Podcasts about giving youth sports back

In this episode of The Present, Lisa sits down with John O'Sullivan, an author, speaker, and veteran soccer coach with experience at the youth, college, and professional levels. John is the host of The Way of Champions Podcast and the founder of the Changing the Game Project, an organization dedicated to transforming youth sports into a more positive, child-centered experience by educating parents and coaches. John is the author of three bestselling books: Changing the Game: The Parents' Guide to Raising Happy, High-Performing Athletes and Giving Youth Sports Back to Our Kids, Every Moment Matters, and The Champion Teammate. His impactful 2014 TEDx talk, “Changing the Game in Youth Sports”, has been viewed over half a million times. Learn more about John's work at www.changingthegameproject.com or reach out to him at John@changingthegameproject.com.

Today's a very special episode of the Bring It In podcast, as we've got not one, but two returning guests and friends of the podcast!  First we've got John O'Sullivan, a member of the 1990 Patriot League Championship team, the former executive director of Oregon Rush Soccer Club, and founder of the Changing the Game Project, as well as the author of the “Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids” book. He's joined by Dr. Jerry Lynch, founder of Way of Champions, author of a ton of books like “The Competative Buddah: How to Up Your Game in Sports, Leadership and Life” and “Let Them Play: The Mindful Way to Parent Kids for Fun and Success in Sports” ex-Navy Officer, sports psychologist, speaker, athlete, and has coached super stars in the sports world like Phil Jackson, Steve Kerr, and Kobe Bryant. These two superstars have teamed up to add another book into their already impressive collection of written works, “The Champion Teammate: Timeless Lessons to Connect, Compete and Lead in Sports and Life” that compiles decades of championship winning experience into a book that focuses on how to develop winning, healthy, and caring teams at a time when most organizations are in disarray. This is another one you're not going to want to miss, so with that…let's bring it in!

“Teaching our next generation the drive, desire, work ethic and character, that will take them to new heights, using neuroscience.” Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/oXfQPEJWwbM On this episode you will learn: ✔ How Former MLB Player is taking the mental and physical skills he learned over his 14 year MLB career, connected to neuroscience to help our next generation of youth. ✔ The leadership ingredients that Mike Bordick thinks made some players stand out over the rest with their results. ✔ Why Mike Piazza (NY Mets) was such an outstanding and unique team player. ✔  How Mike Bordick's childhood contributed to his success in MLB and beyond, and why he thinks it's important to give these skills back to our next generation. ✔ What sport Mike chose to unwind after a busy season, to enjoy the "solitude of nature." ✔ His vision for League of Dreams www.leagueofdreams.org (that's just celebrated it's 20th year). Welcome back to Season 10 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (that's finally being taught in our schools today) and emotional intelligence training (used in our modern workplaces) for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren't taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I'm Andrea Samadi, an author, and an educator with a passion for learning and launched this podcast 5 years ago with the goal of bringing ALL the leading experts together (in one place) to uncover the most current research that would back up how the brain learns best, taking us ALL to new, and often unimaginable heights.    For today's EPISODE #295 we are going to speak with someone who I feel connected to with where he is going, but for many others, like my husband, he's formed a huge connection to where he has come from. We will be speaking with Mike Bordick, a former MLB player, whose 14 year career included time with the A's, Orioles, Blue Jays and Mets. I came to meet him when he contacted me, brainstorming ideas for ways he can continue to give back to youth in his retirement, with the organization he has formed www.leagueofdreams.org, that is celebrating their 20th year and is now looking at including content that links neuroscience to learning and physical education. When I saw his email to me, I wondered “what is a former baseball player emailing me about” and then when I got to what he was looking for, I thought that he definitively found the right person, as this is what the podcast Neuroscience Meets SEL is all about. I wrote back to him with ideas, and resources from the podcast, with episodes that tied back to PE and the brain, and connected him to everyone I knew that's focused on PE and neuroscience. I can't wait to meet with Mike and learn more about his vision for neuroscience, (that stems from his college degree in PE and kinesiology) and see what he does with this new program that he's working on, that links brain health, physical activity and nutrition. I also knew I couldn't ignore the path the led him to where he is today with his vision, so we will dive a bit into his past on today's interview. If you know me well, you'll know that I'm not really a sports fan, (while I love being physically active myself, I haven't spent much time watching sports, since I was around twelve, and my Dad took me to hockey games in Toronto. I think I've been to one baseball game, but never went back because it just wasn't my thing sitting in the stands and watching the fans spitting on the ground.  So, when Mike's email came in, I asked my husband, Majid Samadi, who is a huge baseball fan, “Have you ever heard of Mike Bordick” and the answer was a definite “Yes, and why do you ask?” Before learning more about Mike's vision, you can go to his About Us page on his website and see where his path that led him to baseball began. Majid filled in some of the blanks that I had, from the point on view of an avid Mets baseball fan. I learned that: Mike Bordick, while on the Orioles, was so highly regarded that they shifted Hall of Famer Cal Ripkin Jr to 3rd base, so that Mike Bordick could play short stop. In 2000, he was traded to the NY Mets during the Pennant Race, where he went onto the World Series and most importantly, he was a part of the first Subway Series between the NY Mets and the NY Yankees in the 2000 World Series. Hearing this, made me see a different side to Mike Bordick and his vision for youth. He brings all the attributes he learned and developed in leadership with his 14-year career in the MLB. What I'm interested in learning more about now, is what he plans to do with the skills he's learned in his career.  I've asked Mike Bordick to join us, and share his vision for where he has been, what he has built in his retirement, and the legacy he would like to leave with his experience, knowledge and skills, all for the benefit of our next generation of youth. Let's meet Mike Bordick! Welcome Mike, it's awesome to meet you. This is my better half, Majid Samadi, who knew you without having to look you up. We are honored to have this opportunity to learn more about your vision, but also, bringing your past experience in baseball to light. Intro Q: Before we get to your questions, I've got one myself and Majid pitched in his. I was hoping to get some intel on Miguel Batista, after meeting him briefly years ago, but since you rarely faced him, I'll change my question a bit. I really do believe that you can get a solid understanding of someone by watching how they do certain things.  You know, it's that “how you do anything is how you do everything” idea. Miguel Batista is the only MLB player I've met personally, even if it was brief, I could guess what he would be like as a person. Who stood out to you as a leader over the years, and what do you think it was that took them to higher levels of achievement, over other people? Majid—I'm a huge METS fan.. story of watching Mike in the stands. What was it like to play with Mike Piazza and being in the heart of a pennant race, going all the way to the World Series? How was the energy around the New York Fans supporting the Mets and pushing for a Championship? Q1: Take us back to childhood. Reading your website, I'm curious, what do you think it was that made you into a MLB player?  I related to what you wrote on your website, with having a strict Father, with “fear being instilled into your young heart” and maybe a little bit about the “fear of God” as we never missed a Sunday at Church growing up. Something about these two things I think taught me discipline that would carry me through difficult times later in life. What about you? What were the ingredients that made you into who you are today, and how do you translate these ingredients into your programs for youth? Q1B: Majid --what the work ethic of my all-time favorite player, Mike Piazza? How was he as a teammate, and did he do anything specifically to instill confidence in the team to push forward in a Championship year? Q2B: Majid --since playing in New York has a lot of advantages and at the same time can be difficult with the media coverage. What were some skills you were able to develop being with the New York Mets and how do you transfer these skills to the kids that you work with today?  Q2: “The solitude I found fishing by myself is what I truly loved.” If you weren't fishing, you were playing baseball. Majid would understand your passion for fishing, but I wonder, what is it that you enjoy so much about “the solitude” of it all? Being in nature?  How can this understanding help our next generation get outside and spend more time in nature? Q3: For a family who has noticed our girls' self-esteem skyrocket through sport, what can you say about these skills (called social and emotional skills now) but they weren't taught in school when we were growing up. We had to learn them through the school of hard knocks. Things like mindset, attitude, sportsmanship, and basic character skills that would separate you from the rest. Where did you learn these skills, and how do you incorporate them into sport for youth? Q4: Reading what 5th grade was like for you broke my heart a bit, mostly because it's the kids who are left out that we were always taught to watch out for. They are ALWAYS the ones who take off like a rocket (I can name a few my elementary school days who struggled are they are now medical doctors). Looking back now, do you think this hardship at school gave you something that made you stronger? Not that I want life to be easy for my kids, but hardship builds something we can't give our kids. Can you share getting cut from 3 of your middle school teams, and how being vulnerable with your weaknesses helps kids you are working with? Q5: Tell us about your vision for connecting neuroscience to PE. Where are you with this program, and what else do you need? Q6: Final thoughts, and reflections. Mike, I want to thank you for coming on the podcast, and sharing your powerful story that took you from childhood, to your 20-year career in MLB. What you have already built with your League of Dreams Program is outstanding, and I'm excited for what you are creating with your PE program backed by neuroscience. I can express how excited I am personally to be speaking with you, but Majid takes it all to another level, as he sat in the stands watching your first game. It's been a true honor to meet you.   LEARN MORE ABOUT MIKE BORDICK:   League of Dreams https://leagueofdreams.org/   Personal Website https://mikebordick14.com/about-me   The Baseball Warehouse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AJkb-YIHXU (teaches the fundamentals of baseball as well as the mental side of the sport).   The Baseball Charity: Improving Lives Through Baseball http://www.tbwcharities.org/   Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mike.bordick.5   Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mikebordick/   FINAL THOUGHTS, REFLECTIONS AND AHA MOMENTS:   I think it helps to share any AHA Moments that were noticed during the interview, or while editing, since learning is something that's ongoing. I'm sure as you listened to this interview, you could relate with your own life experiences. Majid and I reflected on this interview together, as I wondered what he noticed, that I might have missed. Here were our biggest take-aways from speaking with Mike Bordick: Go Deep When Researching to Find the Heart Behind The “Why”[i]: It doesn't take that much time to get to know someone on a deeper level when you are researching them for an interview. I watched some of Mike's television clips, and noticed that the questions he was asked were usually ones on the surface, (like what are you building for youth) and these questions still highlighted the incredible work he is doing with LeagueofDreams.org, but for me, there was something missing. I like to “feel” the heart of each person I'm speaking to, and knew I didn't have the knowledge and background to get there on my own. I knew I needed help for this interview, to uncover the “heart” behind Mike Bordick's mission and legacy, and I saw it when Majid brought back some of the memories of sitting in the stands watching Mike's games, in his early days. Mike wouldn't have known what it felt like from a fan's point of view, and Majid had no idea that the “field shook” when the fans cheered (or booed). He only knew the stands would shake from his point of view. Mike got to see Majid's perspective, and vice versa, which is when I noticed the “magic” started to happen. We also noticed that while you can research someone thoroughly, you still won't be able to find out everything, so find ways that your guest can add to what you've uncovered, if you've missed something. We didn't know that Mike Bordick played in 2 World Series Games, but by recognizing him in one, he was able to share the full picture. PUT THIS INTO ACTION: When speaking with someone, whether an interview like I'm doing, or a customer you are trying to get to know in the business world, or if I think about it, the athletes that you are coaching, when you can connect to another person at the heart level, the bond you will create is unbreakable, and unforgettable. I know Majid and I will NEVER forget this part of the interview, because we were able to “feel” it and this was all possible from spending a little bit of extra time learning more Mike's background, and getting to know him at the heart level, going straight to what mattered the most to him, or his “why.” It pays off to put extra effort into going a bit deeper to get to know and understand others who are important in your life, for this reason.   Always Think of Ways to Help Others and Give Back: I think this is what caught my attention the most when I first met Mike Bordick. Here he was in retirement working on ways to give back to those who need it the most with his League of Dreams Organization. He and all the others who lead this organization[ii], found a way to contribute and help those who need these skills the most. If we ALL spent some time thinking of ways to help others, even if it's one person, the world would be a different place. Majid also noticed this and we both wanted to be sure that we highlighted what a noble cause The League of Dreams is. PUT THIS INTO ACTION: You don't need to go BIG with this idea, like Mike is doing, (or you can with some planning) but I really do believe that we can all do this with small actions, taken daily, and make an impact that begins in our own community. How are you as a role model in your family? Start here, and then expand out larger into your community, and then further, into your city, state, and then go as big as you want out into the world.  Small details matter a lot and show people who you really are in a matter of seconds. It's all about seeing the WE in social and emotional learning, instead of the I. Social Awareness, vs Self-Awareness. Start small and do a bit more each day. When Mike Bordick reached out to us about ways to incorporate neuroscience into his work, I bet he didn't know how much his experiences would help and inspire others—two minds when they come together, (WE vs I) expands all of our levels of awareness, leaving us with the thought of “what else can we do to help others?” We are all connected: This one came through when Mike was talking about the solitude he felt while fishing in nature by himself, something he would do to unwind from a busy season. Something magical happens when we can feel the oneness of ourselves within nature, and this is something I'm going to explore more on a future episode as we look at the power that comes from being on, near or by the ocean with author and ocean expert Wallace J. Nichols. PUT THIS IN ACTION: If you have been following this podcast, I'm sure you will have your own story of what happens to you while in nature. Mike Bordick talked about the meditative nature of fishing and what he would say were “undisclosed benefits” to being in nature.  I've felt strange and interesting things while hiking in the mountains, or swimming in the ocean. When we get to our interview with Dr. Nichols, I'll ask him to explain WHY we feel such interesting connections with others in nature, and why nature has the ability to calm us down, and bring out our creative sides, because this is what he has dedicated his entire lifetime studying. I don't think I need to explain this one any further, other than to say how important it is to get out into nature, and take note of what this peace and solitude means for you. With those takeaways, I'll close out this episode. I hope you enjoyed this interview with Mike Bordick as much as we did. If you want to learn more about League of Dreams, you can visit www.leagueofdreams.org and connect with Mike Bordick through this website, or connect to him via social media. CONNECT WITH MIKE BORDICK AND LEAGUE OF DREAMS: WEBSITE: https://leagueofdreams.org/contact-us/ PODCAST: https://leagueofdreams.org/podcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MBordick Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikebordick/?hl=en RESOURCES: John O'Sullivan Changing the Game: The Parent's Guide to Raising High Performing Athletes and Giving Youth Sports Back to Our Kids https://www.amazon.com/Changing-Game-Parents-Performing-Athletes-ebook/dp/B00DZC25LW REFERENCES: [i] Simon Sinek Starts with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Action https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA [ii] Board of Directors for League of Dreams https://leagueofdreams.org/about/who-we-are/  

