Keep this fact in your back pocket as you hunt down quality mentors for your children.
“Here’s a fact:
The vast majority of people working with youth athletes aren’t qualified to be training them. Not even close.
You’d never er take your car to a mechanic who wasn’t qualified, but you’ll drop your kid off with an unqualified guy for ‘performance training’?
-Ray Zingler on X
It’s a sad truth, but a truth nonetheless.
And don’t mistake my words, thinking I am implying these people (whom I don’t know) are fundamentally bad people because they aren’t qualified to train kids (though, I’d be forced to question their character prescribing something they aren’t qualified to do).
But herein lies the problem.
Parents see what meets the eye.
“He’s got the hurdles. He’s got the cones. Oh, he’s got those rubberbands, too!? And it looks like he’s got a video guy out there, too. He must be legit!”
And then you call him or go meet him and he seems and sounds like a nice guy.
So you buy based off of uninformed perception.
Now let’s get in your car for a minute.
You’re driving down the road, you see a mechanic you know nothing about, and pull over. He’s a really nice guy, but you can’t find proof of his quality anywhere. He invests next to no money in his business. And when you ask him about his certifications, he tells you his friend taught him in his driveway.
Are you dropping your car off there to have him replace a rear main seal?
Of course you’re not, right?
You’re taking your car to the accredited mechanic, who is certified and has provided proven, quality results for thousands of people.
You’re not dropping “your baby” off with anybody else!
But, you’ll drop your kid off with that same shoddy mechanic of a “performance coach” because he’s nice?
Your car, which is an inanimate object that is rapidly depreciating in value, you’ll hunt down the best mechanic in town for?
But your kid? Your highly impressionable offspring, you’ll jump right at the first guy down at the local park because he’s nice.
I mean if that’s not the most upside down, inside out, bass ackwards thing I’ve ever heard of, I don’t know what is.
As a parent, it is critical to have your children trained and (more importantly) influenced by quality people.
Don’t jump at convenience.
Hunt quality.
And just a word of advice while you’re looking..
There is FAR more bad than good out there.
Seek quality rich mentors and settle for nothing less.
Your kids are worth it.
