Student Athletes: Multiple Sports or Specialization "Different Teammates & Coaches" Part III of III

3.  Different Teammates and Coaches:  one of the problems with specialization is that athletically gifted kids can end up in a social and athletic bubble – they see the same teammates and the same coaches year-round.    This creates a very narrow view of how to interact with teammates, classmates, teachers and coaches (or co-workers and bosses down the road). 

Playing multiple sports allows the student-athlete to learn how to effectively adapt, work, collaborate and problem solve with different personalities.  And that might be the best reason of all to play multiple sports.

Student-Athletes: Multiple Sports or Specialization "If and When" Part II of III

     2.  Different Roles:  only a few players are naturally gifted to be the star athlete in every sport they try out for growing up.  But for the most part, student-athletes may excel in some sports and then struggle in others; and that’s a good thing.  Playing multiple sports teaches the student-athlete to learn different roles and expectations.  In the fall, they might be the star running back.  But come basketball season, they are the 12^th man on the bench. 

Different abilities, different roles, different expectations.  Michael Jordan was a fair basketball player.  But could Jordan hit a curve ball?  Maybe in a slow pitch rec league based on his .202  batting  average for the Birmingham Barons.

Student-Athletes: Multiple Sports or Specialization - "If and When" Part I of III

Student-Athletes:  Multiple Sports or Specialization “if and when…”

We wouldn’t ask a talented violinist to pick up the oboe in the winter and pursue the musical stylings of the tuba in the spring, would we?  Maybe Prince taught himself to play 20 plus instruments but that’s why he is…Prince.  Should we expect the same in youth sports? There are good arguments for both sides.

A big question for sports parents is “if and when” to allow their student-athlete to specialize in one sport or if it’s best to play multiple sports year-round – football in fall, basketball in the winter and track in the spring.  Looking at two extreme examples - Todd Marinovich started training to become an NFL quarterback at the age of 3.  On the other hand, Payton Manning didn’t play tackle football until the ripe old age of 7^th grade.  And things turned out alright for Payton.

It’s interesting what USA Swimming has to say.  Usually, with individual Olympic sports like swimming, gymnastics and skating, we hear about young kids packing up their stuffed animals and moving across the country to live and train with select coaches.  The kids who start these hyper-competitive sports at 10-12 years old, are well, old and behind the curve to reach the highest pinnacle of their sport.  But even USA Swimming “generally” suggests the following schedule for student-athletes:

Ages 6-10:           Initiation to sports
Ages 11-14:         Skill formation in different sports
Ages 15-18:         Begin specialization
Age 19 +:             High Performance specialization

Not sure there is a “correct” answer to the question of specialization vs. multiple sports but the above schedule makes sense for most situations considering how rare it is to reach the college and professional ranks in any sport.  And youth sports, for most families and young athletes, are about learning life skills that extend well beyond the field. 

So here are three, admittedly, one-sided reasons to consider multiple sports over specialization in youth sports:

1.   Different Pressure:  let’s take basketball vs. golf.  In basketball, there’s constant movement and adjustments to the clock, score, substitutions, presses and zone defenses, foul trouble, and changing momentum.  Basketball requires the student-athlete to make split second decisions and learn to cope with constant changes, and most of those variables are outside the athlete's control.

In golf, on the other hand, over an 18-hole tournament, there’s maybe a grand total of 3 minutes of actual swinging the golf club.  And unlike basketball, in golf a player may deal with an excruciating long 3-5 minute stretch to get their head straight before facing a critical 5-foot putt.  That requires a different skill set than hoops.  In golf, the athlete is up in his/her head for 98% of the competition.   That’s a very different kind of pressure and mental toolset required compared to basketball.  So maybe an advantage of playing multiple sports is the exposure it provides to facing and overcoming a variety of pressure situations.

