Larry Nance Jr. on burnout, coaching styles and highlight culture

Greg sits down with Larry Nance Jr, forward for the New Orleans Pelicans. The pair discuss preventing burnout in sport specialization (9:10), adapting to different coaching styles (36:38) and the negative effects of highlight culture (49:46).

Greg also answers listener questions (57:46).

Rate, review, subscribe and submit your questions on social @YouthInc.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Like, I definitely, I never put any on myself because of it.

(00:03):
Now, obviously, you'd walk in some gyms and you see parents
like, oh, that's Nance's kid. So and so he's going to be this.
He's going to be this. And it's like, dude, I just want
to play this game and go play video games.
Like I have. No, you know, I this doesn't
mean. Yeah, it's just my name.
I was born with it. What's up everybody welcome back

(00:23):
to another episode here on. You think presented by Audio
Rama and our friends at body armor.
Again full fall we are in Full full fall schedule here.
Football baseball, my daughter started soccer.
I'm back on the road calling my Fox NFL Sunday games this past
weekend, I was down in New Orleans for an absolute

(00:46):
defensive battle, for anyone wholoves offensive football that
was not the game for you. It 33 late in the second half
and then there was a gigantic brawl and then Jamis through 17
picks and the game was over, butit was it was not the most
exciting game from an offensive standpoint but it was an
exciting game from action and and obviously Tom Brady and all

(01:10):
the storyline. So that was cool.
I got I got Brady and Aaron Rodgers going head to head next
weekend. So that should be a blast to get
back down to Tampa and have the Bucks again.
But we are in full Fall to sports we've.
I've said this on the last couple episodes, we've kind of
settled into our schedule here in the beginning, we were
worried that we were not going to be able to balance you know,

(01:32):
three kids playing a combined four different sports but so far
so good. We are making it all work but it
is not easy. I see why the easy move is for
your kid to just play one sport because balancing multiple
Sports is a challenge. It's a family affair.
It's a group effort. But we're making it, we're

(01:54):
hanging in there and we're doinggood today.
We got a really fun guests for you guys.
Today, longtime NBA player, son of legendary NBA superstar Larry
Nance. So our guest today is Larry
Nance. Junior currently plays for the
New Orleans Pelicans. Being able to just talk about
grown-up, what it was like, growing up and having a father

(02:14):
who's an NBA superstar and his journey, you know, all the way
through college. And now obviously in his NBA
career and just the different Don't you know areas that we
focused on a lot here at you think the travel ball seen AAU
basketball? You know what why weren't you on
the top? A you team's if you were the
best player and just all the different levels of success, the

(02:35):
levels of failure that he's experienced throughout his
entire career. So, I hope you guys really
enjoyed this conversation. Larry's are really smart guy.
Really insightful. Had some great perspective on on
a lot of things that are super relevant here on you think.
So thank you so much. I hope you guys enjoyed Larry
Nance. Thank you.
Always to our sponsor, body armor, body armor.
Not only fuels this show, but they fuel all of our sports

(02:58):
teams. There's a lot of choices for
sideline sports drinks. But from the very beginning, not
only mine are teams but my kids,you know, we go into a gas
station, we go into a store, they want body armor, they love
the orange mango, they love the strawberry banana, our
refrigerators at home, our coolers on the sidelines and in
the dugouts are always full withcold body armor and they just

(03:22):
It's what we've always gravitated towards.
So we thank them so much for notonly fueling our weekend sports
bonanzas but also fueling the show.
So we appreciate our friends at body armor.
Body armor is made with coconut water, B vitamins.
No artificial sweeteners and formore information, you can go to
drink body armor.com. So now please enjoy this
conversation with longtime NBA superstar, Larry Nance, Junior.

