In one sentence, the irreconcilable tragedy of a journey ending too soon; yet in the very next, the infinite potential of beginning a journey anew; and, that is just one of the challenges making sense of 2020, isn’t it?
Since nobody knows your athletes better than you, the key will be to discuss the most important and relevant training principles to the high school athlete, so that you may apply them to those under your care given these unique circumstances.
It has been quite some time since I have posted on my site, and nearly 2 years since I last wrote on the topic of mental health, depression, anxiety. I have waited so long to readdress this topic in long-form because the perfectionist in me has been looking for the right title, focus, and words…
Hard to believe that 2018 is nearly in our rear-view mirror. This year proved to be one of my life’s most challenging years yet. But, there is no growth without resistance, and for all of the challenging moments, there has been some significant professional and personal growth. I’ve learned a lot. More than I could…
I’m big on the “why”. If there’s one thing that really irks me personally, it’s eye wash — that is, doing things with no purpose, just for the sake of doing them. Sometimes in life you have to participate in eyewash, of course. But, when it comes to what I do in my own time,…
Recently I spent some time with a few great high school coaches —one a performance coach, another a fundamental coach. Over the course of many discussions, the fundamental coach, a head football coach, asked me the following question: Of all the new things you’ve learned and come across lately in this industry, is there anything…
Whether we like it or not, there indeed exists a stigma in athletics that players and coaches must be “mentally tough”, and that discussing mental illness is taboo. As a result, those who are struggling do so in silence for fear that they will be labeled soft, incompetent, or mentally weak. Recently, I posted some…
As most high school coaches have probably noticed, each year travel baseball has taken a greater foothold on the high school baseball landscape. Travel-ball has become a staple for nearly all ballplayers — what was once a summer-only tour for most, for many it is now a nearly year-round endeavor. While the travel circuit has many inherent advantages ,…
In my coaching career thus far, I’ve been fortunate to collect diverse, yet highly concentrated experience in athletics; I’ve spent the better part of 8 years coaching a single population of athletes — baseball players — yet, have done so at various age and competition levels. Between the high school level, the travel-ball circuit, collegiate…
In a professional sense, 2017 was certainly a fulfilling year for me. But, it wasn’t without challenge or struggle. In fact, both in professional and personal terms, this year was also one of the most challenging I’ve gone through yet. Considering all that 2017 had to offer — the good and the bad — I…
Ryan J. Faer 