Time Management for Busy Football Parents: How Jack Dorsey Runs Twitter & Square

A day-by-day guide to Jack Dorsey's 80-hour workweek - Nov. 13, 2011

Jenni Hogan's Podcast Interview with NFL Agent Leigh Steinberg

Great interview by Jenni Hogan of Leigh Steinberg.  Leigh openly reflects on reaching the top of his profession, followed by a well-documented fall due to substance abuse, and his climb back up the hill. 

http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=577&a=9966735&p=1077&n=The Jenni Hogan Show

NCAA Football Recruiting: The Players, The Scorecard "Boosters" Part V

Buddy Garrity:  “You can’t fake boosterism, Eric.  It comes from the heart.  That’s the beauty of it.”  Friday Night Lights 

Alumni & Boosters:  whatever I said about agents, well, double that for boosters.  Inducements are illegal. Money, cars, gifts, family housing, hell, a free taco lunch to talk about your son’s athletic future is off the table when it comes to boosters and the recruiting of prospective student-athletes.  And pretty much every program has a “Buddy Garrity” somewhere close by. 

Under NCAA bylaws, boosters are prohibited from recruiting high school athletes both before and after a National Letter of Intent is signed.  And any recruiting violation by a booster is attributed to the school. 

And the NCAA bylaws are unforgiving - under § 13.02.14.1, once an individual or entity is classified as a university’s “representative of athletic interests,” aka “booster,” they are considered a booster for life!  There is no coming back from boosterville.  Stay away from boosterville.

So that’s about it.  Those are the main players at the recruiting table:  mom, coaches, current players, academic counselors and compliance departments, agents and boosters. 

Study up.  Don’t be the sucker at the table.

NCAA Football Recruiting: The Players, The Scorecard - "Agents" Part IV

“Help me, help you.”  Jerry Maguire, 1996

“Agents”:  if there one absolute in the recruiting game it is this – stay away from agents trying to build a relationship with your student-athlete.  There is no faster way to destroying amateur eligibility and putting a black mark on your name and reputation than accepting representation, promises of future representation, or benefits from an agent to a student-athlete or family.  And with the immediacy and reach of social media any interaction by a student-athlete or family with an agent will get noticed. 

The NCAA bylaws prohibit this student-athlete/agent relationship under § 12.3.1.1 and .2.  This includes both written and verbal arrangements and both present and casual promises of future representation after your son has completed his amateur eligibility in that sport.

NCAA Football Recruiting: The Players, The Scorecard Part III

“You’re 5 foot nothin’ and you have barely a speck of athletic ability….and you’re gonna walk outta here with a degree from Notre Dame.”  Rudy, 1993      

"Guess Who is Coming to Dinner":  Recruiting.  Does the coach consider your son a “fit” or a “fill” at wide receiver for his program?  In football, coaches fill the depth chart 3-deep.  And coaches are always hedging their bets for fall-outs in recruiting.  So expect them to oversell how much they want your son to sign with his program.  Who is sitting in your living room – the head coach, position coach, or low-level assistant?  The person sitting across from you in the living room shows how much the program wants to sign your son as a “fit” rather than a “fill.” 

And keep in mind, verbal commitments by a high school athlete to a university and a college coach to a high school athlete are not binding.  A coach may accept a non-binding verbal from a 14-year old all-star quarterback and then back out of that commitment years later on signing day if the coach finds a better fit for the position.  Is your son a fit or a fill?

Also remember that your son will be signing a binding national letter of intent with the school, not the football program.  The college coaching profession is a vagabond, mercenary life.  It is a brutal, ladder-climbing scramble for these guys and coaches move programs frequently.  The head or position coach you develop rapport with in your living room may not be with the program once summer practices start.  Ask your son, “If the coach moves on, if you didn’t play football, would you still select this school?”

NCAA Football Recruiting: The Players, The Scorecard Part II

Dean Wormer:  “Here are your grade point averages.  Mr. Kroger:  two C’s, two D’s and an F.  That’s a 1.2.  Congratulations, Kroger.  You’re at the top of the Delta pledge class.”  Animal House, 1978

“Grads & Grades”:  find out if a disproportionate number of athletes on the team share an unusually high number of the same major.  Are, say…80% of the team’s players enrolled as “general studies” majors?    What is the team’s overall GPA and how does that compare to other programs at the school and the conference?  What percent of the team actually graduates?  Do they graduate on time?  Are they able to secure meaningful employment after their athletic career ends? 

