THE SECRET TO RAISING A CHAMPION

We all want our kids to be champions, but raising a champion isn’t easy. In fact, at times uncovering what it takes can seem downright impossible, and it’s obvious some parents never seem to put the pieces together. So today I want to offer you the secret to achieving your goal – to helping your child become someone worthy of winning, on the playing field and beyond. The secret is development.

If you were expecting me to reveal the recipe for some magic potion or uncover a cheat code from the dark web, sorry to disappoint you. You may be thinking that the concept of development isn't all that innovative or ground-breaking, and in some ways you’re right. Most of us are familiar with the term, and in fact, it's commonly used as a buzzword or catchphrase in today's youth sports culture. But I want to give it more than just lip service today. I want to dig deeper into what development really looks like for you, the sports parent, and for your young athlete. Let’s uncover the secret to raising a champion in sports and in life. Let’s dissect development.

Development starts, first and foremost, with belief. It’s the belief that with focus, effort, and intention, your child can learn, grow, and improve in any important area of life. And not just that they can learn, grow and improve, but that they should, and that if we as parents are really going to fulfill our purpose here, that they must. That kind of conviction creates more than just the possibility for improvement. It creates an expectation for improvement. When you believe that it can and should and must happen, you aren’t surprised when it does happen. Your belief is the foundation of your child's development.

Once you believe development is both possible and necessary, then it's important to recognize and embrace the harsh reality of what it really requires. This is why a strong foundation is so important, because this reality - the long, slow, sometimes painful process development really requires - will challenge the strength of your belief on a regular basis. The truth is, getting better at anything worthwhile is really hard. The process includes some breakthroughs and successes, but it includes just as many, and maybe even more setbacks and challenges.

For every few steps your child takes forward, they’ll likely take at least one and maybe more steps back. That's how behavior change happens. They can and will get better, but it’ll take more than just your belief. It'll also take a clear sense for the road ahead. You'll have to give all you've got - your focus, your effort, and your intention - for even a speck of improvement in return. That means accepting that this is a marathon, not a sprint, and that this race can only be run one day, one experience, one opportunity at a time. Embracing the process means zooming out and seeing the big picture. It means recognizing that today’s experience, good or bad, is another step on that journey, and that all of it is so valuable to the development process…if, as your child's leader and guide, you use it the right way.

Finally, once you’ve built that foundation of belief and embraced the reality of the process required, then it's time to start building. It’s time to do the work. For you as a sports parent, doing the work means teaching, training, and equipping your child. It means supporting and encouraging them when they’re struggling. It means calling up and bringing to life their emerging inner champion. It means challenging them and holding them accountable when they don’t meet the standard you’ve set. Maybe most importantly, it means modeling for them what winning behavior looks like in your own life. It means accepting that the most important and authentic teaching tool you have at your disposal is your own powerful example, and developing the discipline it takes to do what champions do for yourself because you know the impact it can have in the life of your child.

That’s an awful lot you're charged with, but that's the secret. In reality, when it comes to elite sports parenting, there is no magic potion, and there is no cheat code from the dark web. It doesn't happen by luck or by accident or by wishful thinking. It’s only through a full commitment to the process of development, constructed on the foundation of your belief and built by the difficult, uncomfortable, inconvenient work you've chosen to do, that makes your child a champion.