Car rides can be tense before and after competitive events. Having a HAPPY SONG that you and your kid belt out together can be a massive tool for regulation. You all know that song that no matter where or when it just takes you to a good place. I’m curious, what is yours…? High five if you know the gif reference 🏌️

Kids thrive on structure when it comes to learning environments. The field is a learning environment. If you are coaching kids and you are not following some form of routine you could be setting yourself up for failure. Learning of any kind is very uncomfortable. We need to remember this when we are coaching. Establishing a simple routine, like juggling for the first 5 minutes of every session, creates a structure that sets the tone for the remaining time and allows the kids to mentally get into the space to challenge themselves. It doesn’t end there though. If you start every practice with juggling but your commentary puts kids on the defensive you will shut down their desire to take risk and that will stunt growth. Instead, you need to make sure that you are encouraging the core athlete values you want to see in the team. In my foundations course I teach parent-coaches to give their athletes a very clear identity for being part of the team. Determination, Resilience, and Tenacity. These are taken from Angela Duckworth’s book “GRIT” and here is how you use them in a 5 minute juggling session. Encourage all kids to juggle for the first 5 minutes regardless of how good they are. Determination is not about being good, it is about continuing regardless of the current status. Shout out players who are struggling but keep going without any delay or sulking. Resilience is not about being good, it is about not allowing setbacks and failures to deter you from achieving your goal. Make grand gestures to call out any athlete who goes the extra mile to get even one more touch on the ball before it hits the ground. Tenacity is not about success, it is about the intensity with which you go after your target. If you coach juggling this way, the players will eventually get better at the skill. But…the real magic will happen when they start to believe that they are capable of doing difficult things. Let me know what you think about this approach…

Love this old debate. But tonight it made me think about how we approach coaching concepts in sports with more than one quality solution. When you work with kids are you always creating a dichotomy where some kids feel like they are on the wrong side of the fence?? This can stunt growth and creativity, resulting in narrow minded athletes and people. Let’s try to end these debates and instead focus on the dialogue. Try posing the question in a different format. Instead of Pepsi or Coke? Ask…what is it that you like about Pepsi or Coke and what makes them feel different to you? Then, be genuinely curious to hear what people say. As a coach this could be a change from something like, “Play the ball wide or kick it long”! This dichotomy forces players into a difficult decision. Change that to, “When we are pressed high near our goal what options do we have?” One comment sounds aggressive, applies pressure and judgement. The open ended question inspires thought, feels safer to answer and causes players to reflect on past experience while engaging in dialogue. One stunts growth, the other unlocks unlimited potential. Where do we fall on this one…?

Take a look at this character checklist from Brett Leadbetter's WHAT DRIVES WINNING program. You only get to choose one from each side and you have to live by them in everything you do. Which two do you pick and why?

Hey everyone, happy Saturday. I am planning out some initial content and I am wondering how you all feel about learning from these two sources. Would you rather have a 2 minute long video with live teaching or a 30 second video that pairs with a simple set of slides to follow?