(03:49):
Larry, thank you so much for joining us today on the you
think podcast. Of course, I appreciate you
having me on, we talked about ita lot, you know, a couple weeks
ago we talked about it with the,you know, that the major league
baseball draft was like four or five kids drafted in the first
round of the MLB draft whose parent, whose dad's all played
Major League Baseball. And I just think, you know,
aside from the physical skills and the, you know, the genetics,

(04:12):
there's a, there's an access to information that I just think is
super helpful. And those are some of the things
that I want to talk to you a little bit about today amongst
other things. But you know, before we jump
into all that just you're growing up your father's a you
know a former NBA superstar and you're a basketball family
whatnot. But just give us your first, you
know, what are your memories of your youth growing up playing

(04:33):
sports whether it's basketball or other sports like where did
it all begin for you? That obviously now has led to a
long NBA career but like where did that journey start?
So for me I was very fortunate and I'm good actually going to
This when I have my own kids, mydad never pushed me into any
specific sport. He just pushed me into

(04:54):
Athletics. Just hey, Gopi, active, go be
outside go. You know, go be a kid and play
whatever you like, which led to years of baseball years of track
year. I mean, years and years of
soccer. I played, you know, the whole
gamut for a long time. It was was, was was pretty.
Okay. You know, my dad was at every

(05:14):
one of the games and cheering meon as hard as he could.
But You know, once I around onceI got serious with basketball
around, you know, around early high school.
He really, that's when you couldsee his eyes light up and, you
know, that he that he, that's what he wanted.
But at the end of the day, you know, he let me find my own way.
Yeah. So what was that communication?
Like, you know, we talked to so many former and current athletes

(05:36):
and they all share a very similar Journey.
You know, very similar story in perspective that their parents,
really encourage them to, you know, like you said, just try
everything cast, a wide net. Then, you know, a lot of times
you end up gravitating towards, you know, similar interest that
your parents have just kind of naturally and obviously in your
case that's the way it went down.
But you know what was that communication like, can you

(05:58):
describe those conversations as a young kid with your dad?
When he's not so much pushing basketball, but he's just
pushing, you know, as you said, Athletics, and baseball, and
soccer, just like, what was thatcommunication process like?
Were you ever? Like, no dad, I want to play
basketball only and he's saying,no, we're not there yet, or were
you guys always? Kind of on the same page.

(06:18):
No, for me, basketball wasn't a wasn't really a love of mine
again. Until mid High School, I played
it, I dabbled in it, you know, played on a little youth teams
and, you know, play for the freshman team, my freshman year,
I was okay, you know, never really good at it, you know?
But he loves, you know, he was at all the baseball games, all,

(06:40):
I mean, he loves soccer loves that sport, loves watching it
with me still, you know. But again once Once once once I
got tall and started playing basketball that was just the
click of mind of his relationship.
We like you know, of course, once I pick it up, all his eyes
lit up and of course you know itjust it's fit it just fit
naturally. Once I got serious about it and

(07:03):
you know, it's, you know, it is funny, he let me find my what my
own way but I think he of coursein the back of his mind he
really, really wanted me to pickup that ball.
I think sometimes, you know, being a parent myself, my kid
just for the first time as Playing tackle football but
again, never pushed him. He wanted to do it three years
ago. And we just said, no, you know,
play basketball play, baseball, play flag football.

(07:25):
We don't need to do tackle yet. But so often as parents, we want
to, we like yes. Do I want my kid to play
football? Of course, right?
Like it took me a little while now he's doing it and it's, you
know, it's awesome. And he's playing the sport that
obviously, I've Loved for a longtime but it's so hard as a
parent to not push your kid intothe same kind of path that I

(07:46):
had, right? I grew up.
My dad was our football coach. Me and my brothers, we all
played football. That was that was our life,
right? That was our world, you know?
But so it's easy to kind of fallinto that same path and same,
and it's fall into the same pattern, but, you know.
So but that's a very uncommon route for a lot of players,
especially in today's world, right?
To be a first-round draft pick and be a but like to have the

