08/20/2026
FROM ONE COACH TO ANOTHER — WE HAVE TO DO BETTER.
Junior high coaches go watch successful high school coaches run practice.
High school coaches go watch successful college coaches run practice.
Then ask yourself:
Are we actually developing our athletes — or are we just letting them play?
Scrimmaging for an entire practice is not development.
Yes, athletes need to compete.
Yes, they need live reps.
But they also need to be taught.
They need to understand the how and the why.
Drills.
Stations.
Skill development.
Film.
Teaching.
Repetition.
Accountability.
Those things should be staples of a program starting at the junior high level.
Athletes today have to be more skilled than ever. More coachable than ever. More prepared than ever.
So why would we sell our young athletes short?
These kids sacrificed their time.
They went through tryouts.
They earned a spot on the team.
They show up because they want to get better.
Our responsibility is to make sure they do.
A 12-, 13-, or 14-year-old shouldn’t just survive a season.
We should be building them so they still LOVE THEIR SPORT at 15, 16, 17 and beyond.
That’s the big picture.
Skill development builds confidence.
Confidence creates freedom.
Improvement creates excitement.
And getting better creates a deeper love for the game.
If players go through an entire season and don’t feel themselves becoming better athletes and better players, we have to look in the mirror as coaches.
Winning matters.
Competing matters.
But DEVELOPMENT MATTERS TOO.
The scoreboard today cannot be more important than the athlete we are trying to build for tomorrow.
Teach them. Develop them. Explain the why. Build their confidence. Prepare them for the next level.
From one coach to another…
WE HAVE TO DO BETTER.
— Game Ready Training Facility