In this episode of League of Fans' Sports Forum we chat with John O'Sullivan, Founder and CEO of Changing the Game Project (changingthegameproject.com), a youth sports reform initiative. John is also the author of "Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes and Giving Youth Sports Back to Our Kids." A long-time coach and sports administrator at the youth, high school, college and professional levels, John offers great insight into the problems and challenges in the world of youth sports today and talks about some of the ways we can positively impact those issues for the benefit of our kids.

Youth sports has morphed from something children do to stay fit and learn teamwork skills into a multibillion-dollar business. As Chris Bell highlighted in his HBO series Trophy Kids, some sports parents are crushing their kids' mental health and making coaches' lives miserable as they push their sons and daughters to a bad place. It's no wonder that 70 percent of children drop out of sports permanently before they finish high school. Steve Lloyd tackles this thorny issue in his book The Game is Hard Enough. Combining decades of experience as a coach and educator with the lessons he learned helping his son Matt make it into the Cincinnati Reds baseball organization, Steve aims to create a better blueprint for youth sports parents, coaches, and athletes that can bring back the joy of the game, serve as a teacher of life skills, and create responsible, capable, and resilient young people who positively impact their world. In this episode, Steve shares: · How Coach Steve Konchalski taught him the importance of pursuing excellence from core values · Why sports are important but there's more to life · How parents, coaches, and teachers can team up to empower kids to be the best version of their best self · Why escaping children from adversity and consequences does them a disservice · What focusing on building virtues and character gives children · When he realized that winning lives was more important than winning games Learn more about Steve's philosophy by reading his book The Game is Hard Enough and following him on Twitter @SteveLloyd09.

In Episode 62, we are capping off 2021 and ringing in 2022 with 20 great leadership lessons (plus a couple bonus nuggets) from our interviews over the past year. There is so much more wisdom in the full interviews, which you can listen to at the links below or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, if you want to go deeper in 2022 as a leader and coach, we are launching Coaching the Bigger Game course and mastermind in early February. You can click here to learn more about the program, which has limited capacity. And if you are in the Waco, TX area and want to get involved with The Warrior Way, click here for more information. What are your favorite HSEL moments from 2021? Drop an email to Phil (phil@howsoccerexplainsleadership.com) or post on the HSEL Facebook Group to let us know. Links to HSEL Episodes Mentioned    Episode 28 – Leading with a Broom and a Shovel with Cori Close Episode 43 – Giving Youth Sports Back to the Kids with Diego Bocanegra Episode 23 – Leading from the Middle with Glenn Crooks Episode 53 – Identity Formation and Mindset with Jesse Bradley Episode 11 – The Bielsa Way: Leadership at Leeds United with Mark Pease Episode 30 – Self-Leadership and Choreographing the Team Dance with John Yeager Episode 51 – Overcoming Barriers and Empowering Women with Tracy Hamm Episode 16 – Understanding Personalities, Mentorship, and Maximizing Results with Toriono Davis Episode 15 – “Steal Like an Artist” with Michelle Lenard Episode 56 – Preventing Burnout with Kassie Gray Episode 19 – Resilience, Resetting, and Retraining our Brains with Brad Miller Episode 41 – Offseason Talk, Volume 9 – The Warrior Way with Marci Jobson, Part 2 Episode 21 – Interview with a Legend (Part 1) with Clyde Best, MBE Episode 14 – College Recruiting 101 with Don Williams Episode 13 – Know Your “Why” with Lee Baker Episode 26 – The Power of Collaboration with Max Rooke Episode 24 – Lead Like a Gardener with Phil Brown Episode 18 – Head, Hands, and Heart with Rob Burns Episode 20 – Kaizen and Energy Vampires with Renee Lopez Episode 29 – Leading Leaders with Greg Rubendall Episode 37 – Offseason Talks, Volume 5 – Coach Wooden's 7 Rules for Life Episode 58 – Season 4 Post-Match Show – Exclusive Post-Baylor Interview with Paul Jobson Other Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode Uncut Video of the Episode Invest in HSEL Podcast The Coaching Zone: Next Level Leadership in Sports, by John Yeager The Acid Test: The Autobiography of Clyde Best, by Clyde Best  

Manchester United Academy Coach, Tom Statham is a guest on the "Way of Champions" Podcast with his mentor and Manchester United Academy Legend Tony Whelan.The host is "Changing the Game Project" and TED Talk Speaker - John O'Sullivan .Tom and Tony Whelan have a combined 60 plus years coaching and leading the young players in Manchester United's Academy. Tony started out there as a schoolboy, eventually signing professional terms and playing for Man United, Man City, and in the US in the old NASL. He has been at United since 1990 in a coaching capacity, Head of Academy Coaching, and currently in an advisory role. With experience working under managers from Sir Matt Busby to Sir Alex Ferguson, Tony is deeply rooted in the history and culture of United, and has guided hundreds of players from the youth ranks to the pros. John started the Changing the Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player and coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level.  He is the author of two #1 bestselling books, Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Every Moment Matters: How the World's Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship TeamsLearn more on the Changing the Game Project - www.changingthegameproject.com If you have any comments or want to appear on a podcast then please contact us on podcast@goplaysoccer.com.Go Show your Team the World with GoPlay Soccer!

