From The Sidelines

Accountability in Young Athletes

2008-09-30T11:22:00.000-07:00

I coach a lot of my sons, Nolan and Braydon, baseball and hockey teams and I am an athletic director at a summer camp and it just amazes me how many young athletes have no idea of how to be accountable for their actions both on and off the field. Parents today want the world for their child and feel that if they are paying for it then they deserve it without actually having to earn it and this is just plain wrong. Don't get me wrong as the first priority is to always have fun when playing sports at any level but what troubles me is that these athletes and their parents want to play at the highest level but yet they don't want to do any of the necessary work that is involved in playing at that level or they feel that they should automatically (the ENTITLEMENT GENERATION AS I CALL THEM) get a free ride just for showing up. God forbid a coach ever tells them that they are not being a good member of the team or what I like to say to them "Being accountable for their actions both positively and negatively in order to be a better teammate!"
Parents this can and has to start with you. It is a very difficult thing to do but yes you have to as it will help both in the short term as well as the long term for your child. Make them be responsible for getting all of their equipment ready for both practices and games, make them dry their equipment out after events, make them be sure that all of their equipment fits and is in good working condition at all times, advise and try to teach them to be responsible to their team if they play team sports versus being responsible to themself in individual sports. All of these little things will ultimately help get them mentally prepared for their game or practice in order to play to the best of their ability. I've seen more parents carrying their child's equipment bag, return home for equipment that was forgotten by their child and I've even seen one parent go out and buy brand new baseball shoes for his son that forgot them (not once but 3 times) over the last 6 months that it drives me crazy. These happen to be 12 and 13 year old boys I'm referring to and not 5/6 year olds. My wife, Karen, and I have always taught Nolan and Braydon that being accountable for their actions is one of the most important ways of showing your true desire for the sport as well as how valuable you perceive all the members of your team, including coaches. I'm not saying being accountable is easy, as it is never fun to have to tell your team that you might have let them down during a game or practice, but if they learn to do it at a young age then they will be a lot more valuable in a coaches eyes as well as their teammates and even into other areas of their lives like their teachers, friends and family. Karen and I always tell Nolan and Braydon that if they work hard and are accountable for their actions that coaches, employers, friends, family and acquantices will want them on their team because they no that they will make their team better at the end of the day. So parents no matter how tough it seems, please help your children grow by teaching them how to become accountable for their actions both on and off the field everyday. That is how it looks to me "From the Sidelines" and please give me your feedback and thoughts.

Sorry for the delay!!!!

2008-09-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

I apologize about the layoff as I was away working all summer in a remote area that does not allow for consistent internet time. I am back now and ready to roll with my thoughts "From the Sidelines" as well as "From the Bench". I've seen a lot of good and bad over the summer in regards to parents of athletes, coaches and the players themselves. It's great to be back and let's ahve some fun talking about anything and everything sports related and my first item will be about Parenting your young athlete to be accountable for their actions.

Showing Passion when Playing Sports

2008-05-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

Today's blog is all about showing passion when playing your sport!!!

I hate the fact that most children and adults don't really show any emotion when they are playing a sport. I watched both of my son's baseball tournaments this past weekend and there was only one team over the whole weekend that showed any passion when they were playing. The result from the sidelines was that it was fun to watch because the team showed that they were having fun playing the game and the coaches were allowing them to have fun while playing. The rest of the teams out there were like robots, they never smiled or got excited when a nice play was made or an error was made. They were afraid to show any kind of emotion because the coach or coaches didn't allow that type of behaviour from them which quite frankly is sad. We (as coaches) quite often forget to let kids fall on their faces and be allowed to make mistakes to see what type of player he/she actually is that indeed we develop robots that do not learn to think the game and learn what can make the game exciting or frustrating. Look at Tiger Woods, he does the fist pump after a great putt or chip shot, which at first was thought of as showing off and not very professional in regards to the game of golf but now people are starting to learn that absolutely you should show passion when you have done something that you and everyone watching know was great. Kobe or Lebron James in basketball, Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin scoring a fantastic goal in hockey, a baseball player hitting a walk-off home run or going up and over the fence to take away a home run. I could go on and on but you get the idea. Make no mistake about it, I am not talking about showing up your opponent, I am only saying that coaches please encourage your players to have passion when playing and players don't play the game if you don't have any passion to play in the first place. I would love to hear your comments and please pass this blog onto friends, family and coaches to see what they think and feel.

Letting Youth Athletes Learn to Love Sports

2008-05-05T09:18:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone,

Today's post is about letting youth athletes learn how to love sports! I see coaches and parents all the time, as most of us do, take the fun and love of sports out of the equation for their young athlete(s). It happens all the time and most times they don't even realize they are ruining the experience for their child and the players on their team. As a person who runs a business on developing GAME PLANS for parents, coaches and sports organizations that can help take them to the next level both physically and mentally while learning to love the game this just continues to amaze as well as saden me everytime. These parents and coaches get so consumed by the need to have their child or team play at the ultimate level right from day 1 that all sense of meaning fly right out the window. I'll stand back and watch whether it is at my own two son's games or practices or if I happen to be attending another sporting event and just be left dumbfounded by their actions and words that I see and hear. What it usually comes down to is the fact they are living through their child and this is just so unacceptable that most times these same parents and coaches never ask their child why they play the sport in the first place and this is where it should all start. I asked players on my one son's baseball team recently why they played and most of them were not sure how to answer because they did not know what my response would be. These are all 11 or 12 year old kids who are very nice as are the coaches on the team but not one of them told me it was because they love it. I'm pretty sure they answered with things like "I like it", "I want to win" or "I'm not sure" because they have never been asked or at least not in a long time. I responded to them that I still coach because "I love everything about sports and I want to pass this onto them and every other athlete I can." Now after practice I ask them as they walk by and they all say because "I love it!" with a smile. It has too start with them loving it and you being happy at whatever level they play at as long as they love playing first and foremost. I would love to hear from everyone to see what your feelings and thoughts are on this subject. My next blog is going to be about "Letting Athletes Learn through Making Mistakes". That's How I See It "From the Sidelines."

Headstart College Consulting for Athletes

2008-04-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

For my first blog I just wanted to introduce all sports parents, coaches, organizations and most importantly athletes to what my business is and what I am wanting to do from these blogs. First off my business is developing GAME PLANS for both high school and youth athletes and their parents to help guide them through the college recruiting process in order to find the best academic, athletic and personal fit. I have two GAME PLAN PLAYBOOKS which can be purchased directly from my website or I can be hired for consulting services - both one-or-one or seminar. As far as youth athletes and their parents I help develop a GAME PLAN that will allow the athlete to learn to love the game in order to develop mentally and physically to get to the next level. My blogs will vary in the fact they will change in relevancy from parent, to coach to athlete perspective like views From the Sidelines to From the Field and I hope to have any feedback private or public that you wish. I hope it is informative, controversial (if need be) and enjoyable for all.