CHANGING YOUR STARS

One of the most frequent questions I get from parents is about how their athlete can do or be part of more – make a better team, get more playing time, make varsity, be a starter. 

As we move through the season in volleyball, basketball, and soccer, I want to share a message that applies to every athlete, at every level: if you want to change your stars – level up teams, earn a bigger role, or raise your future potential - you have to be willing to do more than everyone around you is doing. Not only when it’s convenient, but consistently, over time, when nobody is watching.

The truth is everyone goes to practice. Everyone has the same access to coaches, workouts, and team training. That’s the baseline. The athletes who separate themselves are the ones who decide that practice isn’t the only place they grow. They train outside of practice. They take their rest and recovery seriously. Weight training, nutrition, sleep habits, film watching, and touches - those are the things that can change your trajectory. The athletes who earn more opportunities aren’t always the most naturally gifted. More often, they’re the ones who commit to doing the unglamourous things better and more consistently than anyone else.

And there is one piece that is the most frequently overlooked. We spend a lot of time training the physical side of the game – skill and technique, and if you’re more committed, strength, speed, and conditioning – and that absolutely matters. However, if athletes want to truly level up, they also must train the mind. Confidence, discipline, resilience, focus, and composure are not things you either “have or don’t have.” They are skills that can be developed. Learning how to respond after a mistake, how to stay locked in under pressure, how to lead when things get hard, and how to compete when you’re tired - that’s all mental training. The best athletes don’t just prepare their bodies to play; they prepare their minds to perform.

My encouragement to every athlete reading this is simple: decide what kind of player you want to become and then live like it. It is easy to speak of big dreams, but do you want it badly enough to do the little things that no one watches in order to achieve your goals. The future is built on daily habits. If you want more responsibility, more playing time, or a higher level, it starts with what you do when nobody is forcing you to do it.

Let’s keep empowering athletes together!