Become educated on each school’s track record.  These might be red flags for where that program’s priorities are concerning academics and development of the student-athlete for a career out of sports.

Call each program’s athletic compliance department to get this information.  Unlike with coaches and recruiters, there is no limit to the number of times a family can be in contact with a school’s compliance department and academic advisors.  Be assertive.

NCAA Football Recruiting: The Players, The Scorecard Part I

NCAA Football Recruiting:  The Players, the Scorecard

“Listen, here's the thing. If you can't spot the sucker in the first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker.”  Rounders, 1998

Like it or not, the recruiting game is an adversarial process with lots of moving parts, negotiations, bluffs, with promises made and promises broken.  So it is so important for new sports parents to study and understand all the moving parts - this includes recruiting season (what is a quiet period, dead period, contact period, evaluation period), what are eligibility requirements, “core course” GPA’s, sliding SAT/ACT scales, academic redshirts, qualifiers, non-qualifiers, non-binding verbal commitments, binding letter of intent, letter of intent releases, and on and on and on it goes. 

I’ve been practicing law for 13 years and I still find the NCAA bylaws baffling sometimes.  It’s not quite the federal tax code, but the NCAA Division I Manual weighs in at a robust 432 pages of rules, exceptions to the rules, and exclusions to the exceptions…to the rules.  And no pictures.  

Yes, it’s exciting to see that very first recruiting letter in the mailbox.  But that is just the start. Like it or not, busy sports parents grinding away to keep a roof over their heads should spend time getting familiar with all the different recruiting rules and restrictions involved.  It’s not simply about running a 4.40 and becoming first team all-state.  That won’t get it done.  

As your family prepares for recruiting season, one way to protect your interests is to understand the cast of recruitment characters involved and their motivations.  Don’t be the sucker at the table.

“Selling Mom”:  when a recruiter steps into a living room they have one job – and that is selling mom.  Recruiters know that if mom isn’t on board chances are they are not taking her son away for the next 4-5 years.  What this means:  if your son is on the academic/athlete bubble, don’t be overly-flattered by the attention.  The recruiter might be overselling to hedge their bets on possible recruiting fall outs.  On the other hand, if your son is a top prospect, use this knowledge as leverage – athletic financial aid packages are negotiable.  Knowing where you stand is so important when there are hundreds of thousands of dollars in educational expenses, and future salary opportunity, at stake.  Moms need to figure out who has the leverage at the table. And leverage can be a moving target in negotiations.

Dad Sues High School Track Coach for $40M

WHAT:  New Jersey dad sues son’s high school track coach, AD and school district for $40M!!!

WHY:  His son was cut from the track team due to excessive unexcused absences.  The dad disagreed with the coach on what distances the student-athlete should run and was upset about the loss of potential scholarship opportunities.

LESSONS FOR SPORTS PARENTS:  Support, don’t coach.  The coach’s role is to set standards for “all” the team to follow and when those standards are broken there are consequences.  The coach determines what distances an athlete should run or position an athlete should play based on…..what is best for the team – this decision is not based on what is best for your child. 

It is not the role of a football-parent to instruct the coach on where to play their son.  Parents need to take a step back and understand how counterproductive it is to fight a coach like this – it damages team morale, confuses the student-athlete and divides loyalty, and causes the athlete to lose confidence in his coach. 

Suing a high school coach, making a couple thousand in a season stipend, for $40M is probably not the answer or lesson a football parent should deliver to their student-athlete.

Why Division III Football

Why Division III Football?

So unlike Div I and II football, there are no athletic scholarships available at the Div III level.  And sure, the facilities may be a…slight downgrade from a University of Oregon, and no, D3 athletes do not get playbooks on IPads and they don’t fly first class…chances are good they’ll be loaded on a bus to the next game, and probably the game after that.

So why Div III football?

Be a big fish in a small pond:

Attending a D III school may allow an athlete a better chance to actually play for four years instead of sitting on the bench.

