Tag: bloganuary
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Fixed to a mindset
As a child, I was overly attached the idea that I didn’t have “it.” “It” was the thing the other players had which led them to tryout success and more playing time. That is why those girls made it on the team and not me. I didn’t have the thing. But maybe my time would…
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What did you want your team to be?
To say that you feel overwhelmed would be to put it lightly. You got into coaching because you wanted to change lives. You wanted to be a support system. You want kids to see their true potential. And yet you feel like instead you are spending all of you time disciplining and are so busy…
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What will your legacy be?
You can see it now. They will definitely retire your jersey and hoist up on the wall of the gym. Or you will be recorded as one the greatest in the record books. Or even better, forever immortalized with a statue in front of the venue to greet visitors for years to come. After all…
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How much are your coaches worth?
When it comes to youth sport, the focus is of course on the kids. But we do need to take a step back to make sure that coaches have all the support that they need to be great. Yes, you can give them more apps, more training, and mentoring. But it will likely take the…
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A quick message about sports
I want to share the message of sports-based youth development, and I wish there were a quick way to do it. But alas, there are a lot of moving parts. However, the quickest way to do that would be this: Sports can change lives, for better or for worse. People often operate under the assumption…
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Learning to leave the past behind
As an athlete, I had the unfortunate quirk to dwell on my mistakes. If I missed the defensive tackle and the other team scored or tripped over my feet and lost the ball and the shot on goal, I replayed those mistakes in head over and over. I struggled to let go of the past…
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What I took for granted
Growing up, I had the opportunity to participate in structured physical education (PE) classes. I distinctly remember later swapping school stories with friends and shocking them with the rigorous nature of PE in my elementary school. You did that in elementary school? The version of dodgeball we played is a story for another day. But…
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So, about coach training
Think back to when you played youth sports and the coaches you had. Chances are that those coaches learned how to coach from the coaches they had. They were simply repeating the behaviors they saw modeled for them. Maybe if you had that one great coach who changed your life for the better. But what…
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Play under surveillance
Years ago, as a youth athlete I went to soccer practice and that was it. I looked with envy as the other players engaged in pick-up games on the weekend and off days. I had always heard that was the best way to improve my skill level, but I never joined in. It was just…
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The biggest problem in youth sports is probably not what you think it is
Quick, what would you say is the biggest challenge facing youth sports right now? If you are like a lot of people in the field, you will probably say money. Sports is just getting way too expensive these days with the pay-to-play model. Fair, that is a problem. High fees are making sports cost prohibitive,…
The Sideline Fix 