A castle built on a bad foundation is destined to collapse under pressure…agree or disagree? When I work with young players they always want to skip the fundamentals and get into more exciting things like shooting or skill moves. What is difficult to explain to them is that there basic movements are wrong for a soccer player so correcting their shot is impossible, unless we start with the basics. This is where the BEST athletes in the world started their journey. They committed, at home, all by themselves, to being elite at the fundamentals. I can honestly say, even my own progress in the sport is curved by my mastery of fundamentals. If my running technique was more refined I would have conserved more energy and been more fit. If my left foot dribbling was equal to my right I would have given away possession less on my left side. If my knowledge of the game tactically at the time was better I would have improved my performance across the board. At the time though, nobody was holding me accountable for that level of mastery and most importantly, I wasn’t holding myself accountable for it either. The book extreme ownership by Jocko Willink changed how I think fundamentally when it comes to growth and progress. If only I had read it my sophomore year of college…who knows how I would have progressed. I’m proud of what I did and now on a mission to help others reach heights they weren’t sure they could get to. Mainly by helping them realize that hours at home becoming a master when nobody is looking is really the highlight tape that players should be focusing on more than the goals from their Sunday league games. Would love to hear what all of you think about this story and what your “at home mastery” looks like right now for you or for your child.

What is your relationship with feedback? Something that has stuck with me for a while as an educator and coach is that many people, especially kids, have a terrible relationship with feedback. In the US I think a lot of this comes from the fact that grade school doesn’t value feedback it only values results. I find myself asking the question a lot lately, “how can I shift my material in class to incentivize seeking feedback and criticism and remove the weight of the result.” When I’m on the field coaching, I always incentivize risk taking and mistakes because the training ground is a place to learn and failure and feedback are essential for learning. Yet in the more formal educational spaces, and I imagine professional spaces as well, we create a focus around the opposite. It only makes sense then that we would be developing students, athletes and people with a very poor relationship feedback. I wonder how you all feel about this and if you would like to share your relationship with feedback and your views on why you think so many young people avoid it. Take a minute to share your thoughts below and also provide an example of a time when failure was influential in reaching success.

“Winning is a process driven by character” This quote has shaped my coaching career and success more than any other. I’m curious what you all think about this and how you would explain winning to your team or kids.

I have worked with so many trainers of the last two decades and this word comes up the most. You want to be great at something...give it consistent effort, with intensity and focus and eventually you will be incredible. Which makes me wonder, why is this so hard to do...? What do you think?

Most athletes go through their schedule without ever thinking deeply about why they are doing what they are doing. Living with intention means understanding the HOW and the WHY behind everything, not just the WHAT. Here is what that looks like. Typical Question: What are you doing this weekend? Typical Athlete Answer: I have practice tomorrow and then I have a game on Sunday with my club team. That answer is surface level. It tells us what is happening, but nothing about growth, focus, or purpose. Now listen to the difference. Same question: What are you doing this weekend? INTENTION Based Answer: This weekend I am training with purpose. I have practice tomorrow to improve my first touch and stay calm under pressure because I want to control the pace of the game instead of rushing. Then on Sunday I have a game where my focus is to apply what I worked on, communicate more with my teammates, and compete with confidence so I can impact the game and keep getting better. One athlete is just going through the motions. The other is showing up with INTENTION. 🎯 Every session has a purpose. 🎯 Every rep has a reason. 🎯 Every game is a chance to prove growth. No more absent minded training. Show up with intention and watch it pay dividends. Leave a comment below that represents what showing up with intention looks like for you this week. Parents and coaches, this applies to you too 🫵