3 Myths that are Destroying the Youth Sports Experience for our Kids
Saturday, 25 July 2015
Every year, I travel throughout the US, Canada, Asia and Europe, and give well over 100 presentations to parents and coaches. I speak to tens of thousands of people about youth sports, coaching, and athlete development. Every time I do a live event, I get asked the following question: “If you are presenting all this
- Published in Problems in Youth Sports, Relative Age Effect, Specialization
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Faster, Higher, Stronger: An Interview with Mark McClusky
Sunday, 14 December 2014
Every day the limits of the human body and being pushed. From sport science to nutrition, and from psychology to neuroscience, elite athletes are being trained differently, and are pushing the boundaries of performance. In his fantastic new book Faster, Higher, Stronger: How Sports Science Is Creating a New Generation of Superathletes–and What We Can
- Published in Book reviews, Talent Development
The Missing Ingredient in US Talent Development
Friday, 15 August 2014
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
- Published in Coaching, Problems in Youth Sports, Soccer, Sports Parenting, Talent Development
The Incredibly Massive Importance of Play
Tuesday, 04 March 2014
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
- Published in Coaching, Deliberate Practice, Motivation, Sports Parenting
The 4th Path: Reinventing US Youth Soccer Player Development
Wednesday, 26 February 2014
When it comes to the development of young soccer players in the United States, many parents and coaches come to that proverbial fork in the road, and are unsure what path to take. Most parents want their child to try many sports, yet are faced with the harsh reality of high participation costs, nearly year-round
- Published in Coaching, Soccer, Specialization
The 10,000 Hour Myth
Wednesday, 12 February 2014
A myth is a false belief or idea that is widely held. One such myth that has enveloped youth sports is the idea that to become an elite athlete all one needs 10,000 hours of sustained, deliberate training. This is a myth in every sense of the word. I recently gave a talk at a
- Published in Deliberate Practice, Problems in Youth Sports, Specialization