Coach Forward Podcast is an interview-style podcast hosted by Jason Mejeur (Coach J), accomplished Coach, Mentor, and Founder/CEO at MaxOne.This week, I'm excited to be joined by John O'Sullivan of Changing the Game Project. John started the Changing the Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player and coach at the youth, high school, college and professional levels. He is the author of two #1 bestselling books, Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Every Moment Matters: How the World's Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams. John's work has been featured by CNN, Outside Magazine, ESPN, NBC Sports and numerous other media entities. John is an internationally known speaker for youth sports coaches, parents and youth sports organizations, and has spoken for TEDx, the US Olympic Committee, US Soccer, USA Wrestling, USA Swimming, Ireland Rugby, Australian Rugby League and at numerous other events throughout the US, Canada, Asia, Australia and Europe.When he speaks, John brings to the table a wealth of practical, hands on knowledge garnered through years of working with players and their families on sport specific development, parenting, coaching, and creating a player-centered environment.Changing the Game Project: https://changingthegameproject.com/About Jason Mejeur (Coach J)Jason has more than 15 years of experience coaching basketball at the college and high school level and has lived on the sidelines and in the locker rooms working to build teams and inspire athletes. His mission is to build authentic relationships with his players so that he could have an impact on their lives beyond the basketball court. More recently, Jason founded MaxOne to be a platform that makes coaches' lives easier and helps them use technology to have a bigger impact on the lives of their athletes.Keep up with Coach Forward on social media:Twitter, Linkedin, InstagramEnjoying Coach Forward Podcast? Consider subscribing or leaving us a review! 

In Episode 43, Diego Bocanegra, Head Coach of University of Houston Women's Soccer, talks with Phil about how his childhood shaped his love for soccer, specialization, how we can give youth sports back to the kids, the state of soccer in America, what elite players have in common, his personal “Why,” his new podcast, and what he has learned from the beautiful game that he uses in other areas of life. Specifically, Diego discusses: How he developed his passion for soccer, other sports, and leadership, and how he got to be where he is today (2:06) How his childhood experiences and his parents have shaped him and taught him lessons that help him in his coaching (6:09) His thoughts on specialization, and if and when kids should specialize in one sport (10:17) How he believes club and youth soccer are being taken away from the kids and what we can do about it (16:26) The state of soccer in America and how we need to make it more about the players' flourishing (22:47) The common threads among elite athletes (34:43) His personal “Why” and life mission, and how it informs his leadership (42:03) The why and what of his new podcast, “Boca” (46:33) Clubhouse and how we can engage the new platform to help us and others flourish (52:35) How Diego used the lessons learned playing and coaching soccer in his stint in the financial planning and insurance world, and vice-versa (58:31) What he wants his players to know when they leave his program (1:04:19) What he has learned directly from soccer that he has used in his life and leadership outside the game (1:06:32) His book and podcast recommendations (1:09:40) Resources and Links from this Episode Diego's “Boca” Podcast Uncut Video of the Episode HSEL Facebook Group Phil and HSEL on Clubhouse -- @phildarke Changing the Game: The Parent's Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids, by John O'Sullivan Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!, by Robert T. Kiyosaki The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Rich, by Thomas J. Stanley, Ph.D, and William D. Danko, Ph.D Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel Pink Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth Toughness: Developing True Strength On and Off the Court, by Jay Bilas Black Box Thinking: Why Most People Don't Learn From Their Mistakes, But Some Do, by Matthew Syed Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell  

Author, podcaster and founder of Changing the Game Project, John O’Sullivan joins Pro Mindset and host Craig Domann. They discuss the obsession in youth sports to focus more on winning than the long-term development. They also talk about “hating to lose” vs “loving to win.”O’Sullivan started the Changing the Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player and coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level. His mission statement: to ensure that we return youth sports to our children and put the ‘play’ back in ‘play ball.’ O’Sullivan has authored two #1 bestselling books, Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Every Moment Matters: How the World’s Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams.He has been featured by CNN, Outside Magazine, ESPN, NBC Sports and numerous other media entities. O’Sullivan’s podcast description is “we connect you with the top minds in sports, coaching, leadership, and building championship programs so you can take your athletes and teams to the next level.”Some O’Sullivanisms are:•Have a plan, challenge yourself, play hard, have fun, be bold, make friends, always learn, love what you do, and just do it.●The enemy of excellence in youth sports is the obsession with winning.●What we teach people is that the single greatest factor that affects performance is state of mind.O’Sullivan’s favorite quote: “I love watching you play.”

John O'Sullivan is the founder and CEO of Changing the Game Project. He is also the author of two bestselling #1 books: Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to Our Kids and Every Moment Matters: How the World's Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams. John has been featured on CNN, ESPN, and NBC Sports and has spoken for Tedx, US Soccer, and USA Swimming.

Chris P. and a panel of Rush Soccer Directors, Mentors, and Mentees are joined by John O'Sullivan to discuss his book Every Moment Matters as we discuss managing the performance environment. John started the Changing the Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player and coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level. He is the author of two #1 bestselling books, Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Every Moment Matters: How the World's Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams. John's work has been featured by CNN, Outside Magazine, ESPN, NBC Sports and numerous other media entities. John is an internationally known speaker for coaches, parents and youth sports organizations, and has spoken for TEDx, the US Olympic Committee, US Soccer, USA Wrestling, USA Swimming, Ireland Rugby, Australian Rugby League and at numerous other events throughout the US, Canada, Asia, Australia and Europe. When he speaks, John brings to the table a wealth of practical, hands on knowledge garnered through years of working with players and their families on sport specific development, parenting, coaching, and creating a player-centered environment. Originally from New York, John played collegiate soccer at Fordham University, where he was a team captain as a senior, and a member of the 1990 Patriot League Championship team. After a stint playing professionally for the Wilmington (NC) Hammerheads of the USISL, John began his coaching career as the Varsity Boys Soccer Coach at Cardinal Gibbons HS in Raleigh, NC. He then moved on to become the Assistant Men's and Women's Soccer Coach at the University of Vermont, before delving into the world of youth club soccer. He holds his USSF A License, United Soccer Coaches Advanced National Diploma, and US Youth Soccer National Youth Coaching License. He currently coaches for the Bend FC Timbers, an affiliate of Major League Soccer's Portland Timbers. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rushsoccerpodcast/message

Check out EYES UP MINDSET: https://linktr.ee/eyesupmindset Internationally renowned author and speaker John O'Sullivan joins the Eyes Up Mindset Podcast to discuss concepts from his books, TEDx talk, and personal experiences. We explore what it means to give the ownership of youth sports back to the athletes, finding joy, and building community. John started the Changing the Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player and coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level. He is the author of two #1 bestselling books, Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Every Moment Matters: How the World's Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams. John's work has been featured by CNN, Outside Magazine, ESPN, NBC Sports and numerous other media entities. John is an internationally known speaker for coaches, parents and youth sports organizations, and has spoken for TEDx, the US Olympic Committee, US Soccer, USA Wrestling, USA Swimming, Ireland Rugby, Australian Rugby League and at numerous other events throughout the US, Canada, Asia, Australia and Europe. Resources: Way of Champions Podcast Changing the Game Project Changing the Game: the Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes Every Moment Matters The Social Dilemma Switch- Chip and Dan Heath Follow and Support us: Facebook Group: EYES UP MINDSET FAMILY Twitter: @eyesupmindset Instagram: eyesupmindset YouTube: Eyes Up Mindset Channel Website: http://www.eyesupmindset.com/ If you have found value and you feel others may as well please feel free to RATE, REVIEW and SUBSCRIBE or FOLLOW wherever you listen. Take a step with us today on this journey toward optimal performance. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/eyesupmindset/support

John O'Sullivan is the Founder and CEO of Changing the Game Project. From their website, "The mission of the Changing the Game Project is to ensure that we return youth sports to our children, and put the ‘play’ back in ‘play ball.’ We want to provide the most influential adults in our children’s lives – their parents and coaches – with the information and resources they need to make sports a healthy, positive, and rewarding experience for their children, and their whole family. Parenting and coaching young athletes is an art, not a science, and the information you find here can help you navigate the maze of youth sports, and put a smile on your young athlete’s face, whether he or she is 6 or 16 years old." John is the is author of two #1 bestselling books, "Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids" and "Every Moment Matters: How the World’s Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams." John is the host "The Way of Champions Podcast" where "Each week we connect you with the top minds in sport, coaching, leadership, and creating championship programs so you can take your athletes and teams to the next level.” John's TEDx talk called Changing the Game in Youth Sports, has almost 400k views at the time of this episode airing. John’s work has been featured by CNN, Outside Magazine, ESPN, and NBC Sports among many others and today he is featured right here on the 50 Cups of Coffee podcast! If you are enjoying this show and you would like to help us out, please SUBSCRIBE wherever you are listening and please please please leave us a rating and a review. This is the best way to support the growth of the show. Please enjoy Bobby's cup of coffee with John O'Sullivan.

