coachKidsSports.com

I’ve been very lax about posting lately — sorry about that.  Over the past three months much of the time I used to spend on this site has been devoted to getting a new business off the ground.  It’s through kids, sports and coaching that I came to this new venture, and while it’s taking me away from coaching, it’s still keeping me in touch with the kids and the sports — the reasons I spent those cold, wet spring days on the sidelines.

What’s been keeping me away from you for so long you ask?  You can find out at  www.MyMVPpix.com.  It’s an action and event photography business.  We specialize in getting the pictures of your MVP that you can’t — usually because you are too busy coaching, cheering or taking care of a little one.  I believe in giving back to the organizations that give our kids the chance to compete, so I give 10% back to the organization - I figure it’s better that family and friends buy pictures than wrapping paper.

It’s been an interesting couple of months.  I’m learning about so much more that photography.  From the marketing to the operational, it’s all on us.  There isn’t another department we can blame it on and gossip about.  Either I do it, my wife does it, or it doesn’t get done.  In many ways that is very liberating — it also makes for some late nights when I have to get an event posted or an order completed…  but having a pricing meeting over pizza and margaritas keeps things interesting.

I wouldn’t be a very good business owner if I didn’t ask for your business…  contact me at jb2-at-myMVPpix.com to bring us out for your team.  We love to travel and I’d like nothing more than to get to know this site’s readers.

I’ll continue to post here — now that the new site is running it shouldn’t take quite as much of my time.  In fact, I have another post ready for tomorrow…

Hope you are enjoying your New Year's Day.  See you Tomorrow.

Merry Christmas from Santa, Mrs. Claus and a couple of great kids

Oh, to be home again, home again, home again! Under the apple-boughs, down by the mill! - James Thomas Fields

I like having company.  I like entertaining people in my home and getting to know them.  So it is with great excitement that I announce a guest blogger!

I've asked Charlie Williamson to contribute to the site and he's already responded.  We are working on his first post, which you should see this week.

You may recognize the name.  Charlie is the Positive Coaching Alliance's Lead trainer for the Chicago area and the person who lead the first PCA seminar I contributed to. 

Charlie has a long history as an athlete.  Growing up playing baseball, he pitched his college ball at Northwestern.  After college he played in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, rising to the Double A level before a career ending shoulder injury. 

Charlie always enjoyed working with kids, so after baseball Charlie went to work at the Bulls/Sox Training Academy in Lisle, IL.  He was the marketing director and worked closely with the professional coaches and athletes who conduct the sessions and the kids who attend the sessions.  It was at the Bull/Sox Academy where Charlie was exposed to the PCA principles which led to his current role as Lead Trainer.

Charlie obviously has a great deal of knowledge about coaching kids in general and baseball in particular.  I'm looking forward to his contributions. 

Welcome to CoachKidsSports.com Charlie!

Coach Bigs is still enjoying Thanksgiving.  See you Monday…

I'm off on a scouting trip — be back Wednesday — Send in those nominations!!

A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment. - John Wooden

October 14th is John Wooden’s 96th Birthday. I don’t know what I’d get a 96 year old legend, but the people of Los Angeles do. They are naming the post office in Reseda CA after him. The ironic thing about the honor, is that Coach Wooden doesn’t live in Reseda, he lives in nearby Encino. But the post office in Encino was already named for long time LA Laker announcer Chick Hearn. I guess there are too many legends living in Southern California — or too few post offices…

I hope you will indulge me here. I went to find a quote from John Wooden to put at the top of this entry. I had trouble picking just one, so I figured it’s his birthday — I’ll let coach give us a present… Here are a few more pearls of wisdom from the Wizard of Westwood:

Ability is a poor man’s wealth. - John Wooden

Adversity is the state in which man mostly easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then. - John Wooden

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. - John Wooden

Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights. - John Wooden

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. - John Wooden

Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability. - John Wooden

You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you. - John Wooden

We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone. - Ronald Reagan

When I started this web site I knew I had something to say — anyone who knows me, knows I generally have something to say.  So, my biggest question was, would anybody listen?  I've had readers from every continent (I'm excluding Antarctica, I don't see a real need there…) and every state in the US.  So I can say that I'm happy to see that people do, indeed, listen.  Thank you for listening, I'm more appreciative than you will know, but now I have a job for you.

