The Youth Sports Show

In this episode of the Youth Sports Show, Joe Corabi and I discuss what really makes a great youth sports coach. We believe good coaching starts with understanding the age and developmental level of the kids you are coaching. A nine-year-old should not be coached like a 15-year-old. At younger ages, the emphasis should be on having fun, making friends, developing an interest in the sport, and lear...

In this episode of the Youth Sports Show , Gary Stocker and Joe Corabi examine the decline of free play and pickup games and what may have been lost as youth sports have become increasingly organized, coached, and commercialized.  They contrast today’s highly structured environment with the pickup games of their childhood, when kids organized teams, made their own rules, settled disputes, experime...

There’s a question in youth sports that probably makes some parents uncomfortable: Whose game is it, anyway? We’ve all seen it.  The parent pacing behind the backstop. The dad questioning every coaching decision. The mom keeping a mental record of every minute her daughter sits on the bench. The parent whose mood on the drive home depends entirely on whether the team won—and whether their child pl...

There’s a word in youth sports that we throw around far too easily. Elite. Elite teams. Elite tournaments. Elite training. Elite academies. Elite prospects. Sometimes we have to wonder if there are any non-elite kids left. On this episode of The Youth Sports Show, we want to challenge what we call “The Myth of the Elite Youth Athlete.” Because somewhere along the way, we started confusing being go...

In this episode of The Youth Sports Show , Joe Corabi and Gary Stocker discuss one of the most important questions parents can ask: Is my child's coach actually teaching skills, or simply coaching from ego? They explain that great youth coaches act like great teachers. They consistently correct technique, explain why skills matter, provide specific feedback, and create practices where every athlet...

In this episode of The Youth Sports Show, Gary Stocker and Joe Corabi welcome University of New Mexico Head Women's Basketball Coach Amy Eagan for an insightful conversation about what truly matters in youth sports. Drawing on her experience coaching at every level of college basketball, Coach Eagan shares what she believes youth sports should accomplish: developing character, teaching teamwork, a...

This episode of The Youth Sports Show asks a fundamental question that every parent should consider: Are we raising great athletes, or are we raising great human beings?   Hosts Gary Stocker and Joe Karabi argue that while youth sports can develop athletic ability, their greatest value lies in building character. Through stories from their own experiences as coaches, officials, educators, and pare...

Here is a tip in this episode from Gary (former Youth Baseball Umpire, Youth and High School Basketball Official): One tip for coaches: It doesn't matter the sport.  The general rule is you can say you missed that call. You can't ever say anything that is ad hominem or personal. You can't say you're a bad referee. You can't say you're a bad umpire. If you're a coach, inevitably somebody's going to...

This episode of The Youth Sports Show answers listener questions about college scholarships before shifting into a thoughtful discussion about the differences between team and individual sports for young athletes. Joe Corabi and Gary Stocker emphasize that students do not have to be athletes to receive college scholarships, particularly at Division III schools where most financial aid is based on...

In this episode of The Youth Sports Show, hosts Gary Stocker and Joe Corabi tackle one of the most misunderstood topics in youth athletics: the connection between sports participation, college scholarships, and the true cost of playing at the next level. Building on concepts from Joe Corabi and Dr. Bill Quain’s book Bankrupt U , the discussion explores the growing "pay-to-play" reality facing many...

In this episode of The Youth Sports Show , hosts Gary Stocker and Joe Corabi answer listener questions about choosing the right sport for children, whether the show is anti-youth sports, and what parents should consider before committing to a sport. Drawing on their experiences as coaches, educators, officials, and parents, they emphasize that the best sport is the one a child genuinely enjoys and...

 This episode of The Youth Sports Show takes a hard look at the rise of year-round youth sports and the growing problem of overuse injuries among young athletes. Hosts Gary Stocker and Joe Corabi discuss how the pressure to specialize early in a single sport is reshaping childhood athletics, often at the expense of physical health, emotional well-being, and family balance.  Drawing on research, pe...

This podcast episode leads with another way to look at the opportunity costs associated with youth sports.  Joe and I also talk about college opportunities with and without sports.

Here are some tips from this show.   Details in the podcast. 1.  Use simple skills to improve self-confidence 2.  Start short and then slowly move to long. 3.  'Throw through' the object.   4.  'Hit through' the object. 5.   Keep the hitting plane at flat as possible.

Coach Wolfrum takes us through what it takes to become a top-flight high school, college, and even pro athlete.

In this episode of The Youth Sports Show, Gary Stocker and Joe Corabi take on a question many parents quietly ask: what actually makes a young athlete “highly skilled”? The conversation challenges the common tendency to identify athletic talent too early, reward production over development, and mistake early size, speed, or success for long-term athletic potential. Gary and Joe walk through how sk...

In the debut episode of The Youth Sports Show, hosts Gary Stocker and Joe Karabi take an honest look at the modern world of youth athletics — beyond the trophies, travel teams, and scholarship dreams. Drawing on decades of experience in education, coaching, officiating, and sports leadership, they explore what youth sports should really be about: building stronger kids, not just better athletes. T...

In this episode of The Youth Sports Show, hosts Gary Stocker and Joe Corabi take parents back to the basics of youth baseball and softball — focusing on skill development, confidence building, and keeping the game fun for children. Drawing from decades of coaching, officiating, and teaching experience, Gary and Joe discuss practical ways parents and coaches can help young athletes develop foundati...

Joe Corabi and Gary Stocker bring on a sports mom interview for The Youth Sports Show.   If you are deep into the youth sports experience, the perspective from our guest Bridget Welsh will be valuable. Her two children are into different sports and their personalities and stories provide for valuable listening.

In this episode of The Youth Sports Show, hosts Gary Stocker and Joe Karabi continue their candid conversation about the realities of modern youth athletics — and why perspective matters more than ever. Drawing from decades of experience as athletes, coaches, referees, educators, and parents, Gary and Joe explain what the show is truly about: helping families use youth sports as a tool for develop...

In this episode of The Youth Sports Show, hosts Gary Stocker and Joe Corabi tackle one of the biggest misconceptions in modern youth athletics: the belief that sports are primarily about scholarships, elite travel teams, and athletic status. The conversation centers on a powerful idea — youth sports should be a tool for building great human beings, not a business selling unrealistic dreams to fami...