John O'Sullivan is the CEO and founder of the Changing the Game Project. He is the author of two #1 bestselling books, Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Every Moment Matters: How the World’s Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams.  He is also the host of the popular podcast "Changing the Game". Click here to read John's complete bio. In this episode, we discuss ... Dealing with "uncoachable kids" How to stop dealing with parents A different kind of coaching tree The "A-Ha" moment in his coaching career What makes Steve Kerr such a good coach ... And so much more!!! Website: https://changingthegameproject.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachjohnosullivan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SportsParentingResourceCenter/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CTGProjectHQ "How to Stop Dealing with Parents and Start Engaging with Them"   by Nate Sanderson   This Episode is Sponsored By Audible Today’s podcast is brought to you by audible – get a FREE audiobook download and 30-day free trial (new subscribers only) at www.audibletrial.com/SuccessIsAChoice. Over 180,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player.  Our friends at audible are offering a free download of some of our past guests including Todd Gongwer, Kevin Harrington, Lolly Daskal, Bob Burg, Amy Morin, Michael Burt, Larry Winget, Jon Gordon, and Pat Williams). Take advantage of this great deal by visiting www.AudibleTrial.com/SuccessIsAChoice. Rate and Review Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a quick review on iTunes.  Ratings and reviews are the lifeblood of a podcast. This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. Thanks again for listening and remember that “Success is a choice. What choice will you make today?” Jamy Bechler is the author of The Leadership Playbook, host of the Success is a Choice Podcast, professional speaker, and trains organizations on creating championship cultures. Bechler spent 20 years as a college basketball coach and administrator. He has worked with businesses and teams, including the NBA. Follow him on twitter at @CoachBechler. To connect with him via email or find out about his services, please contact speaking@CoachBechler.com. You can also subscribe to his insights on success and leadership by clicking here.

During this episode, we speak with author of “Changing the Game: The Parents guide to Raising, Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids" and host of "The Way of Champions" Podcast, John O'Sullivan. John talks with us about how we can change the game of sports for our children to ensure we return youth sports back to our children. For more information on John's work and the "Changing the game Project", please visit the following links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXw0XGOVQvw https://changingthegameproject.com/ https://changingthegameproject.com/category/podcast/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okrrLdnZ7Ls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVlj86tGiVc

John O’Sullivan is the author of the book “Every Moment Matters – How The World’s Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams” John’s book is without question one of the most influential books I have ever read on coaching. It doesn’t matter what age or skill level you are coaching, or even what sport, you can take the ideas and concepts John presents in this book and become a better coach that makes a bigger impact on with your team and on your athletes both on and off the court. John O’Sullivan started the Changing the Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player and coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level. He is the author of the #1 bestselling books Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Is it Wise to Specialize? John’s work has been featured in The Huffington Post, CNN.com, Outside Magazine, ESPN.com, Soccer America and numerous other publications. He is an internationally known speaker for coaches, parents and youth sports organizations, and has spoken for TEDx, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, US Lacrosse, IMG Academy, and at numerous other events throughout the US, Canada, Asia and Europe. John brings a wealth of practical, hands on knowledge garnered through years of working with players and their families on sport specific development, fitness and nutrition, college recruiting, and most importantly, training high-performing athletes by creating a player-centered environment. As the Hoop Heads Podcast audience grows week by week, your 5 star ratings and reviews help fuel our growth. Please subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast app, when you do the latest episodes will hit your phone as soon as they drop. Let a friend or coaching colleague know about the show and join the thousands of others who have become a part of Hoop Heads Nation. If you are a coach at any level, in any sport, or the parent of an athlete you’ll find tremendous value in this episode as we talk with John O’Sullivan, the author of “Every Moment Matters”. Email – John@changingthegameproject.com Twitter - @CTGProjectHQ @coachjohnnyo Support this podcast

John started the Changing the Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player and coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level. He is the author of the #1 bestselling books Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Is it Wise to Specialize? John’s work has been featured in The Huffington Post, CNN.com, Outside Magazine, ESPN.com, Soccer America and numerous other publications. John is an internationally known speaker for coaches, parents and youth sports organizations, and has spoken for TEDx, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, US Lacrosse, IMG Academy, and at numerous other events throughout the US, Canada, Asia and Europe. Connect with John: - Team Website - Facebook - Twitter - Email - LinkedIn Full Show Notes for this Episode on the RITTER Blog. We want to hear from you, leave us a message 24/7! +1 704-837-2939 Free Resources for Coaches on the RITTER Website. Check out the latest from RITTER: The Hive - Get access to the best online swim coaching resources available. Join The Hive powered by RITTER, to understand the full picture of swimming faster. Get specific training sets and workouts, learn in-depth technique tips and analysis, even watch dryland and strength training exercises that'll help your swimmers go faster! If you enjoyed this podcast help us spread the word by leaving a rating and review on our iTunes show page. To connect and learn more visit the RITTER Sports Performance website.

John O'Sullivan started the Changing the Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player and coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level. He is the author of the #1 bestselling books Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Is it Wise to Specialize? John’s work has been featured in The Huffington Post, CNN.com, Outside Magazine, ESPN.com, Soccer America and numerous other publications. John is an internationally known speaker for coaches, parents and youth sports organizations, and has spoken for TEDx https://youtu.be/VXw0XGOVQvw, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, US Lacrosse, IMG Academy, and at numerous other events throughout the US, Canada, Asia and Europe.In this conversation we discuss John's latest book, 'Every Moment Matters : How the world's best coaches inspire their athletes and build champion teams' and dig into some of the gold nuggets that are locked inside...I know you will enjoy it....

John O'Sullivan started the Changing the Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player and coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level. He is the author of the #1 bestselling books Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Is it Wise to Specialize? John’s work has been featured in The Huffington Post, CNN.com, Outside Magazine, ESPN.com, Soccer America and numerous other publications. John is an internationally known speaker for coaches, parents and youth sports organizations, and has spoken for TEDx https://youtu.be/VXw0XGOVQvw, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, US Lacrosse, IMG Academy, and at numerous other events throughout the US, Canada, Asia and Europe.In this conversation we discuss John's latest book, 'Every Moment Matters : How the world's best coaches inspire their athletes and build champion teams' and dig into some of the gold nuggets that are locked inside...I know you will enjoy it....

John O'Sullivan is an internationally known TEDx Speaker and the founder of the Changing the Game Project, which he started in 2012. John is the author of two #1 bestselling books and a leading youth sports blogger and he is the host of the top-rated Way of Champions coaching podcast. He is a former collegiate and professional soccer player who has coached for more than 20 years at the youth, high school and college level, and he has served as a consultant for the United States Olympic Committee, US Soccer, USA Football, US Lacrosse, USA Swimming, Ireland Rugby, Aussie Rules Football, and many more. John was named to the National Advisory Board for the Positive Coaching Alliance and the National Association for Physical Literacy. What you'll learn about in this episode: Why John decided to write his book Changing the Game: The Parent's Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids John shares key points from his TEDx presentation on supporting youth in sports and recognizing the need to give kids positive sports experiences Why John's new book Every Moment Matters: How the World's Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams is the culmination of everything he has learned about kids' sports and coaching, and what coaching topics his book discusses Why self-awareness and understanding why you coach create an important foundation for being a great coach John relays a story of team culture and values from Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors about legendary coach Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks Why John believes great leaders make every player feel invaluable even if they are not the most valuable, and why vulnerability and humility are the keys to authenticity Why every moment as a coach matters, and why intentionality and awareness help create memorable moments How to find out more about John's Changing the Game Project and John's upcoming book Every Moment Matters What advice John has to offer for parents who want to be supportive of their young athletes Why failure is an important learning opportunity and helps kids better prepare for adversity Additional Resources: Website: https://changingthegameproject.com/ Changing the Game by John O'Sullivan: https://amzn.to/2r1Hj6i Way of Champions Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2QuWfVb

Most parents enroll their children in youth sports because they’re widely thought of as fun. But did you know that nearly three-quarters of kids drop out of organized athletics by the age of 13? Or that youth sports participation, as a whole, is at a generational low? In this episode, you'll hear best-selling author, international speaker, long-time coach, and youth sports expert John O’Sullivan explain how and why the “fun” has disappeared from our youth sports culture - and what actionable steps parents can take now to fix it and give sports back to our kids. Tune in to learn:- What to say to your child after a game- Why early specialization or seasons that are too long could do your child more harm than good- How to work effectively with sports organizations and coaches to foster a positive mindset and promote healthy, whole-child developmentAbout Our Guest:John O’Sullivan is the founder and CEO of the Changing the Game Project, which he started in 2012 in order to help parents, coaches and youth sports organizations put the “play” back into playing sports. John is a former collegiate and professional soccer player, and coached for 20 years on the youth, high school and college level, most recently as the Central Oregon Training Center Director for the Portland Timbers of MLS. John is the author of two #1 bestselling books, and his blog gets nearly 5 million visits a year. John has been a keynote presenter throughout the US, Canada and Europe, including TEDx, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, Hockey Canada, USA Football, IMG Academy, and more, and his goal is to start discussions about changing the environment in youth sports so we can keep more kids active, happy and healthy.You can learn more about John, his speaking, and the Changing the Game Project at https://changingthegameproject.com.

