They Are More Than an Athlete—Don’t Forget It Somewhere along the way, youth sports stopped being something kids do…and started becoming who they are. When we began exploring the modern-day world of youth sports with our 10-year-old (and yes—we waited until 10 to really get involved), we felt a ton of real outside pressure. Both my husband and I played college sports and had successful careers. Some of the best times of our lives were on the ball fields, so naturally—we want

As new softball and baseball seasons kicks off for our athletes at 360U, there’s a lot of excitement. New teams, new opportunities and new expectations. But right alongside that excitement from tryouts, practices and new teammates, often comes something else - comparison. Who made what team? Who’s playing what positions? What’s the lineup? And before we know it, athletes (and parents) start looking around at how they stack up instead of getting better.

Failure is unavoidable in sports like softball and baseball. Even the best hitters fail most of the time. Learning how to respond to failure is one of the most important mental skills young athletes can develop. When coaches and parents teach athletes how to reset, stay confident, and keep competing, they build resilience that lasts far beyond the game.

We're diving into how disciplined thoughts are absolutely central to the mental side of any sport.

When we started 360U 10+ years ago, our goal was to give athletes a place to train where we could provide a focus on both their mechanics and their growth and development as a person. We want our athletes to compete at the highest level of course, and many do, but let’s look at the stats for a second...

If you’re a parent of an athlete, you want your child to be confident. But as parents, we walk a tightrope. How do I encourage competition without creating pressure? How do I challenge them to grow and be better, but not cause them to fear failure or think they're 'disappointing' me or others when they do fail? Here are a few ways you can help encourage your athlete to COMPETE, without piling on the pressure.