UNCOACHED

The Coaching Dad

5.0 (2)
Sports

The game isn't just happening on the field, court or rink. Uncoached is a podcast for parents and coaches trying to figure youth sports out. Through honest conversations with experts, coaches, parents, and athletes, we explore things that shape the youth sports experience. Every episode delivers practical insights and actionable ideas you can immediately use to create a better experience for the athletes you coach, support, and love

1d ago

Helping Young Athletes Build Confidence, Emotional Intelligence, and Mental Strength

In this episode of Uncoached, I sit down with Libby Triolo, a performance coach who helps young athletes develop the mental and emotional skills that often make the biggest difference in sports. We explore how parents and volunteer coaches can help kids build confidence, handle mistakes, manage emotions, and develop the resilience needed to thrive through both the highs and lows of competition. If you're looking for practical youth sports advice that helps athletes enjoy the game while growing both on and off the field, this conversation is full of simple, actionable takeaways. Questions we cover in this episode: Parents and coaches spend a lot of time teaching skills, but not always emotions. If emotional intelligence was treated like another skill to practice, what would that actually look like for a young athlete?After a tough game, how can parents and coaches recognize what an athlete actually needs emotionally instead of immediately offering advice?You talk a lot about self-awareness. What are a few simple habits young athletes can build to become more self-aware and mentally stronger throughout a season?Many athletes believe they're supposed to feel confident all the time. Is confidence really the goal, or are there other mental skills that matter even more under pressure?Youth sports can become an emotional roller coaster for athletes, parents, and coaches alike. How can adults create an environment where kids feel safe to learn, compete, and make mistakes?Bonus Question:If you could eliminate one phrase from youth sports forever, what would it be, and what would you replace it with?
Jul 23

Building Better Youth Athletes: Coaching, Tryouts, and Player Development

In this episode of Uncoached, I sit down with Jason Fetters, a longtime baseball coach, founder of a player-focused youth baseball club, and creator of Practice OS, a coaching app that helps coaches build more effective practices. We dive into the pressure of today's youth baseball tryout system, what meaningful player development really looks like, and how volunteer coaches can create practices that help athletes improve while keeping the game fun. Questions we cover in this episode: Families often feel like they have just 24 or 48 hours to make a decision after tryouts. Do you think the youth baseball tryout system is broken, and what would you change?You've built a baseball club around teaching the game "the right way." What does that actually look like beyond wins and losses?What separates a coach who's simply running drills from one who's truly developing players?If you took over a brand-new youth baseball team tomorrow, what are the three things you'd focus on during the first month to have the biggest impact on player development?Parents often judge coaches by wins. If you could convince every parent to measure a coach by something else instead, what would it be?Bonus Question:What's something that's become completely normal in youth baseball today that you think we'll look back on ten years from now and wonder, "Why did we ever do it that way?"
Jul 16

Sports Psychology Tips Every Parent and Coach Should Know

In this episode of Uncoached, I sit down with Katie Castle, a registered psychologist and youth sports performance specialist, to explore the mental side of youth sports and what parents and volunteer coaches can do to help kids thrive. We discuss confidence, healthy aggression, pressure, fear of mistakes, and the growing professionalization of youth sports, along with practical strategies for creating an environment where young athletes can compete, grow, and enjoy the game. Questions we cover in this episode: Coaches and parents often say, “Be more confident” or “Be more aggressive.” What’s the relationship between confidence and aggression in youth sports, and how can adults help kids develop both in a healthy way?You’ve worked with athletes from age seven through high school. What’s one mistake well-meaning parents and coaches make that slowly chips away at a child’s confidence?You’ve spoken about the professionalization of youth sports. What concerns you most about the direction youth sports is heading, and what can families do to keep the experience healthy while still allowing kids to chase big goals?Parents often wonder if they’re pushing too hard or not enough. What are some signs that a child is experiencing healthy challenge versus unhealthy pressure?If you had five minutes with every volunteer coach before their first practice of the season, what’s the one piece of psychological advice you’d give them that would have the biggest positive impact on their players?Bonus Question:Imagine a talented 10-year-old athlete tells you, “I’m afraid to make a mistake.” What’s the first conversation you have with that child, and what’s the first conversation you have with their parents?
Jul 9

Building Confidence and Mental Toughness in Youth Athletes

In this episode of Uncoached, I sit down with Coach Kristin Tullo to talk about the mental side of youth sports and how coaches and parents can help athletes build real confidence. While Kristin’s work often focuses on hockey coaches, her insights apply across almost every sport as we dig into anxiety, pressure, mistakes, performance expectations, and simple ways adults can help young athletes stay competitive without making sports feel overwhelming. Questions we cover in this episode: A lot of youth athletes today seem to struggle with confidence. From your perspective, what’s creating that confidence problem in sports right now?Do you think parents and coaches sometimes accidentally make athletes more anxious or fearful without realizing it?What’s the biggest difference between athletes who recover quickly from mistakes and the ones who spiral after something goes wrong?In youth sports today, there’s so much pressure around performance, rankings, travel teams, and social media. How do we help kids stay competitive without making sports feel overwhelming?What are some simple things volunteer coaches and sports parents can do that genuinely help build confidence in young athletes?Bonus Question:Do you remember something a coach said or did when you were a youth athlete that affected you, either positively or negatively?
Jul 2