Most parents enroll their children in youth sports because they’re widely thought of as fun. But did you know that nearly three-quarters of kids drop out of organized athletics by the age of 13? Or that youth sports participation, as a whole, is at a generational low? In this episode, you'll hear best-selling author, international speaker, long-time coach, and youth sports expert John O’Sullivan explain how and why the “fun” has disappeared from our youth sports culture - and what actionable steps parents can take now to fix it and give sports back to our kids. Tune in to learn:- What to say to your child after a game- Why early specialization or seasons that are too long could do your child more harm than good- How to work effectively with sports organizations and coaches to foster a positive mindset and promote healthy, whole-child developmentAbout Our Guest:John O’Sullivan is the founder and CEO of the Changing the Game Project, which he started in 2012 in order to help parents, coaches and youth sports organizations put the “play” back into playing sports. John is a former collegiate and professional soccer player, and coached for 20 years on the youth, high school and college level, most recently as the Central Oregon Training Center Director for the Portland Timbers of MLS. John is the author of two #1 bestselling books, and his blog gets nearly 5 million visits a year. John has been a keynote presenter throughout the US, Canada and Europe, including TEDx, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, Hockey Canada, USA Football, IMG Academy, and more, and his goal is to start discussions about changing the environment in youth sports so we can keep more kids active, happy and healthy.You can learn more about John, his speaking, and the Changing the Game Project at https://changingthegameproject.com.

John started the Changing the Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player and coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level. He is the author of the #1 bestselling books Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Is it Wise to Specialize? John’s work has been featured in The Huffington Post, CNN.com, Outside Magazine, ESPN.com, Soccer America and numerous other publications. John is an internationally known speaker for coaches, parents and youth sports organizations, and has spoken for TEDx, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, US Lacrosse, IMG Academy, and at numerous other events throughout the US, Canada, Asia and Europe. Connect with John: - Team Website - Facebook - Twitter - Email - LinkedIn We want to hear from you, leave us a message 24/7! +1 704-837-2939 Check out the latest from RITTER: The Hive - Get access to the best online swim coaching resources available. Join The Hive powered by RITTER, to understand the full picture of swimming faster. Get specific training sets and workouts, learn in-depth technique tips and analysis, even watch dryland and strength training exercises that'll help your swimmers go faster! If you enjoyed this podcast help us spread the word by leaving a rating and review on our iTunes show page. To connect and learn more visit the RITTER Sports Performance website.

There isn’t a single parent or coach out there that doesn’t want the very best for their young athlete or athletes.  So, to that end - how do you be the best sporting parent, or coach that you can?   Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could get a backstage pass and understand young athletes a little better?   In this episode we interview Stephen Rendall - he is a sports psychologist and works across a range of sports and in private practice.   Currently he works for the North Melbourne Kangaroos in the AFL, Barwon Sports Academy, West Vic Sports Academy and also works in private practice. Stephen has also worked with;   Maribyrnong Sports Academy Calder Cannons TAC Club Melbourne Victory Women’s Team Victorian Diving Association   As a result of his work, young athletes and helping them and their parents achieve their best performance, on and off the field has become a special interest for him.   In this episode we cover;   How crucial is it to be a good sporting parent Be a "good enough" sporting parent - it's not about being perfect Well meaning efforts from parents and coaches that aren't as helpful as you think How critical parents are to young athletes success The relationship with mum & dad Key areas of the young, developing brain are more active than in adults Parents and coaches are important in helping to regulate emotion Young athletes are interpretation machines and can read our responses very well Young athletes are not little adults - there are some big differences in brain function and development The Amygdala is a part of the brain that young athletes filter information through and is quite reactive, and is based around a fear and threat response. In adults we filter information through the Hippocampus - we can mediate information more rationally. Young athletes can be much more reactive and emotional at times Young people process information through a different filter - when it gets active, it also needs lots of blood flow. Young athletes have a brain under construction - sometimes they will do things really well, and other times not well at all. Every 3 years from age 1 to 12 the left & right side of the brain change in terms of which side is more active From age 12-24 both sides of the brain develop at the same time The importance of understanding why your young athlete is playing their sport, what goals they have around playing Parents, coaches and young athletes all need to be on the same page in terms of why they play their sport and what they want to get out of it. Ways to motivate and support your young athlete and keep them on track Pre Competition Strategies to help support your young athlete During the Game Strategies to help support your young athlete Post Game Strategies to help support your young athlete The Mirror Neuron Effect The importance of coach and parent giving the same message. Coaches need to get parents involved in the game plan. Parents will be doing "secondary coaching" at home Young athletes are worried about letting people down The importance of praising for EFFORT rather than performance   Resources   Stephen Rendall Corio Bay Health Websites https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/knowledge_base/sport_participation/community_engagement/engaging_parents_in_sport http://ilovetowatchyouplay.com/ http://www.ausport.gov.au/supporting/top_10_tips_for_parents   Books Changing the game: The Parent’s Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids. John O’Sullivan Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain. Daniel J. Siegel Parenting from the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self-Understanding can Help you Raise Children who Thrive. Daniel J. Siegel & Mary Hartzell The Talent Code: Greatness isn't Born it’s Grown. Daniel Coyle Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice. Matthew Syed Bouncing Back: Rewiring your brain for maximum resilience and well-being. Linda Graham   Young Athlete Podcast https://www.youngathletepodcast.com/   Young Athlete Podcast on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/youngathletepodcast   Young Athlete Podcast on Twitter https://twitter.com/youngathpodcast   Young Athlete Podcast on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/youngathletepodcast/   Bounce Physiotherapy | Bounce Exercise Clinic https://bounceclinic.com.au/     Young Athlete Podcast -  Scott Wilson        

Why do children play sports? According to a study by researchers at Notre Dame's Center for Ethical Education, it's to (#1) have fun, then—do something that are good at, improve skills, get exercise, be part of a team and enjoy the excitement of competition. But looking out at many sports fields or at many athletic events- sometimes, if we are being truthful, it looks like we are missing the mark. There are coaches screaming and parents gritting their teeth, fans yelling at referees and teammates shunning other teammates over missed goals or botched moves. What happened to the carefree freedom and fun that sports and athletic engagement once gave us? It's no wonder so many kids drop out of sports by the age of 13. And if we are really to ask ourselves how we can develop strong athletes who thrive at peak performance- do we really think this is the way? My next guest has some other ideas that can really help us. John O'Sullivan started the Changing the Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player- collegiate and professional- and a coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level.  He is the author of the #1 bestselling books Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Is it Wise to Specialize? John's work has been featured in The Huffington Post, CNN.com, Outside Magazine, ESPN.com, Soccer America and numerous other publications. John is an internationally known speaker for coaches, parents and youth sports organizations, and has spoken for TEDx, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, US Lacrosse, IMG Academy, and at numerous other events throughout the US, Canada, Asia and Europe. He has a popular podcast for coaches called Way of the Champions and has even consulted with the US Olympic Committee. The post How to Talk to Kids about Sports, Athletics and the Love of the Game with John O'Sullivan appeared first on drrobynsilverman.com.

Why do children play sports? According to a study by researchers at Notre Dame's Center for Ethical Education, it's to (#1) have fun, then—do something that are good at, improve skills, get exercise, be part of a team and enjoy the excitement of competition. But looking out at many sports fields or at many athletic events- sometimes, if we are being truthful, it looks like we are missing the mark. There are coaches screaming and parents gritting their teeth, fans yelling at referees and teammates shunning other teammates over missed goals or botched moves. What happened to the carefree freedom and fun that sports and athletic engagement once gave us? It's no wonder so many kids drop out of sports by the age of 13. And if we are really to ask ourselves how we can develop strong athletes who thrive at peak performance- do we really think this is the way? My next guest has some other ideas that can really help us. John O'Sullivan started the Changing the Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player- collegiate and professional- and a coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level.  He is the author of the #1 bestselling books Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Is it Wise to Specialize? John's work has been featured in The Huffington Post, CNN.com, Outside Magazine, ESPN.com, Soccer America and numerous other publications. John is an internationally known speaker for coaches, parents and youth sports organizations, and has spoken for TEDx, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, US Lacrosse, IMG Academy, and at numerous other events throughout the US, Canada, Asia and Europe. He has a popular podcast for coaches called Way of the Champions and has even consulted with the US Olympic Committee. The post How to Talk to Kids about Sports, Athletics and the Love of the Game with John O'Sullivan appeared first on drrobynsilverman.com.

Why do children play sports? According to a study by researchers at Notre Dame’s Center for Ethical Education, it’s to (#1) have fun, then—do something that are good at, improve skills, get exercise, be part of a team and enjoy the excitement of competition. But looking out at many sports fields or at many athletic events- sometimes, if we are being truthful, it looks like we are missing the mark. There are coaches screaming and parents gritting their teeth, fans yelling at referees and teammates shunning other teammates over missed goals or botched moves. What happened to the carefree freedom and fun that sports and athletic engagement once gave us? It’s no wonder so many kids drop out of sports by the age of 13. And if we are really to ask ourselves how we can develop strong athletes who thrive at peak performance- do we really think this is the way? My next guest has some other ideas that can really help us. John O’Sullivan started the Changing the Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player- collegiate and professional- and a coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level.  He is the author of the #1 bestselling books Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Is it Wise to Specialize? John’s work has been featured in The Huffington Post, CNN.com, Outside Magazine, ESPN.com, Soccer America and numerous other publications. John is an internationally known speaker for coaches, parents and youth sports organizations, and has spoken for TEDx, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, US Lacrosse, IMG Academy, and at numerous other events throughout the US, Canada, Asia and Europe. He has a popular podcast for coaches called Way of the Champions and has even consulted with the US Olympic Committee. The post How to Talk to Kids about Sports, Athletics and the Love of the Game with John O’Sullivan appeared first on drrobynsilverman.com.

