30 - They Have to Want It

The Sports Parenting Podcast · Sep 17, 2026 · 17m

This weekend gave me two different reminders about what it takes for our kids to become great.

At my son's wrestling tournament, I was reminded that at some point, he has to want it. We can guide, encourage and provide opportunities, but we can't want it for them.

Watching my daughter play field hockey reinforced something else: greatness is/can be the accumulation of technical and mechanical skills. So much of improvement comes down to doing the work—learning the skills, practicing them and getting a little better over time.

In this episode, we talk about those two sides of development - the…