Please be prepared. I'm going to go on a bit of rant now. I just can't hold it in any longer. I see parents doing this constantly and it's killing me because they know not what they do and they are actually hurting their children's personal and athletic development. What am I referring to? It's [...]
I was recently interviewed by the Toronto Sun about a remarkable statistic: 26% of parents believe their children will be professional athletes. Remarkable because, as the article notes, the chances are actually infinitesimal.
As you may know, I'm pretty darned outspoken about parents of young athletes who are seduced by our hypercompetitive youth sports culture in which parents become overly invested (in terms of time, $$, and ego) in their children's sports participation. But nothing I have ever written is as brutally honest as this article written by [...]
I was recently interviewed by a Canadian parenting magazine (thus the title's reference to Sidney Crosby) on the challenges of being a sports parents. There are some interesting perspectives that the parents of young athletes will appreciate and learn from.
Jamie Astle, the father of the late racer Bryce Astle, recently described the qualities that he believed would have made Bryce a ski racing champion. His list is formidable and very consistent with my own ideas on the topic. Here's the list: He embraced a positive attitude and was always able see the good [...]
I was recently interviewed by TrailRunningNation.com on the psychology of endurance sports, including trail running. I offer a lot of practical ideas on how to be prepared, feel confident, focus and deal with the pain of an endurance event.
On the heels of my recent post in which I explore the risks and benefits of young athletes specializing early in a sport, a recent article in the New York Times reveals that Jordan Spieth, the PGA's #1 ranked golfer (at age 22) was not born and raised to be a professional golfer. As the article [...]
This question torments every parent who wants to support their children’s efforts as they pursue their own personal greatness in a sport. It is also one of the most frequently asked questions I get from parents of young athletes. This question isn’t just one of professional interest to me. Rather, it’s personal for two reasons. [...]
Katie Ledecky made history when she won the four freestyle swimming event between 200 and 1500 meters at the recently concluded 2015 World Swimming Championships in Kazan, Russia. Her athletic feat was singularly remarkable to be sure. However, I'm more interested in what led her to this place, particularly the role that her parents played [...]
I was recently interviewed by Tackling College Sports on a wide range of topics related to sport psychology. You can listen to it here (scroll to bottom) .