Latest Posts
Raymond Cobb (July 1, 1955 – Sept. 4, 2013)
The summer of 1987, the summer before my third grade year, we moved into a new house on the south side of Fort Worth. The house was on the corner of Felix and 6th Avenue directly across the street from Hubbard Height Elementary School. It didn’t take me long to realize that if I wanted to fit in with the kids in that neighborhood I…
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Big Fish – Little Pond Effect
Is it better to be a big fish in a little pond or a little fish in a big pond? Said differently, is it better for your son to be the star of a “AA” team or a sub on a Majors team? I’ve heard parents say they would rather their kid be the bat boy on the elite team than the starting shortstop on an average team. I…
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Opportunity Cost
In my previous post, Oh No! It’s That Time of the Year, I discussed the dilemma a youth sports parent faces when trying to decide where their young athlete will play in the upcoming season. As if finding the right level of competition and a healthy environment is not difficult enough you must also consider the opportunity cost. What do I mean by opportunity cost? Ask…
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Oh No! It’s That Time of the Year
This time of the year is especially difficult. Difficult because this is the time of the year when we are faced with the question of where our kids will play in the upcoming season. Ultimately we must do what we think is best for our kids. That seems simple enough right? I wish it were simple but there’s plenty to consider when deciding where you athlete will should play. In…
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This is the Answer to the Question
Noah (far right with braces) was asked to fill in with the 8U Black Cats this weekend. I received a Facebook message Tuesday asking if he could play and he jumped at the chance to play with a couple old teammates. The boys played well, had a ton of fun, and in the end got eliminated by the eventual champions in the semi-final. So what’s…
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Play To Win
When I was new to the plumbing industry and working on the sales counter in a supply house I wasn’t particularly good at my job. Half the time I didn’t know what the plumber was asking for and the other half the time I couldn’t figure out how to pull it up in the system to put it on the sales order. This was quite…
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Embrace the Struggle
After our recent battle and loss to the Texans I made a comment during the post-game talk that some may have thought was odd. I mentioned to Cole that I was glad he got to experience being the last out of a tournament. I told him Noah has been that guy twice this season and I’m glad he got to be that guy as well….
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Performance = Potential – Interference
Last fall I took John O’Sullivan’s Coaching Mastery course. I loved all the great content, expert interviews, and the community interaction. Going into a big tournament this weekend this equation from the first module comes to mind: “Performance = Potential – Interference” The most common forms of interference on game day are the stress and pressure of winning, the stress and pressure of the big…
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Caught Looking
Plaster this quote everywhere; inside the score book, inside your coaching notebook, write it under the bill of your hat if you have to, whatever it takes just don’t forget these words. “There is nothing tough about getting negative when things go wrong. Any toddler throwing a tantrum is “tough” in that sense. A truly disciplined coach provides emotional support to a player who has…
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