05/26/2026
DEVELOPMENT OVER DISLOYALTY‼️ Over the last couple weeks, I’ve watched athletes I’ve worked with compete on the biggest stages that their high school careers can offer.
State track and field. State softball. Championship environments. Pressure moments. Big-time performances.
And while I’m incredibly proud of those athletes and the work they’ve put in, I’ve also been reminded of something that continues to frustrate me deeply about youth and high school sports culture.
We still have too many coaches, programs, and administrators who treat outside development like a threat instead of an asset.
Read that again.
If an athlete wants to get faster, stronger, more explosive, improve mobility, learn corrective exercise and recovery, understand and implement smart nutrition, study movement, reduce injury risk, or simply work harder outside of practice. WHY would that ever be discouraged?
No math teacher gets angry because a student hired a tutor. No English teacher tells a kid to stop reading outside of class. If they do, they shouldn't be educating our kids.
So why, in athletics, do we sometimes shame athletes for wanting more development? Why is youth athletics operating from a mindset of control instead of growth? Ego, and it's gross.
A school sport coach is more than a practice organizer. A coach is an educator. A mentor. A steward of development. And development is NOT just sport reps.
Development is sleep. Nutrition. Movement quality. Recovery. Strength training. Mental resilience. Confidence. Understanding male and female athlete differences. Individualizing training instead of painting entire teams with one brush and hoping everyone magically adapts the same way.
Our young athletes deserve better than survival-mode coaching. They deserve full-spectrum development. They deserve our best.
Over the last five years, I’ve worked with athletes all the way through the future collegiate level, and one thing has become crystal clear:
The athletes who grow the most are the ones surrounded by coaches and adults willing to collaborate instead of compete.
This should never be about ego. It should never be about ownership. And it definitely should never be about protecting territory. It should be about the athlete. Always. If you are a coach and disagree, that's ok. But stop coaching. You aren't fit.
To our athletes:
Keep chasing growth.
Keep asking questions.
Keep seeking knowledge.
Keep doing the extra work when nobody’s watching.
To the coaches and administrators willing to evolve, learn, and truly support long-term athletic development and growth, thank you. Too few of you around.
Our kids need more of that. Not less.
