The Maize Sports Trainer

08/24/2026

10 Things I Know to Be True — Especially When Raising Young Athletes

After more than 20 years of coaching athletes, parents, and families, there are a few things I’ve become pretty convinced of.

And most of them have very little to do with sets, reps, or how fast your kid runs a 40.

1. Ownership changes everything.
Most situations we find ourselves in can be traced back to decisions we made somewhere along the way. That isn’t about beating yourself up. It’s about recognizing that if your decisions helped get you there, better decisions can help get you out.

Accept it. Learn from it. Adjust. Move forward.

2. Regret is heavier than failure.
Failure teaches you something. Regret makes you wonder what could have happened.

Don’t let your son or daughter look back in 5 or 10 years wondering what might have happened if they had worked harder, stayed disciplined, or believed in themselves a little longer.

And parents — the same applies to us.

3. There is no perfect training program.
There are a lot of good systems.

The best program is the one that fits the athlete, their sport, their age, their schedule, their development, and something they can consistently execute.

Consistency beats constantly searching for something “better.”

4. Your kids are watching you.
They will usually copy what you do long before they listen to what you say.

If you want disciplined kids, demonstrate discipline.

If you want them to train, take care of themselves, chase goals, work hard, and handle adversity — let them see you doing those things too.

5. Stop living for everybody else’s approval.
Your neighbor, relatives, other parents, teammates, and social media do not get to determine what success looks like for your family.

The moment you stop trying to impress everyone else, you can start making decisions based on what is actually right for your child.

6. There are 168 hours in every week.
“I don’t have time” usually means “it isn’t a priority yet.”

School matters. Family matters. Sleep matters. Training matters.

Successful athletes learn how to organize their life around the things they say are important.

7. Parents don’t have to be perfect.
Just be better than yesterday.

There will be practices you miss, conversations you wish you handled differently, frustrating games, long weekends, injuries, losses, and difficult seasons.

Keep showing up.

8. Experiences beat possessions.
Train together. Throw a ball around. Go hiking. Shoot hoops. Take the trip. Sit on the couch and watch the game together.

Those moments will mean far more than most of the things we spend money buying.

9. Your kids want your presence.
They don’t need another gift because you’re busy.

They need you in the stands.

They need the conversation in the car afterward.

They need encouragement when they struggle and perspective when they succeed.

They’re only this age once.

10. Lead from the front.
Get up earlier.

Take care of yourself.

Train.

Be disciplined.

Pay attention.

Push when they need pushing. Encourage when they need encouraging. Correct them when they need correction.

But above everything else — love them, support them, guide them, and believe in them.

Be their parent.
Be their biggest supporter.
Be their example.
Be their leader.

At The Maize Sports Trainer, developing athletes has never just been about making kids stronger or faster.

We’re trying to help build confident, disciplined, resilient young people who understand what it means to work for something.

Because eventually the games end.

The person they become lasts a whole lot longer.

08/22/2026

05/04/2026

Here’s the reality…

As parents, we all want to see our kids get better. We expect growth. We expect adjustments. We expect them to show up on game day and perform.

But that expectation has to be matched on our end too.

Improvement doesn’t happen from game to game. It doesn’t come from one lesson a week. That’s not how development works.

The real progress happens in between.

That’s the reps nobody sees. That’s the time spent outside of practice. That’s where habits are built and skills actually stick.

And that requires involvement.

Getting out there with them. Putting in the work. Paying attention. Holding them accountable. Making sure what they’re doing is actually being done the right way.

Yes, we want them to take ownership. Yes, we want independence.

But let’s not pretend they don’t still need guidance.

It’s no different than adults. Most people don’t get results in the gym without structure, feedback, and someone pushing them when they don’t feel like it.

Kids are no different.

They need direction. They need reinforcement. They need someone in their corner saying “that’s it” or “do it again.”

So if you’re expecting growth, be part of the process.

Because that’s where the real separation happens.

04/29/2026

Every athlete has a version of themselves that nobody else sees.

It’s the one standing in front of the mirror after a long day, replaying every mistake, every strikeout, and every missed play. In those quiet moments, it’s easy to start believing things that just aren't true: “I’m not good enough,” “I always mess up,” or “I’m letting everyone down.”

