Here are a few considerations:
“If we cared about youth development, we’d study the (abundant) research & build a quality model that was focused on long term athletic development.
If we cared about money, we’d segue kids into year round sport, so that we could build a predictable business off their backs.
Hmm?”
-Ray Zingler on X
“Yeah, but Ray, aren’t you in the youth sports business?”
Nah brother, I am in the life changing business.
I am in the business of helping young people (and old) positively associate with the concept of health and fitness so that they can build quality habits in adolescence that they will sustain for the rest of their lives, which will consequently (statistically speaking) extend the quality of not only their lifespan, but more importantly their health span.
We are giving our kids more quality time with their future grandchildren. And we’re vehemently focused on that long game, too.
It’s a bit different than trying to make a few extra bucks a month selling them on a bunch of lessons they don’t need.
While we obviously work with athletes, we spend as much time preaching to them the concept of balance, rest, recovery, and taking steps back in order to take great steps forward.
Believe it or not, when new kids start in our program, I encourage our lower volume/price point options when I could very easily upsell and put a few more bucks in my pocket.
Why?
Because I know that the minimum effective dose can provide quality returns and preserve their bandwidth.
I care about the kids far more than I do the dollars.
And I don’t just say that.
I live it, and I have lived it ever sense I started. I’ll continue to live it, too.
You don’t have to have a degree from Wharton to see the abundant systemic flaws in our youth sport model.
It’s very easy to see what’s going on.
Adults saw an opportunity to make a lot of money on the business of youth sport so they used greed to drive the creation of their model.
How?
They pigeonholed kids into early onset specialization of year-round sport, simply by dosing a little FOMO.
Why?
Predictable income.
And people naively believe this is “best”?
I mean it’s comical, right?
Read one iota of literature and you’ll see how ass backwards the model truly is, if it’s “youth athletic development” we’re after.
Question everything.
And you don’t even have to question it hard.
Seek development for your children.
It’s not your job to fund your kid’s coaches truck payments.
