An Open Letter to My Dad, who Makes Me Want to Quit Sports
Wednesday, 31 August 2016
- Published in Parenting, Problems in Youth Sports
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The Secret Ingredient of Great Coaching
Tuesday, 03 November 2015
“I just can’t figure it out,” an exasperated coach said to me recently. “One day we are flying around the field, and the next it looks like we’ve never played together before. Why does this happen?” “Do you think your players lost all their skill?” I asked? “Do you think they forgot how to play?”
- Published in Coaching, Team Culture
Why Kids Quit Sports
Tuesday, 05 May 2015
- Published in Coaching, Problems in Youth Sports, Sports Parenting
How to Raise a Lion Chaser!
Monday, 04 August 2014
“Coach, I don’t want to take a penalty shot,” said a very nervous 13 year-old player of mine a few years back. We were in the Oregon Soccer State Cup semifinals, and this talented but not quite confident young girl looked in no mood to take a shot in the penalty shootout to determine whether
- Published in Book reviews, Confidence, Mental Toughness
FUN is NOT a 4-letter Word!
Monday, 07 July 2014
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
- Published in Coaching, Problems in Youth Sports, Sports Parenting
The Mindset of High-Performers
Tuesday, 03 June 2014
“I lost my starting spot on the soccer team. I’m just not good at soccer.” “I failed my math test. I’m just not good at math.” Ever heard such a statement form one of your kids? From one of your players? If so, it is very likely that the single greatest factor limiting their performance
- Published in Confidence, Praise, State
The Ride Home
Thursday, 01 May 2014
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
- Published in Confidence, Problems in Youth Sports, Sports Parenting
The Bare Essentials: Three Things Every Athlete Needs to Succeed
Thursday, 06 February 2014
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
- Published in Coaching, Motivation, Sports Parenting
Are Your Kids Mentally Weak?
Friday, 04 October 2013
Are your kids mentally tough? Can they be pushed to achieve great things, or do they need to be coddled? Do they deal well with disappointment and failure, or do they fear it, and thus avoid challenging situations? Do they fear strict, demanding coaches, or do they thrive on them? As parents we know our
- Published in Confidence, Mental Toughness
Mental Toughness Week
Tuesday, 01 October 2013
Why are we so afraid to challenge kids these days, or to let our kids be challenged? We all know that our greatest accomplishments, the things we are most proud of in our lives, be they building a business, or our family, or athletic achievements, all came with struggle! Nothing great comes easy. This week
- Published in Confidence, Mental Toughness
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
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 Coaching, Leadership, Sports Parenting, State