Sweat the Small Stuff

I often reflect on the times I spent with a ball at my foot as a young player. Each memory floods forth starts with the little moments at the park or courts playing a simple game. These days, driving through town by a local athletic complex, I often see young players shooting on an open …

If You Get the Chance, Die on Your Shield

I remember talking to a dying man whose body was riddled with cancer and regret. He tried to focus on the positive aspects of life, the warm memories of younger years and the adventures and splendors of youth. Over the last weeks of his life, we’d discuss the fairness of fate—at least through the lens …

It’s Just a Ball: The Story Behind the Book

When I was first approached to write a book stemming from an article I wrote for These Football Times that was subsequently featured in The Guardian, I was shocked. For starters, I had been a writer for a while, but I wrote privately. I never published my work until I started writing for TFT. The …

Taking Ownership of Your Development

Photo by Wuilmar Matias-Morales on Unsplash It’s easy to claim or take ownership when things are going well. Oftentimes, positive results are due to a series of good moves, actions and reactions, and circumstances that benefit an individual or the collective. But what about when things don’t necessarily pan out as intended? Do you take ownership of the …

Explore the Edge of your Limits

“You only know yourself when you go beyond your limits.”  — Paulo Coelho Player development is an inexact science bordering on alchemy. Finding the right team in the right environment with the right coach is a challenge. And when we find those favorable conditions, we don’t want to disrupt that system. This is most certainly the …

The End Product is Only Part of the Story

I recently watched a professional ice hockey game and heard the commentator say, “He makes it look so easy.” Over the course of the break in play, the commentary pair made parallels to other sports and athletes in such a way that seemed to overlook a reality we’ve all heard about, few of us have …