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When You Attend a Youth Sports Event, Know Your Role!

Wednesday, 10 July 2019 by John O'Sullivan
Imagine the perfect summer day. The sun is out, The birds are chirping. And a bunch of 7 year old boys scurry about a baseball diamond, trying to hit, run, throw and catch, all the while smiling and giggling and doing what 7-year-old boys do. But then the game gets tense. Parents and coaches started
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  • Published in Sports Parenting, Youth Sports
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“Make Failure Your Fuel”: How to Help Your Athletes Learn from Adversity

Wednesday, 30 May 2018 by John O'Sullivan
In May 2018, retired US Women’s National Soccer team star Abby Wambach gave the commencement address to 600 women from Barnard College in New York City. Wambach, the all-time leading scorer for Team USA, an Olympic and World Cup champion, and an inspirational athlete known for playing with passion and giving her all every time
Abby Wambachcoachingmental toughnessyouth sports
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  • Published in Adversity, Messages for Kids, Sports Parenting
4 Comments

WOC #21 Nate Sanderson, Two-Time Iowa High School State Champion Basketball Coach, On The Art of Engaging Parents in a Winning Team Culture

Sunday, 06 August 2017 by Reed Maltbie
If an athlete’s inner dialogue is made up of the voices they hear most often and most intensely in their daily lives, what are we as parents and coaches saying that can form a champion’s mind? Join us as we talk to Two-time Iowa High School State Basketball Championship winning coach, Nate Sanderson, to discuss
coachingsports parenting
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  • Published in Coaching, Podcast, Sports Parenting
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When Will What We Know Change What We Do in Youth Sports?

Tuesday, 13 June 2017 by Reed Maltbie
“My daughter and I had to miss her grandfather’s funeral when she was 12 for a cheerleading competition.” I had to read that twice to be sure what I was reading. This was an actual comment we received recently on Facebook. We receive a lot of heartbreaking stories from readers, but this one sentence stopped
parentingpositive sports experiencesproblems in youth sports
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  • Published in Bullying, Parenting, Problems in Youth Sports, Sports Parenting, Youth Sports
3 Comments

A Case for Nurture Over Nature

Tuesday, 23 May 2017 by Reed Maltbie
“Your daughter is so beautiful.” The kind woman said, smiling at my 18-year-old daughter. “Thanks, she got her mother’s looks.” I said reflexively. Then I cringed. That’s my “go to response”. Anytime I receive a compliment on my daughter’s looks, I immediately reply about her genetic connection to her mother. She did get her mom’s
coachingcore valuesfamily values
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  • Published in Coaching, Messages for Kids, Sports Parenting
1 Comment

Can We Shift the Paradigm in Youth Sports?

Tuesday, 09 May 2017 by Reed Maltbie
I was recently in Ohio for a family event. At this event, my father and his friends began sharing stories of their childhood. Everyone shared stories of their days of triumph on the sporting fields in their small Midwest town. As the event progressed, it evolved into a full on discussion about youth sports coaching
coachingfunsports parentsyouth sports
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  • Published in Coaching, Sports Parenting
3 Comments

It’s Time to End the Sideline Sportsanity

Monday, 10 April 2017 by Reed Maltbie
As soon as I stepped out of my car in the parking lot, I could hear it. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon of travel soccer, but there it was. You know what I’m talking about: that sometimes beautiful, often times excruciating cacophony of sounds that we have come to know as “cheering for our
family valuesparentingpositive sports experiencesproblems in youth sportssports parentingsupporting young refereesyouth sports
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  • Published in Problems in Youth Sports, Sports Parenting
3 Comments

Don’t Turn Your Young Athlete Into a Mini Me

Sunday, 19 March 2017 by Reed Maltbie
“Dad, am I a disappointment to you?” My son asked, choking back tears. I stopped dead in my tracks. We were walking out of a local amusement park on our way to the car. We had spent the day at the park to bond. It seems the plan backfired. I gathered myself. Inside I was
parentingsports parentingyouth sports
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  • Published in Sports Parenting
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Is “Fear of Missing Out” Ruining Youth Sports?

Sunday, 12 March 2017 by John O'Sullivan
I remember the day I coached my son TJ’s first soccer game. He was only five, and I was so proud, so excited, and couldn’t wait for him to play the game I loved. There was one problem. He didn’t want to play. When the game was about to start, he said, “Dad I don’t
parentingproblems in youth sportsyouth sports
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  • Published in Sports Parenting
14 Comments

An Open Letter from the Back Seat

Tuesday, 31 January 2017 by John O'Sullivan
Dear Mom and Dad I wanted to start this letter by saying I love you, and I know you mean well. I appreciate all the time and energy you put into taking me to my games and practices, and I know you sacrifice a lot to do it. I also appreciate when you try to
mindset for athletesparentingproblems in youth sports
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  • Published in Sports Parenting
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Our 2015 Books of the Year

