Youth sports are a gift. But they can also get real messy.

In this episode, we’re breaking down the Ten Commandments of Healthy Sports Parents — the core values behind everything we do. These aren’t just rules. They’re a framework for showing up well, leading with perspective, and keeping your kid’s well-being at the center of the journey.

From emotional control to encouragement, rest to respect, we unpack what healthy really looks like and why it matters more than ever.

If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I doing this right?” – this one’s for you.

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https://www.healthysportsparents.com/playbook

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We hadn’t planned on doing any bonus episodes this summer but when you get an email saying, “Would you like to interview NBA Hall of Famer Ray Allen?” you say yes and decide to put out a bonus episode.

Ray is joined by ESPN Wide World of Sports General Manager Leroy Arrington.

In the episode, we talk with Ray about why the process matters more than results, how kids need to learn from failure, and we also get an inside look from Leroy about what it takes to make a great experience at these giant tournaments and what he sees throughout the year from the families who walk away from youth sports stronger compared to those who walk away burned out or fractured.

ABOUT THE WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS

Along with professional level stadiums, it has four professional sized baseball fields, six fields used for softball and youth baseball, 10 tennis courts, a track and field complex, and an athletic center that can host six basketball courts, 12 volleyball courts, or two roller hockey rinks. And that’s not even all of it. In total, the complex features more than 30 outdoor fields and several indoor venues. If you want to know more about the Wide World of Sports, you can visit ESPNWWOS.com.

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Follow us on social:

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Get your Weekend Playbook:

https://www.healthysportsparents.com/playbook

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Coach Ballgame ( ⁨@coachballgame⁩ ) is on a mission to help kids fall in love with baseball and softball so they can learn the invaluable life lessons they impact. That includes helping kids love the game, helping parents lead their kids through the journey, and supporting coaches who can redefine the win from chasing trophies to imparting life lessons through the game.

All year long, Coach Ballgame travels the country to host his National Sandlot Tour, offer clinics, and teach coaches how to help kids.

He just recently released his first book - Coach Ballgame: My Pillars of Coaching and How I Got There. You can pick that up on his website CoachBallgame.com.

I tried to come up with a summary of our conversation but it was so rich I couldn’t sum it up in a couple sentences. Just trust me that you’ll want to listen to it.

Follow Coach Ballgame on social:

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https://www.threads.net/healthysportsparents

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Today’s guest is Steve Magness. Steve is one of my favorite voices in the youth sports space. He’s served as a performance coach for numerous professional teams, executives, and even artists. He’s coached at the high school and college level. And he’s written quite a few books. His newest is called Win The Inside Game and is out now wherever you get books. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

In our conversation, we talk about how the fear of your kid falling behind athletically, how kids are afraid of failure and what we can do to help, and the importance of unstructured play in their development. We also hit on a whole bunch of other smaller topics throughout the conversation. I know I say this a lot, but this conversation truly was a joy to record.

Get Steve's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Win-Inside-Game-Surviving-Thriving/

Follow Steve on Social:

https://www.instagram.com/stevemagness/

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Sarah Lessig is currently a high school senior who has signed to play college basketball at Princeton next year.

But recently Sarah has gone viral all over social media because she is the girl who plays literally everything.

I’ll let her tell the full story, but in high school, she’s played basketball, baseball, softball, flag football, and been a good enough skateboarder to attract sponsorships. Not only that, she plays multiple instruments and is the epitome of the kid who has tried everything.

In our conversation, we talk about her journey growing up playing multiple sports, how those other sports helped her become a better basketball player, and what the college recruitment process was like.

We also hit on the struggles of club sports, how expensive they are, and the realities of trying to balance everything both as a student athlete and for the parent involved as well.

I was a fan of Sarah before this conversation just from watching her social media, but after spending some time talking to her, I can’t help but root for her as she enters college basketball next year.

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At 15, after never playing club/competitive soccer, Nick’s stepson, AJ, made an unexpected jump to the highest level of youth soccer in America. To make the story even more out-of-nowhere, Nick and his wife Sabrina are not your typical elite athlete parents - they’re both self-described computer nerds who don’t have athletic backgrounds.

In our conversation with Nick, we talk about what it was like being thrust into that level of competition, what he and his wife learned throughout the years AJ played at that level, and how he would advise parents who have kids wanting to play at elite levels. We also hit on the dynamic of blended families and how sports helped Nick and AJ build their relationship.

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Chris Martin is the founder and owner of the Tri-City Chili Peppers. He’s also the inventor of cosmic baseball - a glow-in-the-dark version of baseball the Chili Peppers play that’s going on tour starting this week. I’ll actually be at their first game on Friday night.

Before starting all of that, Chris ran - and still runs - a baseball academy called Rise Baseball outside Richmond, Virginia. He was also a Division 3 baseball player.

In our conversation we talk about how he came to invent this new version of baseball, the importance of fun in sports, and what he’s learned through all his levels of baseball. We also hit on the importance of failure and give you an inside look at the business side of youth sports.

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One of the common questions we get asked is how to balance youth/travel sports - which play games on Sundays - with church. If you play long enough, especially at club/competitive levels, those two things will inevitably come into conflict with each other.

But they don't have to compete with one another.

In this episode, Jonathan talks with Pastor Johnny Pereira about how we find the balance between church and youth sports. They also talk about the importance of helping your kid find their identity outside of their sport and how to prepare your kid for when they leave your house and go to college.

For everyone watching the week this episode comes out: Happy Easter!

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About the Guest:

Pastor Johnny Pereira is the lead pastor of Salem Chapel in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He's the dad of two athletes: Lily - a college basketball player and Lucas - a high school football player.

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We are seeing a giant increase in injuries amongst youth sports athletes. The consensus is the same from all the professionals: kids are playing too much while training too little.

In this week's episode, we talk to Drs. Levi Kerby and Lauren Sibley about the importance of strength training, rest, and recovery in injury prevention. We also discuss how the goal of youth sports is to create healthy, lifelong athletes who love being active well into their adult years.

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About the Guests:

Dr. Levi owns Kinetic Performance Rehab and Physical Therapy in Winston-Salem, NC. Together with Dr. Lauren, they help people of all ages get out of pain, address the root cause of the pain, and learn how to rebuild their body in a way that lets them stay active long-term.

You can learn more about KPR at https://www.kprpt.com.

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April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day. As people who believe youth sports should be accessible to everyone, we wanted to do a dedicated episode to kids with ASD and special needs finding their place in youth sports.

Our guest this week is Eric Williams. Eric's a dad of a son with autism along with a youth sports (rec + travel) coach and a background in rec league management. In our conversation we talk about his journey with his son and answer a few questions listeners sent in regarding ASD and sports.

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