A Coach's Diary

It’s hard trying to find the balance between pushing your kids and keeping sports fun. When you take the joy out of youth sports, it becomes a job and you run the risk of your kids not wanting to do it anymore. Jon Gordon and David Pollack had a great discussion about how to maintain that balance on Gordon’s Positive U podcast. Here are my notes: Don’t Make It Too Serious Too Early Don’t professionalize sports for kids, and don’t over-prioritize sports too early. There is plenty of time to get serious.  Don’t make it too serious too early or you run the risk of burning them out. Keep it fun and keep it healthy because the journey is a marathon and not a sprint. Character >>> Results Don’t worry too much about outcomes; worry more about who they are becoming as a result of the chase. The purpose of sports is to make you a better human being. Focus on that. At some point, we will all be retired athletes; who will you be when you are finished playing? Keep it Fun and Healthy ...

Social media can be your best teammate or most vicious opponent.  On one hand, it is a one-stop-shop for skills and drills that are being done by athletes like you and athletes who you want to become.  It is a great opportunity to see what athletes are doing around the world. With that comes comparison and comparison can be the thief of all joy.  I have spent many nights scrolling through the pages of athlete after athlete and coach after coach, comparing my ability and my kids' abilities vs other coaches and kids, and the anxiety that can come from that is just not healthy. When used right, social media is a great resource and a jolt of motivation.  When used wrong, it can create anxiety, depression, and unhealthy relationships. Social media is a great resource for seeing what other athletes your age are doing, but its just one resource. I can tell you firsthand that it is easy to go down the rabbit hole of going from video to video and profile...

The following article is from the Time Herald and can be found in its entirety here . Editors Note:  Brandon Day has become a legendary wrestling coach in the Blue Water Area, leading Richmond to several state championships. This is his first guest column for the Times Herald.    After 17 years coaching at the high school level, I am not a big fan of the youth sports culture in America today. I don’t think we are developing better athletes and/or people in our current system. We have developed a culture that will not serve our student-athletes well as they grow into adulthood. We have organizations and private coaches that are making a profit filling parents’ heads full of false information and dreams of scholarships rather than focusing on the development of the athletes, regardless of their skill levels. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but not every kid can be a college scholarship athlete and that is OK. We need to take pride in c...