An Open Letter to the Out of Control Sports Parent Sitting Next to Me in the Stands

Dear Out of Control Sports Parent, You. Yeah, you. The one shouting “Get the rebound!!!” to your kid. The one with the heart palpitating so loudly that you cannot contain yourself. The one yelling and complaining about the coach. The one hollering at the 13-year-old referee.  The one angry at my kid for making a
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# 103 How to Build a Model Youth Sports Organization w/ John Luetkemeyer

  Join us as we talk to John Luetkemeyer about how a youth sports organization went from a local disaster to national recognition based on volunteers changing how we trained players! It is an incredible conversation filled with nuggets of wisdom. John has spent 25 years as a youth hockey coach working with players from mini-mite to
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#100 “Every Child is One Relationship Away from a Successful Life:” A Lesson on Transformational Coaching from Joe Ehrmann and Jody Redman of the InSideOut Initiative

This podcast would not exist, the Changing the Game Project would not exist, if it were not for Joe Ehrmann. Many years ago, I read his incredible book InsideOut Coaching, and it changed my life forever. It validated for me that there was more to coaching than Xs and Os, and that I wanted to
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#98 MLS All Star and US National Team Forward Brian Ching discusses his Journey from Hawaii to the World Cup

He was not always the best player in the group, he didn’t play soccer year-round, and he didn’t have access to see the game being played by the best. He did work harder than anyone else and always kept the mindset there was room to be better. Because he chose work ethic as his guide,
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The Professionalization of Youth Sports

“The Fulham coaches distilled the threat, defined the tactics and dictated the tempo at which they expected their team to play. It was a tough European tournament, featuring Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Anderlecht and Feyenoord, but it was deemed to be winnable.” So begins Chapter 2 of the great book No Hunger
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#93 Super Bowl Champion and All-Pro Lineman Matt Birk and the Case for Late Specialization in Sports

He didn’t specialize early. In fact, he didn’t play until late in his childhood and scouts were not lining up to sign him for college football. Still, Matt Birk forged a great career and became one of the best Lineman in the NFL. Do you really need to focus on one sport early in your
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#92 A Fireside Chat on the Future of Coaching with Mark Bennett, Stuart Armstrong, Juan Gonzales Mendia, and John O’Sullivan

Become a fly on the wall and listen in as the experts behind the Future Coaching Conference plan out the sessions, discuss what it means to be a great coach, differentiate between resilience, grit, and mental toughness, and much more. Stuart Armstrong hosts from his car while driving the M6, and John, Mark, and Juan
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#91 A Conversation with World Cup and Olympic Sports Psychologist Bill Beswick

It is important the people coaching our children have all the qualities and skills necessary to develop success beyond the game. Who “coaches” our children’s coaches? This week, we continue with this theme of coach development to discuss how vital it is to have someone “coaching the coaches”. Bill Beswick is widely considered one of
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#89 A Commitment to Changing the Culture of Coaching with Lynn Berling-Manuel, CEO of United Soccer Coaches

To make real change we need those in a position of influence to support and advance the cause. United Soccer Coaches is the largest coaching membership organization in the world and they have recently committed to changing the coaching culture. Listen to this conversation with Lynn Berling-Manuel. Enjoy the Show! Show Notes 5:15 The single
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#86 Building faster, stronger athletes at every age with Olympic and World Champion strength coach Mike Boyle

Does weight lifting stunt growth? At what age should my kid start lifting? Mike Boyle is one of the pioneers in strength training and has worked at all ages and stages of sports. He answers these questions and more in this week’s episode. Enjoy the Show! Show Notes 7:00 One of the original strength coaches
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Our Children Become the Messages They Hear the Most

Picture the young swimmer stepping up to the starting blocks in a championship race. What is he thinking in that moment? Visualize the soccer player, stepping up to take the deciding penalty kick. What is going through her head? Think of the basketball player, standing on the free throw line needing to make two free
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#83 Children Become the Messages They Hear the Most with Dr. Jim Taylor, Sports Psychologist and author of Raising Young Athletes

What do you say to your athlete in the car ride to and from the game? What is the message during games, especially in those tense moments of high pressure? What we say to our children, becomes their inner voice. Listen in for Dr. Jim Taylor’s advice on creating successful youth athletes. Enjoy the Show!
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#82 The Barcelona Way: Unlocking the DNA of a Winning Culture with author Damian Hughes

Great cultures abound as examples of sporting success. The key is to build your own, using the success clues left by others as your guide. In this episode, Damien Hughes outlines the clues left by Barcelona and other great sports cultures so we can begin to develop a culture of success with our teams. Enjoy
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#81 Lessons from Kris Van Der Haegen, Mark Upton, and Mark Bennett that have made me a Better Coach

Sports are as much a learning journey as for us as it is for the athletes we coach. We MUST be willing to learn from those around us and evolve for the sake of those we lead. In this episode, John shares the three greatest lessons he has learned over the last 80 shows. Enjoy
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Are you a Blockbuster Coach, or are you a Netflix Coach?