That voice can get really loud, but it isn’t reality.
The reality is the person standing in the reflection. It’s the athlete who shows up every single day. It’s the one who puts in the work when the stands are empty, who balances the weight of school and family, and who shows up for her teammates. A driven student, a strong son or daughter, and a dedicated athlete.

The difference between those two versions of that athlete isn’t talent. It’s mindset.

When perfectionism and self-doubt go unchecked, they don't just hurt a box score. They start to wear down the athletes confidence and their identity. Eventually, they can even steal the joy from the game she used to love.

At The Maize Sports Trainer, I work on closing that gap.

I help athletes recognize the difference between what their mind is telling them and what is actually true. We give them a path to focus on progress rather than perfection, and we help them build a type of confidence that doesn't disappear just because they had a bad game.

Im not trying to build "perfect" players. I’m here to develop strong, self-aware young athletes who know exactly who they are every time they step onto the field.

04/27/2026

I watched it happen recently… coach screaming across the field at a young athlete after she made a mistake.

And here’s the thing—that kid was skilled. You could tell right away she knows the game. Honestly, it was a play she probably makes 9 out of 10 times. But she’s still a young athlete… and young athletes are going to mess up. That’s part of the deal, no matter how talented they are.

What didn’t sit right with me wasn’t the mistake—it was the response.

The over-the-top yelling, the public call-out, the “make an example out of her” approach… that’s not coaching. That’s emotion taking over. And if we’re being real, that approach is outdated and ineffective—especially with female athletes.

You’re not building toughness. You’re building hesitation.

You’re not reinforcing confidence. You’re chipping away at it.

And once an athlete starts second-guessing instead of reacting, performance drops fast.

Look, I’m all for standards. I’m all for accountability. But there’s a right way to handle those moments. Great coaches know how to pull an athlete in, correct it, and send them right back out there confident—not shrinking.

Because at the end of the day, the goal isn’t just to point out mistakes…

It’s to develop athletes who can recover from them.

If your default setting is to blow up every time something goes wrong, you’re not elevating your team—you’re holding them back.

04/21/2026

Coaches getting loud. Emotional. Calling kids out the second they make a mistake. Making it a spectacle.

Let’s call it what it is… that’s not coaching.
That’s insecurity showing up in a whistle and a clipboard.

I’ve been coaching youth athletes for over a decade now, and I can tell you with complete certainty—volume does not equal leadership. Intimidation does not equal development. And embarrassment never builds confidence.

Effective coaching is psychology first… strategy second.

If you don’t understand how a young athlete thinks, feels, and processes pressure, you’re not coaching—you’re just reacting.

Every kid is different.
Different wiring. Different home environment. Different stressors. Different confidence levels.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach.

And here’s where most coaches miss the mark…

When a kid makes a mistake, they already know it.
You don’t need to broadcast it across the field like it’s breaking news.

What they need in that moment is composure from you.
Direction. Clarity. Stability.

Not emotion.

Because here’s the part people don’t think about…

A lot of these kids aren’t just dealing with pressure on the field.
Some of them are going home to criticism too.

So now you’ve got a young athlete getting torn down in two environments that are supposed to build them up.

That’s how you create kids who tie their entire self-worth to performance.

And when performance dips—which it will—they spiral.

That’s where anxiety shows up.
That’s where confidence disappears.
That’s where you start seeing kids walk away from sports altogether.

Not because they couldn’t handle the game…
But because they couldn’t handle the environment.

As a parent raising a child with ADHD and autism, I’ve learned something that has elevated how I coach at every level:

Connection beats correction.

Every time.

You learn patience.
You learn awareness.
You learn that how you say something matters just as much—if not more—than what you say.

Great coaches understand:

* Timing matters
* Tone matters
* Delivery matters
* Relationship matters

You can be demanding without being demeaning.
You can hold a high standard without tearing a kid down.

That’s real coaching.

The goal isn’t just to win games.
The goal is to build resilient, confident, self-aware young people who can handle adversity both on and off the field.

