Jan 18, 2022
Playing sports is a right of passage for most kids as they grow up. It’s an exciting time for kids and parents as they learn a new sport, build new skills and create new friendships. I’ve loved watching my kids play their sports and meeting new people who have become some of our closest friends.
I’ve also seen parents take their kids sports too seriously and
completely forget that it’s supposed to be fun, first! We all want
the best for our kids and we want to give them the opportunity to
be as successful as possible BUT we need to be realistic about what
our true intentions are.
I’m so happy to be talking to Coach Steve Morris who is a dad of
three and has seen it all. His mission is to help parents be
realistic about their kids sports and their potential while
cheering them on and supporting them.
In our super fun conversation, we talk about:
How parents can make sports more fun for their kids and
themselves
When parents run their own agenda in encouraging (or forcing) their
kids to play sports, it can lead to them rejecting the sport
altogether (and them!).
Why you don’t want your kids playing the same sport 365 days a
year
The passion for sports needs to be driven by your child, not
parents
Toxic coaches
What parents are inadvertently doing wrong and what they can do
instead
Coach Steve has a copy of his list, The Great Eight, which is the 8
qualities parents need to be aware of in order to make sport fun
for everyone. It’s a MUST read for every single parent with a child
in sports. Download it from the Parent Toolbox: www.parent-toolbox.com
About Steve Morris
Steve Morris took a circuitous path to discover his life’s mission.
He studied history at Yale, produced television commercials around
the world, and continues to write screenplays that adorn his
shelf.
It came down to his energetic four-year-old wanting to play soccer
for Steve to become the living, breathing embodiment of falling
into something you love. With a bag of balls, dim muscle memory
from playing in high school, and a cache of how-to books, he
brought his son, Evan, and a dozen of his friends out to the wilds
of their local southern California park, where together they dipped
a toe into the wonderful world of youth sports. It wasn’t long
before he was coaching every sport Evan and his siblings, Dori and
Griffie, wanted to play.
Over time it became clear that the playing field was leaning more
toward the competition of travel teams and club sports, leaving
development and recreational fun behind. In an effort to right this
imbalance, Coach Steve was born, and in 1997, Coast Sports was
founded. What twenty-three years ago began as an excuse for
father-son bonding became a thriving business with the dual goals
of recalibrating the fun-competition quotient for the kids, and
assuring their parents that this was a healthier and more
sustainable model for everyone’s happiness and success.
Coach Steve encourages parents to enjoy their kids’ brief ten-year
window in youth sports, while keeping their hopes and expectations
in check. Out of the millions of young kids who enter sports,
roughly 17.7% of them will play high school sports; fewer than 7%
of those will play in college, and the number who go on to be
professionals are infinitesimal. The most dynamic statistic is how
many create life-long friendships with their teammates.
Contact information:
Website: https://www.whatsizeballs.com/
Email: coachstevela@gmail.com
Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachstevela/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFP99sPxoIekg-kBBilDegA
Thanks for listening!
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