Why do children play sports? According to a study by researchers at Notre Dame’s Center for Ethical Education, it’s to (#1) have fun, then—do something that are good at, improve skills, get exercise, be part of a team and enjoy the excitement of competition. But looking out at many sports fields or at many athletic events- sometimes, if we are being truthful, it looks like we are missing the mark. There are coaches screaming and parents gritting their teeth, fans yelling at referees and teammates shunning other teammates over missed goals or botched moves. What happened to the carefree freedom and fun that sports and athletic engagement once gave us? It’s no wonder so many kids drop out of sports by the age of 13. And if we are really to ask ourselves how we can develop strong athletes who thrive at peak performance- do we really think this is the way? My next guest has some other ideas that can really help us. John O’Sullivan started the Changing the Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player- collegiate and professional- and a coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level.  He is the author of the #1 bestselling books Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Is it Wise to Specialize? John’s work has been featured in The Huffington Post, CNN.com, Outside Magazine, ESPN.com, Soccer America and numerous other publications. John is an internationally known speaker for coaches, parents and youth sports organizations, and has spoken for TEDx, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, US Lacrosse, IMG Academy, and at numerous other events throughout the US, Canada, Asia and Europe. He has a popular podcast for coaches called Way of the Champions and has even consulted with the US Olympic Committee. The post How to Talk to Kids about Sports, Athletics and the Love of the Game with John O’Sullivan appeared first on drrobynsilverman.com.

Today's guest John O'Sullivan started the Changing the Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player and coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level. He is the author of the #1 bestselling books Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Is it Wise to Specialise? John’s work has been featured in The Huffington Post, CNN.com, Outside Magazine, ESPN.com, Soccer America and numerous other publications. John is an internationally known speaker for coaches, parents and youth sports organisations, and has spoken for TEDx, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, US Lacrosse, IMG Academy, and at numerous other events throughout the US, Canada, Asia and Europe. When he speaks, John brings to the table a wealth of practical, hands-on knowledge garnered through years of working with players and their families on sport specific development, fitness and nutrition, college recruiting, and most importantly, training high-performing athletes by creating a player-centred environment. John is also the host of the fantastic podcast 'Way of champions'. You can find out more about John and his company Changing the game project here - https://changingthegameproject.com/

Do you remember the days when every season had a different sport? That's not necessarily true anymore. The business of youth sports is forcing kids to specialize long before they're ready. uh-PARENT-ly cohosts Tracy Weiner and Anne Johnsos talk to John O'Sullivan, author of Changing the Game: The Parent's Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Is It Wise to Specialize?: What Every Parent Needs to Know About Early Sports Specialization and its Effect Upon Your Child's Athletic Performance, about physical literacy and why the best athletes are well rounded.

John O'Sullivan is the founder of Changing the Game Project, whose mission is to ensure that we return youth sports to our children by providing the resources needed to make sports a healthy, positive, and rewarding experience for kids. After two decades playing and coaching soccer, John is an expert at training high-performing athletes by creating player-centered environments. He is also the best selling author of both Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Is it Wise to Specialize? John offers some really practical advice on how parents and coaches can help bring the fun back into youth sports.   For more about John and Changing the Game Project, visit their website, or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

John O'Sullivan is the founder of Changing the Game Project, whose mission is to ensure that we return youth sports to our children by providing the resources needed to make sports a healthy, positive, and rewarding experience for kids. After two decades playing and coaching soccer, John is an expert at training high-performing athletes by creating player-centered environments. He is also the best selling author of both Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Is it Wise to Specialize? John offers some really practical advice on how parents and coaches can help bring the fun back into youth sports. For more about John and Changing the Game Project, visit their website, or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Books, Blogs, Studies, and Resources mentioned in the episode:Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids, by John O'SullivanHow to Raise an Adult, by Julie Lythcott Haims (6:29)Is it Wise to Specialize?, by John O'SullivanWay of Champions, John's PodcastChanging the Game Project Blog Venus and Serena Williams, and Tiger Woods (7:18)Stats on youth competing beyond highschool (16:08)Article about Amanda Visek's "Fun Integration Theory" (23:17)Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell (19:30)"How Belgium went from #66 to #1 in the World Rankings," Way of Champions Podcast episode (26:10)Shaq Water Polo Program (28:00)Advice for first-time coaches (32:11)Resources for Coaches and Parents (38:15):Changing the Game ProjectPositive Coaching AllianceProactive Coaching"How to Transform the Culture of Your Youth Sports Program with Nate Baldwin," Way of Champions Podcast episode and "Winning the Race to the Right Finish Line in Youth Sports", Changing the Game Project blog post about Nate Baldwin (40:06)Dr. Jim Taylor (43:28)Youth athlete specialization (46:40)Kobe Bryant (52:56)Eric Cressey (54:43)Key Takeaways (1:00:21)

3:00     Introduction to John O’Sullivan 5:30     Why are kids leaving sport? 9:50     Changing the Game Project 15:00   Amanda Visik’s study into why children play sport 21:30   How can parents help and how can we return the ownership of youth sport to our kids 39:00   Coaches are generally busy parents who wants to help, what does it take for coaches to develop 42:00   LTAD (Long Term Athlete Model) 46:00   Life-long learners 52:00   Resources available from Changing the Game Project 56:54 minutes podcast. John O’Sullivan founder of Changing the Game Project has a real passion for kid’s sport. He is an Author of three books including best seller on Amazon “Changing the Game project” with close to 500, 5star reviews. He has also written “The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids” and “Is it Wise to Specialize”? He is a globally sought-after speaker In his podcast series, “Way of Champions” he interviews leaders of the world in coaching, education & Research. People like; *Tom Statham: Junior coach at Manchester United *Todd Bean: Who continuing the Legacy of Johan Croyff. He spent 14 years alongside the great man *John Kessel: USA Volleyball Director of Sport Development and globally sought-after speaker. *Anson Dorrance: A former U.S. National Women’s Team Head Coach in Soccer with a world title and Induction to the Hall of Fame in USA *And what about his interview with Kris Van Der Hagen, Belgium Director of coaching. He brought Belgium football from world ranking of 66 in 2000 to No1. The list goes on and on and he has taken time out to be with “Off the Pitch with Active”. He shares a ton of gold so have your note pad and a pen ready this will positively impact your sporting children’s life. Below are links John mentions in this podcast http://changingthegameproject.com/ Online courses for parents. http://changingthegameproject.com/online-courses/ Here is John O’Sullivan’s TEDx talk. Watch it and it will change the way you look at youth sport. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXw0XGOVQvw Facebook: @ChangingTheGameProject Twitter: @CTGProjectHQ

NOVEMBER 4, 2017 — Podcast recording of John O’Sullivan from the AOA Coaches Conference & Parents Education Session. John O’Sullivan is the CEO & Founder of Changing the Game organization and the author of the international bestseller Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High-Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids. He […]