Helping Youth Athletes & Teams Find Sponsors and Save Families Money

In this episode of Uncoached, I sit down with Mandy Holmes, a sports mom and the creator behind Carpool Contracts, to talk about the rising cost of youth sports and how teams can think differently about fundraising and sponsorships. Mandy shares practical advice for parents, coaches, and teams looking to bring in support, approach local businesses the right way, and create real value for sponsors without making the process feel awkward or overwhelming. Questions we cover in this episode: Youth sports are getting expensive fast. What are you seeing parents and teams struggle with the most right now?When a team needs money, most people think “fundraiser.” But sponsorships are a little different. How should parents and coaches think about sponsorships in a more practical way?A lot of parents and coaches probably feel awkward asking businesses for money. What’s the right way to approach that conversation without making it uncomfortable?What are some creative ways teams can provide value back to sponsors beyond just putting a logo on a shirt or banner?For the parent or coach listening who says, “Our team could really use help, but I have no idea where to start,” what are the first three steps they should take?Bonus Question:What’s one mistake teams make when trying to raise money or get sponsors that can actually hurt their chances of getting support?
Jun 25

The Funny, Expensive, and Exhausting Reality of Youth Sports

In this episode of Uncoached, I sit down with Jordan Rifkin, better known as Broke Dad Jordan, to talk about the hilarious and painfully relatable side of being a sports parent. Jordan brings humor to the chaos of youth sports, from tournament weekends and packed schedules to rising costs, wild expenses, and the everyday reality of trying to keep up without losing your money, time, or sanity. Questions we cover in this episode: At what point did you realize youth sports had quietly turned into a full-time job with a payment plan?What’s the most ridiculous youth sports expense where you just had to stop and laugh?As a sports dad, what’s more exhausting: the money being spent or the amount of time youth sports consumes every week?What’s something in youth sports culture that parents have accepted as “normal” that is actually insane when you really think about it?If someone completely outside the youth sports world followed your family around for one tournament weekend, what do you think would shock them the most?Bonus Question:What’s the best sports parent survival hack you’ve learned to help save money, time, or sanity while navigating youth sports?
Jun 17

Ref's Need Love Too

In this episode of Uncoached, I sit down with David Gerson, the creator behind Refs Need Love Too, to talk about the role referees play in youth sports and why parents, coaches, and players need a better understanding of what officials deal with during games. David shares practical insight on sideline behavior, respecting officials, coaching players through frustration, and how adults can help create a better game-day environment for everyone involved. Questions we cover in this episode: What’s the biggest misconception parents and coaches have about how officials make decisions during a game?If every youth sports parent had to referee just one game, what do you think would surprise them the most?What’s the difference between a coach who challenges a referee respectfully and a coach who becomes a problem?What can coaches do when one of their players isn’t treating a referee the right way?If you could install one new rule for youth sports sidelines tomorrow, what would it be, and why?Bonus Question:What’s one thing you’ve seen a coach do during a tense game that instantly earned the respect of the referee crew?
Jun 17

What Parents Should Know About Sports Recruiting

In this episode of Uncoached, I sit down with David Hitz, a mental performance coach for athletes and one of the people behind Athlete Narrative, to talk about the mental side of youth sports and how families can better understand the recruiting process. David shares practical insight on confidence, mindset, helping athletes get noticed, and what parents and coaches can do to support kids who want to grow, compete, and reach the next level. Questions we cover in this episode: What does a mental performance coach actually do?What’s one of the biggest mental-side challenges you see in youth sports today?What led you to get involved with Athlete Narrative and helping athletes through the recruiting process?What’s something about recruiting that would surprise most parents or athletes?If a parent knows nothing about helping their athlete get “found,” what process should they start with?Bonus Question:What golden tip would you give every coach or parent for helping athletes with the mental side of the game?
Jun 17

Creating a Positive Youth Sports Experience

In this episode of Uncoached, I sit down with Morgan Schill, Founder of the Positive Play Project, to talk about creating better youth sports experiences for kids, parents, and volunteer coaches. Morgan shares insights from her background as a former college athlete, coach, and sports mom, including how adults can build more positive team environments, balance hard coaching with fun, and help young athletes love sports beyond the scoreboard. Questions we cover in this episode: When you look at youth sports today, what’s something adults have normalized that you think is actually hurting kids?A lot of parents and coaches say they want kids to love sports long term, so why do you think so many athletes eventually stop playing?Can there be a balance between coaching hard and having fun?What’s something you’ve seen a coach or parent do that completely changed the emotional tone of a team, either positively or negatively?If a volunteer coach wants to create a better environment but is figuring it out as they go, where should they start?Bonus Question:What’s the number one thing we can all do to help create a more positive environment for kids?

9 Episodes

5

out of 5

2 Ratings

The game isn't just happening on the field, court or rink. Uncoached is a podcast for parents and coaches trying to figure youth sports out. Through honest conversations with experts, coaches, parents, and athletes, we explore things that shape the youth sports experience. Every episode delivers practical insights and actionable ideas you can immediately use to create a better experience for the athletes you coach, support, and love

Creator

The Coaching Dad
Years Active

2026
Episodes

9
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 The Coaching Dad
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