Tuesday, 17 November 2015 by John O'Sullivan
All great leaders, great coaches, great athletes, and great parents are lifelong learners. Every great coach I have met has been a lifelong student of coaching, leadership, psychology and more.  Here at the Changing the game Project, we are always looking for the latest and greatest information on talent development, leadership, building culture, and being
book reviewsbooks for athletesbooks for coachesbooks for parents
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  • Published in Book reviews, Coaching, Messages for Kids, Sports Parenting
4 Comments

A Letter to My Son’s Coach

Monday, 09 November 2015 by John O'Sullivan
(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
coachingfamily valuesleadershipyouth sports
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  • Published in Coaching, Sports Parenting
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I Never Thought it Would End THIS Way

Friday, 23 October 2015 by John O'Sullivan
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
coachingcore valuesfamily valuesyouth sports
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  • Published in Family Values, Sports Parenting
2 Comments

Release Your Child to the Game!

Sunday, 27 September 2015 by John O'Sullivan
“I don’t know where to turn,” an exasperated dad recently told me after a speaking event. “My son is fast, and he is skilled. We do lots of extra practice, we go to a private skills coach, we are doing everything it takes to get to the next level, but something is not right. He
parentingpositive sports experiencesproblems in youth sportssports parentingyouth sports
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  • Published in Goal Setting, Sports Parenting, TED talks
8 Comments

Jordan Spieth’s Multi-Sport Path to Golf Stardom

Tuesday, 23 June 2015 by John O'Sullivan
On June 21, at the ripe old age of 21, Jordan Spieth become just the sixth golfer in history to win both The Masters and The US Open in the same year, joining some pretty illustrious company such as Woods, Nicklaus, Palmer and Hogan.  He must have played only golf growing up to become this
competitionmental toughnesspositive sports experiencesyouth sports
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  • Published in Messages for Kids, Specialization, Sports Parenting, Uncategorized
9 Comments

Help, My Child is a Late Bloomer: 5 Tips for Overcoming the “Relative Age Effect” in Youth Sports

Friday, 29 May 2015 by John O'Sullivan
“Here is my question,” a mother concerned with her 10 year-old son’s sports experience recently wrote me. “I am not afraid that my son will quit sports by the time he is 13.  I am afraid that he will be denied the opportunity to play. My son is coordinated and coachable. He LOVES sports; we
coachingmindset for athletespositive sports experiencesproblems in youth sportssports developmentyouth sports
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  • Published in Problems in Youth Sports, Relative Age Effect, Sports Parenting
11 Comments

Why Kids Quit Sports

Tuesday, 05 May 2015 by John O'Sullivan
“I just can’t take it anymore coach,” a talented but underperforming player named Kate told me a few years back. “I think I am done playing.” My mind went through all the reasons this might be happening: burnout, other interests, team dynamics, I was too hard on her, the gamut. What could it be? “It’s
coachingcompetitionmindset for athletespositive sports experiencesstate of mindyouth sports
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  • Published in Coaching, Problems in Youth Sports, Sports Parenting
61 Comments

What Youth Sports can Learn from Video Games

Wednesday, 18 February 2015 by John O'Sullivan
On a recent sunny Saturday, I took my kids out to the local park to play soccer with some friends. They ran, they jumped, and they competed hard. They laughed, they schemed, and they made the rules. Everyone played, no one was excluded from the game, and all the kids tried and failed over and
Aspen Institute Project Playdeliberate practicepositive sports experiencesspecializationyouth sports
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  • Published in Motivation, Sports Parenting, Uncategorized
10 Comments

The Enemy of Excellence in Youth Sports

Thursday, 08 January 2015 by John O'Sullivan
“My daughter is the tallest fourth grader in her class and loves to play basketball,” said a father to me recently. “Sadly, I know that she will ultimately grow to be of average height.  Since she is now only allowed to rebound and give the ball to shorter-ball handler players on her team, she will
coachingproblems in youth sportssports developmentsports parentingyouth sports
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  • Published in Coaching, Problems in Youth Sports, Sports Parenting
18 Comments

Is Social Media Ruining Your Youth Sports Experience?

Wednesday, 24 September 2014 by John O'Sullivan
Do you turn get on Facebook, or Pinterest, or Instagram, and ever think to yourself “Everyone’s kid has a trophy, won their big game, and is having great success, but mine is not?” Does it drive you nuts when everyone else’s kids seem to be achieving something remarkable, or looking so happy, and you are
family valuesperformancesports developmentsports parentingyouth sports
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  • Published in Problems in Youth Sports, Sports Parenting, Talent Development
3 Comments

The Missing Ingredient in US Talent Development

Friday, 15 August 2014 by John O'Sullivan
In 2005, the coaches at one of the top English Premier League Youth Soccer Academies held one of their semiannual meetings to decide upon which players they would keep for the upcoming cycle, and whom they would let go. As they were evaluating their players –many of whom would go on to star not only
10000 hourscoachingGareth Balemessaegs for coachesSimon Kjaersports development
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  • Published in Coaching, Problems in Youth Sports, Soccer, Sports Parenting, Talent Development
8 Comments

FUN is NOT a 4-letter Word!

