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#80 Eating Disorders, and How Coaches Can Help Athletes have a Healthy Relationship with Food, Exercise and Their Bodies with National Champion Cyclist and Sports Psychologist Dr. Kate Bennett

Sunday, 23 September 2018 by John O'Sullivan
As Coach Reed says, what you say echoes as their inner voice. What are we saying and doing that can be the voice driving athletes to make dangerous decisions regarding nutrition and their bodies? What can we do to recognize and prevent these issues before it’s too late? Tune in to this difficult and important
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  • Published in Podcast
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An Open Letter to My Dad, who Makes Me Want to Quit Sports

Wednesday, 31 August 2016 by John O'Sullivan
Dear Dad, I was afraid to say this to your face after the game today, but I was thinking that maybe you could stop coming to my games for a while. It doesn’t seem that fun for you anyway, and I know it’s not fun for me when you are there. I used to love
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  • Published in Parenting, Problems in Youth Sports
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The Secret Ingredient of Great Coaching

Tuesday, 03 November 2015 by John O'Sullivan
“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?”
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  • Published in Coaching, Team Culture
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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
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  • Published in Coaching, Problems in Youth Sports, Sports Parenting
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How to Raise a Lion Chaser!

Monday, 04 August 2014 by John O'Sullivan
“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
coachingconfidencemental toughnessmindset for athletesperformancestate of mindyouth sports
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  • Published in Book reviews, Confidence, Mental Toughness
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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
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The Mindset of High-Performers

Tuesday, 03 June 2014 by John O'Sullivan
“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
coachingmindset for athletesperformancepraisestate of mind
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  • Published in Confidence, Praise, State
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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
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  • Published in Confidence, Problems in Youth Sports, Sports Parenting
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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
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  • Published in Coaching, Motivation, Sports Parenting
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More Important Than Talent

Tuesday, 12 November 2013 by John O'Sullivan
Parents ask me all the time if I think their child has what it takes to play at the college or professional level. They are asking if I think their kid has enough talent. My reply: “How much are your kids willing to suffer?” The answer to that simple question will go a long way
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  • Published in Coaching, Mental Toughness, Messages for Kids
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Are Your Kids Mentally Weak?

Friday, 04 October 2013 by John O'Sullivan
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
confidencefamily valuesmindset for athletespressurestate of mindyouth sports
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  • Published in Confidence, Mental Toughness
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Mental Toughness Week

Tuesday, 01 October 2013 by John O'Sullivan
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
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  • Published in Confidence, Mental Toughness
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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
coachingcompetitionconfidencefamily valuesmindset for athletesparentingpositive sports experiencesproblems in youth sportsstate of mind
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  • Published in Coaching, Messages for Kids, Problems in Youth Sports, Sports Parenting
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Trust Your Gut When It Comes To Youth Sports

Sunday, 25 August 2013 by John O'Sullivan
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
coachingcore valuesfamily valuesparentingperformancepressureproblems in youth sportssports parentingstate of mind
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  • Published in Family Values, Problems in Youth Sports, Sports Parenting
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