Mo' Motion Basketball, Fitness & Youth Development

What a story! Please watch and listen Lauren Betts’ tough, rough and emotional road to the national championship. Keep her story in mind when you are amongst your peers. Look out for those who are being picked on.

This is my favorite video of the season. Why? Because it applies to anything you want to do well. It’s the rule of thirds. Listen to it. Twice. Remind yourself that you don’t have to always feel good or bad when you play sports (and it’s why I’ve never totally bought into coaches who say only positive things all of the time). The truth has to be told — it’s three feelings, in thirds. It’s okay to feel awesome after one game and to feel miserable after a loss — as long as you find a way to juggle these three feelings without getting stuck in the same one for too long. Growth takes place when we are uncomfortable. Not in pain. Just uncomfortable and able to will and think and feel and muscle our way to the other side.

Here’s a prediction by a former pro baseball player as to where youth baseball is headed. Will youth basketball follow the same path? Or is baseball following basketball? It seems like the American system that’s based on games and profit is cutting deeply into necessary practice hours and into parent’s bank accounts. Directors and coaches (most) are not encouraging kids to play more than one sport with in and off season rules because they have overhead year-round. Adults need to stop ignoring the facts on overuse injuries and the need for growing bodies to move differently and take rest time. When we start back up in spring, we ease back in so that kids can prioritize their spring sport and train with us as a supplement. If they are running quite a bit in their spring sport, we adjust their sessions to do less running and more strength and stationary handles. If they’re playing baseball, we are fine with running them more (but not too much). Games are added in May — lightly. And we will do a ton of 1:1, 3:3, perfect shooting reps and finishes with pads and some but not full contact.

Here’s a repost of the simple math that shows how hard it is to become a DI athlete and to make the tournament. Take a look and be sure to keep it in mind as you watch the heart, effort, skill, teamwork and guts exuded by the players and teams from round 1 to the final.

A few clips from a few chips! Congrats to The Storm and Blue!!