Monday, 07 July 2014 by John O'Sullivan
When I was a kid, my parents taught me to avoid those bad four letter words we all have heard. You know the ones I mean, the ones that you would first hear in school and then think it was OK to use them at home, until you saw that look on dad’s face! My
coachingconfidenceemotionsmindset for athletessports parentingstate of mind
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  • Published in Coaching, Problems in Youth Sports, Sports Parenting
2 Comments

Starting Your Athletes the Right Way

Thursday, 29 May 2014 by John O'Sullivan
(A child’s first contact and first impression of a sport goes a long way to determining whether or not he will fall in love with the game. As basketball great Steve Nash says, upon receiving his first ball and playing in his first organized league at age 13, “I felt like I had a new
coachingconfidencefamily valuesmindset for athletesparentingpositive sports experiencesyouth sports
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  • Published in Coaching, Motivation, Sports Parenting
3 Comments

The Ride Home

Thursday, 01 May 2014 by John O'Sullivan
One of the saddest things I had to do as a Director of Coaching for numerous soccer clubs was conduct exit interviews, meetings with players whom had decided to leave the club. Children quit sports for a litany of reasons, and my job was always to see what we could learn, so we could improve
confidencefamily valuesparentingproblems in youth sportsstate of mind
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  • Published in Confidence, Problems in Youth Sports, Sports Parenting
43 Comments

The Race to Nowhere in Youth Sports

Monday, 24 March 2014 by John O'Sullivan
“My 4th grader tried to play basketball and soccer last year,” a mom recently told me as we sat around the dinner table after one of my speaking engagements. “It was a nightmare. My son kept getting yelled at by both coaches as we left one game early to race to a game in the
coachingcore valuesleadershipparentingproblems in youth sportsyouth sports
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  • Published in Coaching, Problems in Youth Sports, Sports Parenting
71 Comments

The Incredibly Massive Importance of Play

Tuesday, 04 March 2014 by John O'Sullivan
Let me be blunt and scream this from the rooftop: the best athletes PLAY sports. They don’t work them, they play them. When sport becomes more work than play, athletes struggle, they grind, and if they cannot get back to playing instead of working, they eventually drop out. From youth to pros, when the fun
10000 hoursdeliberate practicemindset for athletesproblems in youth sportsyouth sports
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  • Published in Coaching, Deliberate Practice, Motivation, Sports Parenting
19 Comments

The Bare Essentials: Three Things Every Athlete Needs to Succeed

Thursday, 06 February 2014 by John O'Sullivan
Elite performance is determined by a number of factors, amongst them innate talent and genetics, hours of deliberate training, coaching, and luck. But performance is also great affected by what is between an athlete’s ears: mindset. An athlete’s state of mind is perhaps the single greatest factor that affects performance. In his great book The
coachingcompetitionleadershipmindset for athletesparentingstate of mind
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  • Published in Coaching, Motivation, Sports Parenting
24 Comments

What About the Single Sport Athlete? Specialization Part II

Monday, 27 January 2014 by John O'Sullivan
My article on sport specialization, “Is it Wise to Specialize,” prompted quite a bit of discussion, commentary, and controversy, with people chiming in from all across the globe. Certainly the dynamics of single v multiple sport participation, and its effect upon performance, injury, and burnout, is not a settled issue, and arouses many emotions. It
coachingfamily valuesleadershipoveruse injuriesperformancepositive sports experiencesproblems in youth sportsspecializationyouth sports
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  • Published in Problems in Youth Sports, Specialization, Sports Parenting
14 Comments

Is it Wise to Specialize?

Monday, 13 January 2014 by John O'Sullivan
The greatest difference between our children’s sporting experience and our own is the rise of year round, sport specific organizations that ask – even require – season after season of participation in order to stay in the player development pipeline. The pressure to have your child specialize in a single sport at a young age
coachingfamily valuesparentingperformancepositive sports experiencespressureproblems in youth sportssports parentingyouth sports
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  • Published in Problems in Youth Sports, Specialization, Sports Parenting
118 Comments

To Cheat or Not to Cheat…Is that Even a Question?

Tuesday, 07 January 2014 by John O'Sullivan
“Young players play with a great deal of fairness and sportsmanship. Once they learn how important the game is to adults, they will learn how to cheat.” – Dr. Ron Quinn, Professor of Sports Ethics at Xavier University. My friend Ann Dewitt is a family therapist and parenting expert, as well as the host of
coachingcore valuesfamily valuesleadershipparentingperformanceproblems in youth sportsyouth sports
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  • Published in Coaching, Leadership, Problems in Youth Sports, Sports Parenting
8 Comments
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