A Coach's Diary

It's very easy to get caught up with trying to 'keep up with the Joneses' in youth sports.  At ridiculously earlier ages, we are pushing our kids to specialize in one sport in a rat race to nowhere , even to the detriment of what's best from and physical and mental standpoint for our young athletes.   The world of youth sports can be confusing, complicated and an emotional roller coaster for athletes and parents if you let it.  My recommendation for any parent getting lost in the struggle of what to do with their young athlete is to be lead by 3 questions: 1 - Is your athlete having fun? 2 - Is your athlete getting better? 3 - Is your athlete doing the best that they can? Is Your Athlete Having Fun We overthink and over-analyze this sports thing.  We play sports to stay in shape, have fun, and compete.  Fun and enjoyment and joy should drive their attendance at an early age while building up a healthy level of competition.  ...

All credit for this article goes to the website, “Changing the Game Project.”  It is a great article about the importance of competing, using Lionel Messi as their muse.  In my opinion, competing is the most important character trait in athletes, young and old.  You can read the article in full here . “Competing for Lionel Messi is not a sometime thing; it is an all-time thing. He has always been smaller than the other kids. He was born with a growth hormone disorder, and as a child was nicknamed “the flea.” Clubs would not sign him because he was too small. Even when FC Barcelona brought him to Spain at age 13, he was always undersized. He had to learn grit, and persistence, and guile. The more you kicked him, the angrier he got, and the better he played. The will to compete does not simply show itself in games.  As his former Barcelona teammate Thierry Henry said, it showed in practice too .  He isn't a sometimes competitor: he is an all-time competit...