Have you ever heard of Blockbuster Video? Have you seen one lately? There is a reason only one Blockbuster store remains today. Let me explain. In 1992 I was a senior in High School playing for one of the top high school soccer teams in the state. We were successful because our coach was one
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#76 Mark Bennett Returns! The Founder of PDS Coaching on Using the Rule of 3 for Coaching Excellence and Ways to Make Your Athletes More Accountable

This is a first for WOC! Coaching Expert Mark Bennett returns to expound on his Rule of 3 and teach us how to develop independent, self-aware, and accountable athletes at all levels of the game. Queue this one up and listen on your way to work today! Enjoy the Show! Other Interviews with Mark Mark’s
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#75 How to Incorporate Long Term Athlete Development into your practices with internationally known experts Joe Eisenmann, Tony Moreno and Rick Howard

People talk about “old school” when it comes to coaching and athlete performance. The problem is most of us have the wrong perspective. “Old school” is not strength and conditioning in a vacuum with no functional movement. “Old School” is not running laps until you puke. “Old School”, as defined by Joe, Tony, and Rick,
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Why is Abusive Coaching Tolerated in Sports?

On May 29, 2018, University of Maryland lineman Jordan McNair ran the last sprint of his life. After a series of 110 yd runs, during which he became disoriented and had trouble standing, McNair collapsed and died of heat stroke. He had a body temperature of 106 degrees in the hospital. He was only 19.
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WOC #74 Anthony Latronica, US U17 Men’s National Team and US Men’s Paralympic Assistant Coach, on the Importance of Developing Players at Every Age and Stage

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to coach the likes of Christian Pulisic when he was a youngster? Have you thought about how life-changing it would be to coach War Heroes on the U.S. National Paralympic Team? Don’t miss this episode where Anthony shares the stories of his coaching legacy. Enjoy the
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#73 Jerry Lynch and John O’Sullivan discuss how we use the R.I.V.E.R. effect to Connect with our Athletes, and you can too

Some coaches may win a few games or even a championship using bullying tactics without creating any kind of connection or caring environment with the players. If they’d followed the R.I.V.E.R. effect could they have won more? Could they have impacted lives beyond the game? John and Jerry discuss the acronym RIVER and its vital
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#72 Mark Wilson, former Manchester United, Middlesborough, and FC Dallas Player, on great coaches, superstar teammates, and how falling back in love with the game saved his career

What was Sir Alex Ferguson like as a person when the cameras weren’t on him? What was it like to be a part of one of the world’s most famous youth academies and win a Treble of Championships with one of the most storied and powerful sports brands? Listen to this episode with former Manchester
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WOC #71 Kirk Anderson, Former US Tennis Association Coaching Director, on how to put the needs of Players First in Youth Sports

There is a sport out there that has grown 17% every year for the last 6 years. In addition, 54% of participants say it helps them connect with their friends, 67% of parents get to play it with their children, and 71% of parents say it has had a positive influence. Those statistics sound fantastic.
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#70 How to Minimize Injury and Maximize Performance of Young Athletes with author Dr. Tommy John

“We are too busy looking for the silver bullet–the single finger to put in the dam regarding the injury epidemics happening in youth sports today–that we are missing the fact the dam is overflowing.“ Join Dr. Tommy John in this eye-opening, and frightening discussion about the youth sports injury epidemic and his mission to stop
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#69 Why more Physical Education and recess are the keys to better students in schools, with Paul Zientarski, TED Speaker and 40-year veteran Physical Education teacher

What if there was a simple solution to getting better academic performance, reducing discipline problems, and greater engagement of our children at school? There is a simple solution, and instead of adding more of it, we’ve been eliminating it from schools altogether! Paul Zientarski shares how he has transformed school districts by simply adding more
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#68 How to take US Soccer to the next level with Coaching Director for US Youth Soccer, Sam Snow.

What will it take for US Soccer to become a World Soccer Power?  How can we continue to grow the game at the youth levels while helping to improve at the highest too? This episode, we sit down with Sam Snow to talk about his role with US Youth Soccer and the plan for getting
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WOC #67 Coaching Child Soldiers, Empowering Young Girls, and Changing the World Through Sport with Nick Gates, Founder of Coaches Across Continents

What if youth sports had a much greater purpose than winning, fitness, socialization, or development? What if sports could break down barriers, change societal obstructions, create opportunities for the better, and even save lives? In this dually heart-warming and heart-breaking episode Nick Gates, Founder of Coaches Across Continents, shares how his company has been serving
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WOC #66 How to Grow and Improve Your Sport with US Lacrosse Technical Director for Athlete Development TJ Buchanan

The majority of youth sports are suffering from catastrophic attrition rates and we are scrambling to keep kids in the game. US Lacrosse is growing. What is their secret? Listen to the full podcast to hear about how they do it.   Enjoy the show!   Show Notes 7:45 The “Pracademic” of youth sports 12:15
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WOC #64 “I’m just a kid playing a game”: Overcoming adversity, managing disappointment, and building an athlete warrior ethos with USA Volleyball Player Cassidy Lichtman

Imagine playing your entire career with unimaginable pain or working your hardest for four years to fall one spot short of making a lifelong dream come true. Now imagine the kind of warrior ethos required to say “my pain will not control my life and my disappointments will not define me”. This is the amazing
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“Make Failure Your Fuel”: How to Help Your Athletes Learn from Adversity

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
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In Youth Sports, there is no LTAD without STAE

“Imagine youth sports was a room. On one end of the room, there is a door where everyone enters. At the other end, there is another door where everyone leaves.” So began a long conversation I had with Peter Hugg, the Head of Football (soccer) for Football New South Wales in Australia, on my recent
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