15 July 2013
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
Don’t Choke: The Difference Between Playing to Win, and Playing Not to Lose
Wednesday, 26 June 2013
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
- Published in Article
Are You Setting Goals AND Expectations for Your Athlete? Do You Know the Difference?
Monday, 17 June 2013
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
- Published in Article
Utah Referee’s Death is One More Example of the Need to Change the Game!
Wednesday, 08 May 2013
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
- Published in Article
My Kid Stopped Trying! What Now?
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
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
- Published in Article
Five Messages Your Kids Need to Hear
Monday, 05 November 2012
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
- Published in Article
When Adults Don’t Act Like Adults, Bad Things Happen
Wednesday, 24 October 2012
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
- Published in Problems in Youth Sports
The Problems We Face Part III: Values
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
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
- Published in Problems in Youth Sports
The Problems We Face Part II: Money!
Thursday, 20 September 2012
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
Sports Skills do Not Always ‘Just Happen!’
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
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
- Published in Article
The Problems We Face Part I
Sunday, 16 September 2012
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
- Published in Problems in Youth Sports
Confidence is Earned!
Sunday, 16 September 2012
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
- Published in Article