True college athlete-student experience:

Div III programs provide shorter practices schedules and seasons, and there are limited offseason requirements.  This frees up time to pursue internships, network with other classmates, make career contacts, and be a college “student.”  Playing football at a D III program is not a 24/7 commitment.  And in the long-game that is a good thing.  When only 1.6% of NCAA football players make the pros, it’s good to have a plan in place for after graduation.

Grants, Work-Study and Academic Scholarships:

Div III programs offer a lot of assistance to student-athletes to help pay for school.  It probably won’t cover everything but considering D III provides a chance to play, and chance to be a college student, D III should be a strong consideration for many student-athletes looking for a well-rounded college experience.

Football Parents Book Recommendation - Did You Like Lean In?

Sports Parents – Book Recommendation

If you liked the message in Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Lean In, check out Thick Face, Black Heart by Chin-Nig Chu, the original “Lean In.”  Written waaay back the early ‘90’s, Thick Face (or thick skin) refers to the importance of fortitude, and developing the ability to withstand criticism while staying focused on goals; and Black Heart covers how to take action and make the tough decisions.   

Basically, you don’t ask….you don’t get.  The somewhat blunt central message of the book is that we are each responsible for our success and failures and why it is so important to have the grit to start taking action without waiting around for external permission.

Odds of High School Players to the NFL 0.08%!!!

Wow!  Hit the books. 

The odds of going from high school to the NCAA to the pros are staggering. 

The NCAA reports the following stats:

High School Senior Football Players: 310,000

NCAA Football Players Drafted to the NFL:  254

Percent of High School Players to the NCAA:  6.5%

Percent of NCAA to the Pros:  1.6%

Percent of High School Players to the Pros:  0.08%

Navy Seals Creed

The Dallas Cowboy's TE Jason Witten keeps this Navy Seals Creed in his locker.  Not a bad message for football parents to tape to the fridge

NAVY SEALS CREED:

I WILL NEVER QUIT

I PERSEVERE AND THRIVE ON ADVERSITY 

MY TEAM EXPECTS ME TO BE PHYSICALLY HARDER AND MENTALLY STRONGER THAN OUR COMPETITION 

IF KNOCKED DOWN, I WILL GET BACK UP EVERY TIME

I WILL DRAW ON EVERY REMAINING SOURCE OF STRENGTH TO HELP MY TEAM AND TO ACCOMPLISH OUR GOAL

I AM NEVER OUT OF THE FIGHT

Saturday's Sports-Parent Tip: Mental Toughness & the Long Game

Mental Toughness & the Long Game

Mental toughness beats physical gifts over time, every time.  No doubt that Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods have phenomenal, freak-like athletic skills but what makes them such scary competitors, according to the guys who played against them, is their mental toughness and tunnel-vision ability to gut it out longer than the other guy.  Encourage this mindset in your student-athlete - developing a mental edge and the drive to outlast the competition.

Football Parents Resolutions for 2014: #10 Have Fun

#10  Have fun:    

The number one reason kids drop out of youth sports is “burnout.” 

In fact, 75% quit youth sports by age 13.  Jennifer Capriotti started playing serious tennis for 6 hours per day at age 4, she turned pro at age 13, became a top 10 player by age 14, and then Jennifer dropped out of professional tennis at age 17.  She spiraled and rejoined the tour years later but lost several seasons of a promising career.  Imagine being the “top ten” at anything in the world and quitting at age 17. 

And a recent survey of 400 working sports-moms showed that 76% were glad when the season finally ended!  Is anyone having fun here?  This is why it is so important to spend time in the offseason setting expectations on work/life balance as a football parent. 

When 75% of the kids want to quit and 76% of the moms are relieved when the season finishes…it becomes pretty clear that something is out of whack. 

There really is no better team sport to learn critical life skills than youth football so commit to spending time this offseason developing your skills as a football parent.

Follow Brian @ZeroOffseason

Football Parents Resolutions for 2014: #9 Adapt Every Season

#9  Adapt Every Season: 

Next season won’t be the same as the last.  And next season won’t be the same as the following season.  And change is painful for the parents, the players and the coaches.  But it is guaranteed that there will be different dynamics, different coaches, players unexpectedly rotated to new positions, support players moved into starting roles, stars becoming support players, and new parental personalities in the bleachers every season.  So your son played quarterback the last three years?  And that is what you paid money for and he focused on at summer football camp?  Understand that the coach may move your student-athlete to a different position based on “what is best for the team.”  Offensive and defensive schemes will change based on changing personnel.  Adapt.  No team in history needed 23 quarterbacks. 