John O’Sulivan is the Founder and CEO of the Changing the Game Project and Author of the #1 best selling youth sports book on Amazon, Changing The Game.  His book is a parents guide to raising happy, high performing athletes and giving youth sports back to our kids.  John played college soccer at Fordham University and then played professionally before becoming a division-one soccer coach at the University of Vermont.  John has also broken a total of 24 bones in his body so he obviously had some great advice for the injured athletes in this episode! (Taken from Changing the Game Project's website) The mission of the Changing the Game Project is to ensure that we return youth sports to our children, and put the ‘play’ back in ‘play ball.’  They want to provide the most influential adults in our children’s lives – their parents and coaches – with the information and resources they need to make sports a healthy, positive, and rewarding experience for their children, and their whole family.  Parenting and coaching young athletes is an art, not a science, and the information you find on their website can help you navigate the maze of youth sports, and put a smile on your young athlete’s face, whether he or she is 6 or 16 years old. Their website is your one stop shopping for the latest and greatest information, research, and best practices regarding high performance, motivation, long term athletic development, fitness, nutrition, college recruiting, and more.  There you will find resources, training, videos, and books that can help you become the best parent or coach a kid could ever ask for.  It will help ensure that you do your part to make youth sports a wonderfully positive part of your child’s physical, social, and cognitive education. Below you will find John's TEDx talk on Changing the game in youth sports.  John is an expert on the environment in youth sports and offers great insight into how we can fix it in this episode.  This is a must-listen for parents, coaches and adminstrators of young athletes. Notes on Episode 83: Trigger moments that made John want to change the game: As an organizational director, while looking for resources to educate and help parents and coaches, information was lacking on how to communicate, motivate and inspire kids. Watching his six-year-old daughter play soccer, on the next field over there was a ten-year-old game and it was chaos with the parents yelling at the 13 year old referee. Saw the need for and intervention from someone with athletic, coaching and educational experiences.  When does playing sports stop being about enjoyment? We lose 70% of kids to organized sports by the age of 13, often before they ever have a trained coach. No place for kids to just play for fun (pick up games/free play). Lacking environments where kids have no fear of making mistakes. Why do people think that if its not organized, it's not productive? Usually pro athletes retire when the joy of playing no longer outweighs the injuries or the work needed to play at that level. We live in a world now where we compare how we feel inside to how everyone else looks on the outside. Parents fear their kid is getting left behind. Very hard to think of the long-run. Finding value in failure: Adversity and setbacks leads you to where you are today. Seek out adversity and protect against danger. The difference between a bad coach vs. dangerous coach. Great coaches coach the person, not the sport. Customized coaching. The importance of coaches embracing a growth mindset when they expect their kids to be openminded learners. Making personal time for kids. Being a better listener and communicator. Making eye contact. Being more consistent. All can be learned. John's Tib-Fib fracture when he was 17: Coaches response to him sitting out in his first practice because of leg pain was,"What's wrong with you? You don't have the guts to make it" John's approach to injured athletes when he was a coach: Hurt vs. injured Role of coach is to take an athlete to a place they never could on his or her own.  Is this the time to push it? John Wooden taking notes at National Basketball Coaches Association's Convention at 91 years old. Embracing the growth mindset. Moments of misalignment from John's current train of thought throughout his coaching career: Didn’t realize the impact of his words. Rule of 1, one athlete, one comment, one time can change everything. You don’t get to pick and choose what the athlete remembers and forgets, so you better be intentional about what you say. Shared personal story. What did I want as a player? Am I acting that way now? Sports Specialization. For some kids it can be the right thing If that’s what they want and they are not forced into it. Still need well rounded strength and conditioning training and take time off. Prior to the age of 12 research shows that's not a good idea. Transferability to other sports. More likely to burnout. Overuse injuries. An Athlete's whole identity being wrapped up in the one sport. John’s injuries: 24 broken bones. soccer, skiing and mountain biking. Yoga has helped him a lot to keep his movement and strength. Tib-fib was the leg fracture. Initially feeling sorry for himself. Killed him to see healthy people who didn’t care. John saw people in PT with catastrophic injuries at 17, realized he didn’t have it that bad, he is going to get over this. Season ending injury advice: For those losing interest or discouraged in returning, get back to where you were and then decide if you want to quit. Career ending injury advice: Is their life full with out the sport? If empty, bring in professional help, like sports psychologists for example. We know some great one's (MIND OF THE ATHLETE). Transition to life after soccer: Assistant coach at The University of Vermont. Harder when he left coaching to work on Changing the Game. Advice for parents coaching their own kids: When practice is over you have to take your coach hat off, or else practice never ends. Touching base with your kid to ensure they still want you to coach year after year. Conscious of their friend dynamics. Culture of safety pillars: Every decision is made based on the welfare of the athlete, not the outcome of the game. Those of us in charge of sports, educate yourself and err on the side of caution. At the professional level they need to do better, because they are the model. Toughness is having the courage to chase after what you believe in, even when its hard. WHERE CAN YOU FIND MORE ON CHANGING THE GAME PROJECT? WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | PODCAST Where can you get a copy of Changing the game? Changing the Game: The Parent's Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids By John O'Sullivan WHERE CAN YOU FOLLOW JOHN O'SULLIVAN? TWITTER | LINKEDIN | john@changingthegameproject.com Download Episode 83 : iTunes | Stitcher | SoundCloud Permalink

Youth Sports: Benefits, Opportunities, & Advice for Parents In this action-packed episode, Dr. Sara gathers important insights about youth sports from a parent and two young athletes. Then, she treats Dr. John with contempt (not really) because he doesn’t understand the term “Capitalization” (that’s true), and later she has to put John in time-out because he gets all agitated and uses the words “pissed off” while just talking about soccer referees. More importantly, Sara and John share a variety of concrete tips for parents. . . and, if you listen to this episode, you’ll be able to answer the question: What do researchers say is the source of THE WORST memories for young athletes? Ready, set, LISTEN! This podcast is brought to you by the Charles Engelhard Foundation, and the National Parenting Education Network.  Resources in this Podcast: Home Team Advantage: The Critical Role of Mothers in Youth Sports By: Brooke de Lench Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids By: John O’Sullivan

Pelle Nejman is a Philadelphia native and graduate from Penn State's Sports broadcasting school. He is a teacher and coach in Danville, Pennsylvania. He has coached football and currently coaches girls basketball.   Listen Now: Listen on iTunes: iTunes link Listen on Stitcher: Stitcher link Listen on Google Play Music: Google Play link - A few days left to sign up: Coaching Mastery - with John O'Sullivan Many of you know that I work closely with John O'Sullivan and the Changing the Game Project. John's is an internationally known writer and speaker, as well as a former professional soccer player and longtime coach. We share a lot of each others content as we work to transform youth sports and make it a better place for coaches to coach, and for players to play. This week - for the first and only time in 2016 - John is releasing his amazing online video series called "Coaching Mastery." He first ran this course in the Fall of 2014, and since then coaches from nearly every sport, from over a dozen different continents, have called it one of the most unique and inspirational coaching courses they had ever done. I was lucky enough to be one of the select few coaches John offered it to last year, and the things I learned really blew me away. See, this course is not your traditional X's and O's course. It is all about things such as the psychology of performance and leadership, how to build a winning team culture, and even how to educate your team parents so they don't drive you up the wall. He has some amazing interviews with some of the world's leading experts in sport science and psychology, coaching, and leadership. The things you will learn in this course will take yoru coaching, and your teams, to a whole new level. This course is truly one of a kind. If you are interested in this type of coaching, John has asked me to invite all of you to his FREE video series, where over the next 2 weeks you will learn many of these things, and hear from some amazing experts. You also get a free eBook copy of his international bestseller Changing The Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High-Performing Athletes and Giving Youth Sports Back to Our Kids just for registering for the FREE series.  All you have to do to get over an hour of this one of a kind coaching and leadership training, plus a free book, is go here and sign up: Click here to get started I know I am looking forward to the 2016 version of Coaching Mastery and I am confident that many of you will get a ton from this free video series. Its all new content, and I can't wait to get started. Again, if you want to join, just sign up here. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this course. (I am an affiliate for this course, so if you decide to sign up - please sign up through one of the links above - Thanks!!) Quote 'Things may come to those who wait, but only things left by those who hustle' - Abraham Lincoln My Cringe Moments I talked WAY too much Teaching Skills Different learning styles - Some kids are visual, some audio, some hands on - So use multiple styles to teach Break everything down into small groups. If he has 15 girls, he will break down into 5 stations of 3. When running plays - split the court in 2 and stand in the middle and have 2 groups running a bunch of reps Mental Toughness/Achieving Peak Performance It starts with you being calm as a coach. If tension is building in a game- call a timeout and tell a joke and be relaxed. Culture – Discipline/Rewards/Teambuilding It all starts with establishing standards. Post-game meetings: It's best to praise and acknowledge accomplishments. HUGE IDEA - Tell some of the other teachers at the school about an accomplishment that a kid on your team did - it's really big for a kid to have another adult acknowledging them Connecting with and Impacting Kids Talk about the elephant in the room.

- Today's episode is a bit different from the norm, instead of interviewing a great coach, this week's episode is a compilation of the interviews I did while at the conference. There are a few sound bites with me sharing a lesson I learned, and definitely don't miss the 18 minute interview with the leaders – I call them the 3 J's - Dr. Jerry Lynch, John O'Sullivan, and James Leath. So hopefully this is a great way for you to be able to absorb a little of the great content even if you weren't able to make it out to Colorado. Also - just FYI - they are planning to do 2 or 3 more of these conferences around the country next year, so stay tuned at changingthegameproject.com or wayofchampions.com. Listen Now: Listen on iTunes: iTunes link Listen on Stitcher: Stitcher link Listen on Google Play Music: Google Play link - Coaching Mastery - with John O'Sullivan Many of you know that I work closely with John O'Sullivan and the Changing the Game Project. John's is an internationally known writer and speaker, as well as a former professional soccer player and longtime coach. We share a lot of each others content as we work to transform youth sports and make it a better place for coaches to coach, and for players to play. This week - for the first and only time in 2016 - John is releasing his amazing online video series called "Coaching Mastery." He first ran this course in the Fall of 2014, and since then coaches from nearly every sport, from over a dozen different continents, have called it one of the most unique and inspirational coaching courses they had ever done. I was lucky enough to be one of the select few coaches John offered it to last year, and the things I learned really blew me away. See, this course is not your traditional X's and O's course. It is all about things such as the psychology of performance and leadership, how to build a winning team culture, and even how to educate your team parents so they don't drive you up the wall. He has some amazing interviews with some of the world's leading experts in sport science and psychology, coaching, and leadership. The things you will learn in this course will take yoru coaching, and your teams, to a whole new level. This course is truly one of a kind. If you are interested in this type of coaching, John has asked me to invite all of you to his FREE video series, where over the next 2 weeks you will learn many of these things, and hear from some amazing experts. You also get a free eBook copy of his international bestseller Changing The Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High-Performing Athletes and Giving Youth Sports Back to Our Kids just for registering for the FREE series.  All you have to do to get over an hour of this one of a kind coaching and leadership training, plus a free book, is go here and sign up: Click here to get started I know I am looking forward to the 2016 version of Coaching Mastery and I am confident that many of you will get a ton from this free video series. Its all new content, and I can't wait to get started. Again, if you want to join, just sign up here. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this course. (I am an affiliate for this course, so if you decide to sign up - please sign up through one of the links above - Thanks!!) - Interviews & Sound Bites from WOC Conference Craig - Description of how to create self-affirmation 3x5 card Craig - Description of fun Rock,Paper,Scissors,Cheerleader Energy Builder 18 minute interview of Dr. Lynch, John O'Sullivan, and James Leath: Self-affirmation; Building Energy levels at the beginning of practice; Building championship culture in our families; Taking ONE action; Simplifying your playbook; the importance of relationships: Video Link Craig - 11 attributes of culture: Dr. Jerry Lynch uses the acronym STRONG FACTS to list the steps to build championship culture. Selflessness Trust Respect Oneness Never Quit

