From the Founder, Brian Mazza 11/14
The Number 1 Job of Your Childs Coach
The most important quality your childs coach must have is the ability to instill self belief deep into their mind. Everything in youth development begins there.
A coach can teach technique, fitness, tactics, and discipline, but none of it matters if your child does not believe in who they are and what they can become. Self belief is the ignition switch for every future achievement. It is the internal engine that turns repetition into mastery and pressure into opportunity. When a coach knows how to cultivate that belief, they are not training an athlete. They are shaping a life.
This is where many parents get confused. There is a difference between development and winning, but the right coach can teach both at the same time. Development is about growth, confidence, and long term potential. Winning is about competing with purpose and learning how to perform under pressure. When done right, development fuels winning and winning reinforces development. One is the roots and the other is the fruit. A great coach builds both because they understand that competition is a classroom. The lessons learned inside a game only stick when the child believes they are capable of executing them.
The right coach helps your child see a version of themselves they cannot see yet. They speak to the potential, not the limitation. They celebrate small wins. They reinforce effort. They help a child understand that confidence is built, not gifted. They teach your child how to win the invisible battles that happen long before they step onto a field.
Great coaches do not just correct. They empower. They notice the details others skip. They call out greatness even when it is still hiding. They push your child to compete the right way. They remind them that the mind is the most powerful muscle and that belief must always come before performance.
As a parent, you must pay attention to the environment you place your child in. Skill development matters. So does competing to win. But if the coach is not strengthening their belief system, they are missing the most essential ingredient for long term success. If the coach is not pushing them, holding them accountable, and demanding their best, it is the wrong club.
Self belief is the foundation of a high performance life. A coach who knows how to build it will change the trajectory of your childs future.
