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The Great Trophy Debate: Do We Need Participation Awards?

Wednesday, 09 September 2015 by John O'Sullivan
“Daddy, do we get trophies for playing lacrosse this spring?” my son asked me a few months back. “No, you get to go out and run around and have lots of fun while learning lacrosse,” I said. “OK!” Then he turned and ran out on the field for the start of his first practice. According
family valuesmental toughnessparentingpositive sports experiencesyouth sports
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  • Published in Family Values, Participation Awards, Problems in Youth Sports
12 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
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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
12 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
62 Comments

The Adultification of Youth Sports

Tuesday, 17 March 2015 by John O'Sullivan
The other day I had a conversation with a coaching colleague about the state of youth sports. I stated that the emphasis on travel sports and playing multiple games per day for young children was hurting kids and damaging sports. “I agree with what you are saying,” he said, “but you are forgetting that youth
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  • Published in Family Values, Problems in Youth Sports, Specialization
23 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
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  • Published in Motivation, Sports Parenting, Uncategorized
11 Comments

Faster, Higher, Stronger: An Interview with Mark McClusky

Sunday, 14 December 2014 by John O'Sullivan
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
10000 hoursfaster Higher Strongermccluskyperformancepositive sports experiencesyouth sports
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  • Published in Book reviews, Talent Development
1 Comment

The Tipping Point in Youth Sports

Tuesday, 11 November 2014 by John O'Sullivan
“What happens to us parents and coaches,” I often get asked, “that turns us from sensible, relaxed people to stressed out adults roaming up and down sports sidelines and screaming at every play?” It is a question I ponder a lot, especially as I often get to watch my young children’s games played side by
positive sports experiencesproblems in youth sportssports parentingyouth sports
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  • Published in Leadership, Problems in Youth Sports, Talent Development
10 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 4th Path: Reinventing US Youth Soccer Player Development

Wednesday, 26 February 2014 by John O'Sullivan
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
10000 hourscoachingpositive sports experiencesproblems in youth sportssocceryouth sports
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  • Published in Coaching, Soccer, Specialization
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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
15 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
122 Comments

5 Thoughts That Will Change Your Youth Sports Experience for the Better

Wednesday, 01 January 2014 by John O'Sullivan
“Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends and spirit – and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But
coachingcore valuesfamily valuesparentingpositive sports experiencessports parentingyouth sports
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  • Published in Coaching, Family Values, Sports Parenting
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Why Kids Play

Thursday, 05 September 2013 by John O'Sullivan
One of the great divides in youth sports is the divide between why kids say they play, and why parents and coaches think they play! Lucky for us this issue has been studied numerous times, all over the world, by institutions of higher learning. The results are quite profound. Check out my latest video to
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  • Published in Coaching, Messages for Kids, Problems in Youth Sports, Sports Parenting
6 Comments

Empowering and Educating Parents Will Fix the Youth Sports Mess

Sunday, 18 August 2013 by John O'Sullivan
When I was a child, my father used to jokingly tell my siblings and I that he was convinced we had another brother whom he had never seen, but was quite the trouble maker. This brother, named “Not Me,” seemed to be responsible for every broken, dirty, and disheveled thing around the house. Who broke
coachingcore valuesfamily valuesparentingperformanceplaying to winpositive sports experiencesproblems in youth sportssports parenting
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  • Published in Coaching, Family Values, Problems in Youth Sports, Sports Parenting
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“Never Stop Learning!” Part III of Three Things Great Coaches and Leaders Do

Monday, 12 August 2013 by John O'Sullivan
In part III, I share perhaps the biggest realization I ever had as a coach; the best coaches do not know it all! In fact, they are the first to admit it, and they never stop learning, never stop asking questions, and always are looking for ways to improve. If you want to be a
coachingcompetitioncore valuesmessaegs for coachesparentingperformanceplaying not to losepositive sports experiencessports parentingsports parents
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  • Published in Coaching, Leadership, Sports Parenting
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