 Adapting also means preparing your student-athlete to be mentally tough, confident and resilient when asked to play a key role next season.  This is where kids really stumble if not mentally prepared to move from a supporting role to a starting role.  We spend a lot of time talking about how to handle getting “benched” but not enough time talking about moving from the bench to the field.  And the increased expectations and pressure can be tough to handle if not prepared in advance.  This is why it is so important to spend time this offseason working on dealing with unexpected change, developing skills for overcoming adversity, and handling worst case scenarios.    

And it really doesn’t take a lot of time or a big set up - just ask simple questions along the lines of “If X happens, how will you handle it?” and “If problem X comes up, what areas do you have control over and can change?”   Maybe watch Apollo 13 together and use it as a springboard to discuss working under pressure, adapting, improvising under imperfect conditions, and not quitting when adversity hits unexpectedly.

Football Parents Resolutions for 2014: #8 Better Sports Parenting

            #8  Focus on Better football Parenting: 

   Commit to reading three sports parenting books before summer football camp.  Isolate three areas you need to improve upon before next season.  Some ideas might include general game knowledge; bleacher behavior; safety & concussion management; co-parenting with your ex; or youth sports psychology.  Not sure where to start?  Ask your student-athlete what went well and not so well last season.  Research topics online and then reserve those books for free through your public library system.  Education doesn’t get cheaper than that.  Little known fact – your library can bring in almost any book nationwide from other public library systems.  So if there is a book you want, chances are your local library can bring it in for you.   It’s free education…so be patient with delivery times. 

   These are three books I always recommend for sports parents:  Nurture Shock, Po Bronson; Top Dog, the Science of Winning and Losing, Po Bronson; and Getting to Yes, Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, Roger Fisher.  Also consider joining USA Football, (www.usafootball.com) the national governing body of youth football – a great resource for game knowledge and safety tips. 

   And remember the three key roles – players play, coaches coach, and parents provide support.  You don’t need to be an expert on reading defensive coverages or wide receiver tree routes.  Your job is to help your student-athlete learn how to lead, follow, win, lose, commit, and how to get back up for the seventh time after getting knocked on their backside again, again and again.

Football Parents Resolutions for 2014: #7 Academics & Recruiting

#7  Academics & Recruiting:   

Grades count.  College football coaches want to
see talent, character and academics.  And as scary as it sounds, colleges now track and accept non-binding verbal commitments from kids that have not played a single down of freshman football. 

The competition is fierce so don’t provide recruiters any reason to cross your son off their watch list based on academics.  Understand the difference between the “overall” GPA which includes puff classes and the “core courses” GPA which focuses on math, science, English, foreign language, etc.  There are 16 core courses that must be completed in 8 high school semesters and as of August 2016, a 2.3 GPA will be required in those core courses to be eligible for an athletic scholarship to Division I and II schools.  Also, while both Div I and II require a total of 16 core courses, the two divisions have different core course requirements – this is key if your son is on the bubble between Div I and II. 

Football parents need to be very familiar with the NCAA academic eligibility requirements well before the freshman year because core courses start the freshman year of high school. 

Check out www.eligibilitycenter.org for NCAA core course tracking tools and further information.

Follow Brian on Twitter @ZeroOffseason

Sports Psychology Podcast for Sports Parents

Highly recommend the "Sports Coach Radio" podcast for parents of student-athletes interested in sports psychology - 1 hour interviews with top sports psychologists, Div I and Olympic coaches. 

www.sportscoachradio.com

NCAA Football: National Letter of Intent Signing Day Countdown

Congrats if your son has options for where to play some college ball next year.  Keep in mind that "verbal commitments" are not binding so if he has already verbally committed to a school but still on the fence, he may change his mind and sign with another school without penalty.