  John is the founder of the Changing the Game Project - whose mission is to is to ensure that we return youth sports to our children, and put the ‘play' back in ‘play ball.'  They want to provide the most influential adults in our children's lives – their parents and coaches – with the information and resources they need to make sports a healthy, positive, and rewarding experience for their children, and their whole family. John started the Changing the Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player and coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level.  He is the author of the #1 bestselling books Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Is it Wise to Specialize? John is also a regular contributor for SoccerWire.com, and his writing has been featured in many publications including The Huffington Post and Soccer America. John is an internationally known speaker for coaches, parents and youth sports organizations, and has spoken for TEDx, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, IMG Academy, and at numerous other events throughout the US, Canada and Europe.  He resides in beautiful Bend, OR, with his wife, Dr Lauren O'Sullivan, and two wonderful children and aspiring young athletes: Maggie Shea, age 10, and Tiernan, age 8. Twitter: @CTGProjectHQ Facebook: /SportsParentingResourceCenter Website/blog: changingthegameproject.com Way of Champions Conference link: changingthegameproject.com/wocconference Listen Now: Listen on iTunes: iTunes link Listen on Stitcher: Stitcher link Listen on Google Play Music: Google Play link - Way of Champions - Transformational Coaching Conference Dr. Jerry Lynch is the founder of Way of Champions, and has been part of 35 national and world championship teams, from the Golden State Warriors to UNC Women's Soccer. He is the author of 12 books on leadership, championship culture, and coaching/parenting to win in sport and life. At the Way of Champions Coaching Conference, you will spend a weekend being inspired by Jerry, John, and dozens of other transformational leaders. Early-bird pricing if you sign up before May 1st - Click here to see more details about the conference Leadership  - Great blog posts on Changing the Game Project Bullying - Know the difference between being rude, being mean, and bullying - link to article Captains - You have to train them! Also - just because a kid is a quiet introvert doesn't mean they can't be a captain - learn how to utilize their quieter leadership style to help lead the team. How Adults take the joy out of sports - and how we can fix it - link to article - Reviews are the lifeblood of the podcast!- If you like the podcast- please take 2 minutes to write a review! Click here Ready to be an Awesome Youth Coach? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter:

  What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as John O'Sullivan shares stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth sports coach. John is the founder of the Changing the Game Project - whose mission is to is to ensure that we return youth sports to our children, and put the ‘play' back in ‘play ball.'  They want to provide the most influential adults in our children's lives – their parents and coaches – with the information and resources they need to make sports a healthy, positive, and rewarding experience for their children, and their whole family. John started the Changing the Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player and coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level.  He is the author of the #1 bestselling books Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids and Is it Wise to Specialize? John is also a regular contributor for SoccerWire.com, and his writing has been featured in many publications including The Huffington Post and Soccer America. John is an internationally known speaker for coaches, parents and youth sports organizations, and has spoken for TEDx, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, IMG Academy, and at numerous other events throughout the US, Canada and Europe.  He resides in beautiful Bend, OR, with his wife, Dr Lauren O'Sullivan, and two wonderful children and aspiring young athletes: Maggie Shea, age 9, and Tiernan, age 7. Twitter: @coachjohnnyo Facebook: /SportsParentingResourceCenter Website/blog: changingthegameproject.com Listen Now: Listen in ITunes: Itunes link Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link   Coaching/Leadership Quote   'When you are coaching sports - you don't coach a sport, you coach a child' - Dr. Martin Toms   Coaching Your Own Kids Coaching your own kid is a tough challenge because you are discipling their friends and can off-the-field ramifications My Cringe & ‘Ah-Ha' Moments There is so much to learn as a new coach - early on John didn't realize how powerful his actions and words are as a coach - they will stick with these young people for their lifetime A-ha moment: John coached a young man in high school - and after college he called John to thank him for the lessons he had taught.  This was eye-opening on the seriousness of the responsibility of coaching young people. You're going to make mistakes- and that's OK - but use this as an opportunity to be humble and apologize - this is a great example to the kids. Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun Dr. Martin Toms': 'When you are coaching sports - you don't coach a sport, you coach a child' Don't professionalize youth sports - focus on developing the kids, not for the win today.  Long-term goals instead of short-term.  What do kids need from a youth sports coach? - Enjoyment, ownership, and to be intrinsically motivated. Winning It very much depends on what/who you are coaching - if you are coaching a prospective olympic gymnast, who's physical activity peaks at 14-15 - you have to start earlier But for all of us coaching kids ages 6-12- the focus has to be development over winning - so don't not play a kid just because it's a close game HUGE IDEA #1 Study done by Amanda Visek from George Washington University - asked kids: 'why do you play sports?' - 9 out of 10 answered because it is fun.  Then she asked them to define what fun is: they came up with 81 different characteristics of what fun is - and 'winning' was down at #48 on the list.  Link to article: Fun not winning Coaching high-level youth soccer - Coach O'Sullivan started every player 1/3 of the games - this gives you the opportunity later in the season/game you can go with who is 'hot' because they are all having opportunities to shine Specialization in Youth Sports HUGE IDEA #2 Unless you are coaching female olympic gymnastics,

Interview with John O'Sullivan, Founder of Changing the Game Project Topics in this Podcast What motivated John to start the Changing the Game Project   The role of a Former Athlete, Coach and a Parent   Formal Education for Youth Sports Coaching?   Project Play   Playing games vs practice   The US Developing a slow players on the field   Early Specialization: The Race to Nowhere   The Trickle down effect of early competition   The Role of Physical Education with Youth sports   Naperville, Illinois PE Program   Group Dynamics of Gender Roles   The 7 Cs of High Performance   Are we communicating to the right people?   Social media and Youth Sports   How to reach John O'Sullivan   The John O'Sullivan File John started the Changing the Game Project in 2012 after two decades as a soccer player and coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level.  He brings to the table a wealth of practical, hands on knowledge garnered through years of working with players and their families on sport specific development, fitness and nutrition, college recruiting, and most importantly, nurturing positive, healthy, and supportive relationships between parents and their young athletes. He has complied much of this information in his #1 bestselling book Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids.   Originally from New York, John is a 1994 graduate of Fordham University, where he was a team captain as a senior, and a member of the 1990 Patriot League Championship team.  After a stint playing professionally for the Wilmington (NC) Hammerheads of the USL, John began his coaching career as the Varsity Boys Soccer Coach at Cardinal Gibbons HS in Raleigh, NC.  He then moved on to become the Assistant Men’s and Women’s Soccer Coach at the University of Vermont, before delving into the world of youth club soccer.  Since that time, John has worked as a Director of Coaching for Nordic Spirit SC (Vt), Ann Arbor Youth Soccer Association (MI) and most recently as the Executive Director of Oregon Rush Soccer Club in Bend, OR.  He is currently the Central Oregon Regional Training Center Director for the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer.  He holds his USSF A License, NSCAA Advanced National Diploma, and US Youth Soccer National Youth Coaching License.   John received his BA in History from Fordham University, and his Masters in History from the University of Vermont.  He resides in beautiful Bend, OR, with his wife, Dr Lauren O’Sullivan, and two wonderful children and aspiring young athletes: Maggie Shea, age 7, and Tiernan, age 5. http://changingthegameproject.com/ http://www.elitefts.com        

John O Sullivan is the Founder of the Changing the Game Project, an initiative to educate parents, coaches and athletes about the positive benefits of youth athletics, and the need to remove adult priorities and values from our children s sports. He is the author of the national bestselling book Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High-Performing Athletes and Giving Youth Sports Back to Our Kids, and has been featured by the Huffington Post. He speaks about developing more competitive, high-achieving athletes by building environments of love and respect, rather than fear and pressure. John spent nearly three decades as a soccer player and coach on the youth, high school, college and professional level. John is here to talk about why it’s the race to nowhere in youth sports and what we can do to course correct and bring youth sports back to the children. When I was growing up, youth sports was about children competing against other children. Today, all too often it is about adults competing against other adults through their children. This is driving our kids out of sports, and this needs to change! ~ John O’Sullivan LISTEN HERE In this interview we discuss: the problem in youth sports the truth about college athletic scholarships impact of fear the role of parent the role of coach how do we really course correct athlete s mindset Two takeaways – for listeners “Athletics like anything else is an education and it’s a process. It takes a long time to be proficient at anything.” ~ John O’Sullivan, on How She Really Does It Mentioned in this Podcast Changing the Game Project Book: Changing the Game The Race to Nowhere blog post Carol Dweck interview about Mindset (Growth + Fixed) smiling, The post John O’Sullivan: Youth Sports Race to Nowhere appeared first on howshereallydoesit.com.