7 Keys to Coaching Millennial Athletes
Guest post today by Maia Fletcher. Millennials got you surrounded? Yep, they’ve taken over the place. In fact, this year they’ll surpass the Baby Boomers as the largest generation in America. To connect with them we need to recognize, says guest blogger Maia Fletcher, that our athletes in their 20’s and 30’s occupy a unique […]
What’s Gone Wrong in Youth Sports? Error #1 There’s Too Much Adulting
Up or Out! That’s the model in play today, says Aspen Institute’s Tom Farrey, kicking off the 2018 Project Play Summit. A few kids move up but most are out: dropping out because it’s not fun, selected out because they’re “not good enough” or sitting out, either because they’re 2nd or 3rd string or because they’re […]
The Most Powerful Advice I Ever Received: “Just because it failed doesn’t mean you’re a failure”
Just because it failed, doesn’t mean you’re a failure. I heard this for the first time when I was in my early 20’s. Having completed an arduous laboratory experiment which required many repetitions over weeks of work, I could draw a conclusion about my hypothesis: it was wrong. Trial after trial proved my result: negative. […]
Ice Skating for Fun, Fitness and Sport Begins with a Good Teacher, by Cecily Morrow
Editor’s note: Cecily Morrow, accomplished professional ice skater and expert instructor, offers the first of her guest posts regarding safe and healthy ice skating. Cecily and I share a love of sport and a desire to teach it in a way that inspires healthy competition and lifelong participation. (Find more about Cecily and her instructional […]
Post Season Play: Why Do Good Guys Always Finish Last?
So, what can we learn from the Washington Nationals baseball team’s latest flame out from post season play? (Because, Heaven knows, there’s got to be a silver lining there somewhere!!) … Every coach, manager, teacher, trainer, parent and player wants the same thing: To rise to the occasion and play their best when it matters most. […]
Recruiting to Win is Easy, Building to Win Takes Talent
In the last 15 years I have watched the youth athletic field transform from playground to competitive cauldron. As college programs expanded, dangling the promise of scholarship dollars, and sports clubs upped the ante with paid coaches and select teams, the win at all costs (WAAC) culture came of age. Somewhere, we left a lot of […]
5 Potential Danger Zones in the Young Athlete
Kids need a challenge but they also need special handling. Most people think, why? My kids are flexible, resilient, and young. They bounce back from anything thrown at them. Let’s throw it all at them! They can handle it. Not so fast. Why? Because they’re growing, and growing presents special challenges and unique demands. They’re not mini-adults […]
How to Say No to the Pressure Toward Early Specialization in Youth Sports
Focusing only on one sport, year-round, can increase kids’ risk of injury and burnout, according to the recent position paper on the dangers of sport specialization put out by the American Academy of Pediatrics. But the incidence of early specialization in so many of our youth sports continues, regardless of doctor’s orders. Physicians tell us that kids […]
Helping Kids Set Healthy Boundaries
“No” used to mean no. Nowadays it’s more of a suggestion or an invitation to negotiate just how hard you will work to change my mind. But what if the answer needs to be no? What if the right response is no, but I know you really want me to say yes? What if danger […]
The Pygmalion Effect: Believing in them can help them succeed
It’s not just myth. Expecting them to succeed can increase the chances they will. It’s called the Pygmalion effect and it’s real. Here’s how it played out for me. *** “Wish me luck! I’m headed out to play nine,” I call to Penny, the assistant golf pro, as I turn toward the door. The day […]