However, after your son does sign a letter of intent, that is a binding agreement - your son is then committed for a full academic year in exchange for an athletic-based financial package from the school.  So pick wisely.  If your student-athlete gets cold feet after signing, absent a release from that school, he may attend another school, and receive financial aid, but must sit out of all sports for a full academic year! 

NCAA Football National Letter of Intent Period:  February 5th - April 1st 2014.

For more information, review www.national-letter.org

Football Parents Resolutions for 2014: #6 Bad Game Protocol

#6 Bad Game Protocol:

Create space between a bad performance and any post-game life lesson. Let the sting wear off before offering up constructive ideas for the next game. Too many times I see parents replaying their son’s mistakes after a game before they even get to the car. Wait a day or two before having that conversation – the player will be less defensive and more receptive. Ask open-ended questions in areas the player has control over and can improve upon like effort, attitude, intensity, concentration, and being a good teammate. Even elite athletes are “off” their game some days and must rely on effort and grit until they get back on track.

There are also two pre-game conversations on this point that sports parents should routinely have with their student athlete: (1) players must rely on effort and attitude when they are off their game. Knowing this ahead of time allows players to relax and transition into effort mode without crumbling during the game when things go wrong (and stuff will go wrong, guaranteed); and (2) discuss specific possible “worst case scenarios” with your student-athlete and how they will respond. Working thru worst case scenarios before hand and understanding it won’t be the end of the world can reduce game-day anxiety.

Having these pre-game and post-game routines is an effective way for sports parents to support their student-athletes.

Football Parents' Resolutions for 2014: #5 The Black List

#5 The Black List:

Sports parents should know that Coaches talk. Coaches know the toxic, problem parents and keep them on radar. Football feeder systems and coaching connections run from flag up to high school varsity. And then from varsity coaches to college recruiters. If your son is skilled and in the rare position of being scouted by college football programs, you should work hard to be in a position where the coach wants to help you help your son earn an athletic scholarship. If a busy high school coach has five kids getting recruited, and a certain parent did nothing but create conflict for coaches the last 7-8 years, that head coach won’t see the problem parent as a priority when other parents were more supportive to the team concept.

With 1.4 million kids playing high school football and only 700 + college football programs available, the funnel of opportunity narrows quickly for athletic scholarships – don’t let parental bad behavior or ego cost a student-athlete a scholarship that they worked so hard for over many seasons.

Football Parents Resolutions for 2014 #4 Avoid Comparisons

#4 Avoid Comparisons: I’m surprised every season by the changes in players from one year to the next. Kids grow and mature at different rates and the team “superstar” one year is a support player the next. And vice versa. Compare a kid’s effort and attitude to where they were last year, last month, last week. But avoid any kitchen table comparisons to other players as a means of motivation. If they like the sport, allow them to develop at their own pace. This isn’t about coddling or “participation awards” but channeling kids’ focus to improving and competing against themselves…after all, even Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team but how did that work out?

Football Parents' Resolutions for 2014

#3 Parenting Plan: Divorced parents should get on the same page with scheduling and expectations. There is a reason why the courts call it the “best interests” standard when hashing out custodial arrangements – it is what is in the “best interest of the child, not the parents. I see the same problems every season with co-parents not communicating with each other – the player shows up embarrassed because he only has half his football gear between custodial transfers, or a parent routinely drops the player off late to practice, or a parent removes the player from the team 3 games into a season to teach their ex a “lesson.” If the kid loves playing sports, then the parenting plan should, as best as possible, work around the athletic schedule regardless of how toxic the post-divorce relationship is between the “adults.” First map out the athletic schedule the best you can and then create a co-parenting plan works around those sports commitments (not the other way around). As for child support, youth sports is an extracurricular activity so it falls outside of what is considered a “necessary” educational expense. Therefore, expenses for youth leagues, summer camps, personal trainers and coaches, etc must be negotiated between the parents based on their willingness and ability to pay. Again, be flexible and keep the best interests goal in mind. One anecdote I like to share with parents at the beginning of every season is Alec Baldwin vs. Kim Basinger. After a 9-year marriage, they waged war on each other with an 8-year custody battle, involving $3M in court costs and legal fees, and 90 + court proceedings. Who benefited from that?