If you’re a coach reading this, here’s the standard:

Lead with control.
Communicate with purpose.
Correct without humiliation.
And never forget—these are kids first, athletes second.

You don’t just impact how they play the game…
You impact who they become when the game is over.

That’s the responsibility.

04/19/2026

⭐️ HEY PARENTS & ATHLETES IN THE WICHITA AREA 👇

Let’s be real for a second…

Most “sports training” facilities will run your athlete through a workout on Day 1.

No real evaluation.
No deep understanding.
Just movement.

And then they hope it works.

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That’s not how development works.

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🔬 AT THE MAIZE SPORTS TRAINER — WE DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY

Your athlete doesn’t start with a workout.

They start with a FULL PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT.

And here’s the part nobody else is doing…

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🎯 YOUR FIRST SESSION IS 100% FREE — AND IT INCLUDES EVERYTHING 👇

We don’t believe in charging you before we prove value.

So on Day 1, your athlete gets:

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✅ Comprehensive Athlete Assessment

We break down:

* Strength & power
* Mobility limitations
* Imbalances & asymmetries
* Sport-specific movement mechanics
* Injury risk factors

This is not surface-level.

This is how you actually identify what’s holding an athlete back.

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📊 FULL PERFORMANCE BREAKDOWN (FOR PARENTS)

You’ll walk away with:

* What your athlete does WELL
* Where they are LIMITED
* What’s currently capping their performance

Clear. Direct. No guesswork.

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📈 16-WEEK DEVELOPMENT GAME PLAN

We map out exactly what needs to happen next:

* What needs to be fixed
* What needs to be built
* How we level them up over the next 4 months

You’ll know exactly what your athlete SHOULD be doing—whether you train with us or not.

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🥗 CUSTOM NUTRITION PLAN (BUILT BY A DIETITIAN)

Because performance without nutrition?

That’s a bottleneck.

We build:

* A plan based on THEIR goals
* Foods THEY actually like
* Adjusted for intolerances
* Designed for consistency and results

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⚙️ WHY THIS MATTERS

Here’s the truth most won’t say:

👉 Random workouts don’t build elite athletes.
👉 Group sessions don’t fix imbalances.
👉 Guesswork doesn’t create results.

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At The Maize Sports Trainer, we operate like a Performance Lab, not a gym.

* We analyze first
* We build with intention
* We develop athletes long-term

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💥 OUR STANDARD

We don’t just “train” athletes.

We:

* Correct movement
* Build real strength
* Improve mechanics
* Increase performance where it actually shows—on the field

And we believe in earning your trust before asking for your investment.

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🔥 LIMITED FREE ASSESSMENT SPOTS

We’re opening up a select number of FREE First Sessions this month.

No fluff. No pressure.

Just real value from Day 1.

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👉 Comment “I’m In” and lock in your athlete’s spot.

Because if you’re serious about your athlete’s future…

You don’t start with a workout.

You start with a plan.

04/09/2026

Not every teammate is your friend.
And some of them? Let’s be honest… they can be downright jerks.

The whispers.
The side-eyes.
The fake hype on the field or court

All while you’re putting in the work—showing up early, staying late, doing everything you can to get better.

And that’s the reality nobody talks about.

Because especially for most athletes, there’s this unspoken rule:
“Keep the peace.”
“Be a good teammate.”
“Don’t rock the boat.”

That mindset? It’s holding a lot of athletes back.

Here’s the truth—I’m not not in the business of raising followers.

Im building leaders.

Respect the jersey. Respect the game.
But never tolerate toxic energy just because you share a field.

You can be a great teammate and have a backbone.
You can support your team and stand your ground.
You can compete at a high level without being fake.

Some of the most important lessons in sports don’t come from reps…
They come from learning how to stand tall when the environment isn’t perfect.

That edge. That fire. That resilience.
That’s what separates athletes long-term.

At the end of the day—
You don’t need everyone to like you.

But you better respect yourself.

And if someone brings that weak, jealous energy into your space?

Good.

Use it.

Train harder.
Compete harder.
Stand taller.

That’s how you win—on and off the field.

— Chris Story
The Maize Sports Trainer