I want to know why you read this site.  I can see the searches that bring some people here.  I want to know what you like about the site, and anything you don't like about the site.  I want to know what topics you'd like to see more of, or less of.  A short answer to one or more of these questions is appreciated, a long dissertation on all of them, also appreciated. 

I want this site to start a conversation about coaching.  What works, what doesn't and why.  I have my ideas, but I'm looking for yours.  Feel free to leave your comments here or email me if you'd rather give me your constructive criticism privately.

Thank you for your readership and your feedback.

People don't give Buffalo enough credit… - Mats Sundin

Welcome everyone coming to CoachKidsSports.com from the Buffalo News .  According to my family there is no bigger honor than getting your name in the Buffalo paper, so I guess I've reached the pinnacle…

I want your feedback and input, so please leave comments on individual posts or send me an email with general comments.

On the left side of the page you can subscribe to the RSS feed for the site, or you can have every article delivered via email the morning it's published — just like the Buffalo News!

This site works because I get to talk to lots of youth coaches.  Help introduce me to a wider range of coaches — and help your favorite coach get some well deserved recognition — by nominating him or her for the Coach of the Month.  Each month I profile a new coach and we get to learn their secrets.

I'd wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't mention, and encourage you to visit, a true Buffalo blog, the guys who gave me the mention that resulted in the article - BfloBlog.com.  Their Sabres coverage strikes the right tone and, if you're a 24 fan, you have to read the weekly live blog.

Although I haven't lived in Buffalo for many years, I still consider it home.   From my days playing hockey at the Leisure rinks for Bert's Bicycle and Hockey shop, to playing baseball at the Legion Field in Hamburg, to getting more stitches than Frankenstein at Mercy Hospital, Buffalo is always home regardless of where I reside.

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. - Gilbert K. Chesterton

CoachKidsSports.com is now two weeks old and I want to take a short break to thank everyone who has made it successful.

Most importantly, thanks to you for reading this site, already making it a go to destination for ideas and information on coaching kids sports.

Please help me keep this going, by continuing to read the site and contributing to the conversation in the comments and visiting our fine sponsors. The goal of CoachKidsSports.com is to build a community of people who want great coaching for our kids. Speak up and let me know your thoughts.

I don’t want you to miss any articles so I’m giving you two options to get CoachKidsSports.com delivered to you. Clicking the orange icon here grabs the RSS feed for your favorite RSS reader:

But if you are unsure about RSS or you'd rather spend your time in your mailbox… I’ll send the posts to you through email:

The list of people responsible for getting this site off the ground is long. But it wouldn’t be what it is without the guidance of Mike Marusin. He’s the genius behind Marusin.com, among other sites. If it weren’t for Mike I would still be trying to set up WordPress.

Thanks also to my friends Kevin and Mark at BfloBlog.com and Eric McErlain at OffwingOpinion.com for their positive comments and links.

Make BfloBlog part of your web reading if only for Mark’s weekly 24 recap, in season of course. You’ll see that it is worth twice the price of admission. I read the site every day, but then I’m a sucker for great coverage of my beloved Buffalo Sabres…

There isn’t much more to say about Eric McErlain and OffwingOpinion.com that hasn’t already been said. If you aren’t a regular reader, go and read through his archives. In fact, go to this entry to see that he has the attention of important people in sports, including Ted Leonsis, the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards owner.

Coaching kids is challenging. Trying to get a bunch of kids moving in the same direction is never easy, then throw in a couple nuerotic parents who are planning for the 2016 Olympics and you have a strange brew. It’s that volitile concoction that fuels this site and will give us plenty to use up the bandwidth over the coming months and years. Thanks for coming on the ride with me.