4 ACL Tears and a Big Problem

I coached a group of 5 college female athletes yesterday. 4 of them had torn their ACL's in the past 18 months. Combined, that is roughly 4 years of rehab collectively among the 4 girls. I started thinking about 11 years ago when I first started in this beautiful industry of youth athletic development and performance.  The amount of injuries I used to see was about 1/4 of the amount I see today. But that is not the worst part. The worst part is that 10 years ago, the emotional and psychological effect on a young man or woman after an injury was not nearly as traumatic. The majority of our kids are more concerned with their status, the way they are viewed, and being like everyone else than they are about their own physical, mental, or emotional well-being. Could it be a learned behavior from their leaders? Have we accepted something as normal that we as leaders could very well influence and change? Why do we have kids who play for 7 different teams (exaggeration added) at once and get home from practice at 11 pm even though they are not REALLY enjoying it at a high level and even though they are physically beat up all the time? As human beings, we move towards things we believe will be pleasurable and away from things that we believe will be painful. Every single one of us use this as our motivational to do or to not do something. (This is a concept to ponder over if you want to get an insight into the psychology and motivation structure of your kids)"Andrew, how do we effectively get our kids to BE who they are and not do potentially damaging things just to gain approval of peers, coaches, and society?"   Well, the simple and most effective answer is to read The Youth Truth book. Or, join the Winning Athlete Inner Circle for kids and parents who want more success, confidence, peace, and passion. I'll share 3 solutions today, and all 3 have one thing in common--> they start with US and are 100% within our control. SOLUTION 1: Have a personal improvement plan-- start with yourself.Any bad habits (which we all have), insecurities (which we all have), fears of being judged (which we all have), or other flaws that you have, start with yourself.  SOLUTION 2: Recognize and reward NEW BEHAVIORS. If we keep spotlighting the same things, our keeps will keep striving for the same things no matter what the cost is. This will require extreme consciousness and discipline in the beginning until you start to look for the truly valuable behaviors and contributions of your kids rather than what society has conditioned you to search for.SOLUTION 3: Draw a line in the sand today and become a transformational coach, opposed to just a sports coach. There are so many skills that you and I can develop, tools and techniques, and new frameworks to help our kids transform from the inside out.  NO CHANGE OCCURS UNTIL THERE IS A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE IN BELIEF AND THOUGHT STRUCTURE. It is possible to see your son, daughter, or players become fully confident, resilient, unshakeable, and successful far earlier than most kids their age. However, they will have to do something different. Radically different. We will have to do something different. Our approach as leaders will need to shift. It may be inconvenient and uncomfortable now, but the reward will be extraordinary down the road. Both for you and your students. I am committed to seeing the shift happen. Thanks for joining us in the love-powered leadership movement! Dedicated to a better future for our youth,Andrew