Issues & Advice

This isn’t to say there can’t be tangents, coaches meetings shouldn’t be an all business type of affair, but you should stick to the agenda to keep things moving. The current trend in society is very anti-meeting. Lots of people perceive meetings as a gigantic waste of time that can be avoided through the use […]

The more you follow Occam’s Razor the more success your players will have and the more games you’ll win. Isn’t that really what it’s all about? At some point in your life outside of fastpitch softball you’ve probably heard the term “Occam’s Razor.” No, it’s not a brand of shaving utensil. Instead, it’s a way […]

Think back to every team you cheered for and try to think of a few things you said or did that you wish you could take back. As I was biking one morning I started thinking about my top five mistakes as a youth sports parent. It didn’t take me long to come up with about […]

Why does everyone place their cell phones next to their spoon like it’s an additional piece of silverware? Few players can reign in the urge to use the phone at team meals. Each person on the bus had received the same letter from the head coach. It said: “If you are going to travel as […]

But really, the only tangible advantage of having a taller setter is having a bigger block, and I should point out that a bigger block doesn’t necessarily mean a better block. Many coaches seem to continually be searching for a setter with the “so called” prototypical volleyball body and height. Here’s my question for them: […]

All sports increase your physical activity to some degree, but soccer offers unique benefits in that arena, especially when considered alongside other sports. Sports and activities have a wide range of positive benefits for children and teens. Participation in a team sport can introduce and foster character growth in your child as well as provide for […]

Making mistakes is critical to the kind of growth that ultimately wins games – especially those in tense situations – as well as championships. First of all, for those of you who are wondering, yes. This is my dog Swayze. (I didn’t name him; he was a rescue and that was already his name.) He’s […]

Studies show that being physically active through football lowers body fat, strengthens muscles and increases the likelihood of continuing good health habits later in life. Football is blue-collar America. It’s working class, working together. In this game – America’s favorite game – there are no isolation plays that cast a team aside. Nor are there […]

Scan the body language of each player immediately following an error. This will tell you who is fully engaged and who isn’t. Coaches are frequently consumed with their own self-anointed routines, content to stay within their scripted behavioral paradigms. If you think you might be one of those coaches, here’s a suggestion: Next time your […]

When we see our kids are giving it their all, let them know how proud we are. Letting our kids know that we value effort and hard work will encourage them to keep trying. Two outstanding traits of swimmers are perseverance and grit. We hear those words tossed around the pool deck, but what exactly […]