And they have little to do with “sports”.
“Top 5 things you can do to help the modern youth athlete:
Genuinely care about them.
Build trust & rapport with them & their families.
Help them understand their sport isn’t their identity.
Teach them delayed gratification.
Get them brutally strong & fast.”
-Ray Zingler on X
Our kids are growing up in a broken, messy world. From the school hall, to the ball field, to the political scene. It’s ugly.
Most choose to succumb to the notions and accept that “this is just the way it is”. While this is true for a variety of reasons, there is something you can do about it.
In fact, there is a lot you can do about it, but it does take real work with very little front-end reward. Sadly, I think this is why many prefer to stay idle.
“There’s not much time.”
“How much difference will this really make?”
Are enough to keep most people on the sidelines. And by sidelines I mean complaining on Facebook and table talk at dinner parties about all the “problems”.
If you do want to make a difference in our youth, though, here are 5 things you can do that will have an immediate positive impact.
1) Genuinely care about them. Not just like the “in passing, right thing to say” care, but actually deeply care. It’s amazing the impact care has on kids.
2) Build trust & rapport with them & there families. This requires you to show an immense amount of value up front. Once you earn trust, you can build rapport by consistently showing up and showing them, it is about THEM.
3) Help them understand their sport (or activity) isn’t their identity. Sports and activities are great, but they are not who the kids are. They are simply something that they participate in. “He’s a football player!” “She’s a softball player!” No. He’s John and she’s Sarah.
4) Teach them delayed gratification. Our current worldly model is teaching them not only about, but to expect instant gratification. With one simple click on a dopamine square we call “applications” they are immediately subjected to thinking they should “win” NOW. Teach them about the value of the process.
5) Get them brutally strong & fast. You’ll notice I put the “sports thing” last. It’s because none of this is really about sports or activities. It’s about shaping and molding young adults. Strength & speed will help them in their sports today, sure. But it will more importantly build a discipline that will forever pay them on the back end.