(08:07):
career, you've had and say that,you didn't start taking it
serious until high school. That that's a very uncommon
path. So tell us a little bit more
about You know, I know you were a late bloomer.
I know you kind of grew what? Almost a foot in high school.
Is that right? Yeah, just about so that so that
obviously Paints the picture a little differently but you know,
just, again talked about in today's world of a you and

(08:29):
travel and sports specializationhere we are talking to an NBA
player. Son of a MBA super like, and you
had a very, very different path to where you are.
Now then, what kids are in essence, being forced into
today, Right? No absolutely.
And a lot of my friends went through this as well and I'm
sure you saw it as you saw it too.
Like you know, burn out I feel like I feel like I had this one

(08:54):
friend that his dad was pushed him to play basketball from.
He was the best from third grade.
Fourth grade, fifth grade, and on all the way until, you know,
all the way until high school and then all of a sudden like we
all the rest of us kind of caught up and it's like, man,
this kid didn't even want to play anymore because he had
already had. She had already had 15 years of
being drilled into that Sport. And so, yeah, I'm super thankful

(09:16):
for how my dad allowed me to just help me to just find it
because now, you know, Now I can't get enough of it, like, I
feel like I'm still making up for time lost, not time loss,
but time that I was spent exploring other things.
And I feel like honestly it makes me a, I'm thankful for it
because now I have a greater appreciation of soccer.

(09:38):
Now that I get more excited about Socrates and I do about
basketball. Yeah, I watched track and know
what they're talking about. I watch baseball know what
they're talking about, so I feellike it made me a more rounded,
a more rounded athlete as a whole.
Not just a basketball player butYou know, and again with with my
kid, I think I'm going to do thesame route obviously, you know,

(09:58):
I know Larry Nance Junior in Akron Ohio, where my dad played
for the Cavs is jazz. His jersey retired held held a
little bit of weight to it. And, you know, whether I want to
name my son, the third or not, that's still, I don't know
because of, because of the kind of pressure put on you, when I
would ease, when I first picked up the ball.
But you know, it's definitely It's definitely the route I'm

(10:23):
going to take. I'm very, I'm very appreciative
that my dad didn't just, like, stick a ball in my hands and go.
Nope, that's what we do. Or the Nance's we play ball, and
this is what you're going to do for the, you know, this is what
you're going to do. I think I might have been a
better player, but I don't know if I would have loved it.
I think that's such an interesting take and I want you
to dive a little deeper into it if you don't mind, just talk a
little bit obviously, Sharon, Sharon, the name of your father

(10:45):
and, and living in Ohio under his kind of under his shadow and
kind of in his light. So to speak, you know, when you
look Look back on that. Like did you at the time?
Feel any extra added pressure when you're a kid walking into
the gym and middle school and obviously, you know, in high
school I'm sure it really took an on to another level.
Like, did you feel that pressuregrowing up in that town with

(11:06):
that Spotlight with that name onthe back of your jersey?
And if so looking back, I think kids deal with so many different
pressures nowadays. It could be who their parent is,
it could be expectations of the family, could be expectations,
they place on themselves. Kids are dealing with so much
stress. Pressure specifically in the
world of Youth Sports like when you reflect back on those early

(11:27):
years. Like how do you, how do you view
it? Fondly do take.
Great pride. Are you glad you went through,
it. Other bits of it that you could
have done without like what is what is now your reflection as
you think back to those years, kind of as you just alluded to.
So for me growing up, I never put and never really understood
the pressure that. Yeah, really odd walk into a gym

(11:49):
and I'd see parents asking my dad for and Autograph or asking
them pictures. But to me he was just at and was
always just Dad until really until high school when I
realized how hard it was to get to that next level.
But, you know, for me, I certainly never felt any
pressure. Like, I definitely, I never put

(12:10):
any on myself because of it. Now, obviously, you'd walk in
some gyms and you see parents like, oh, that's Nance's kid.
So and so he's going to be this,he's going to be this and it's
like, Dude, I just want to play this game and go play video
games. Like I have.
No, you know, I this isn't me. Yeah, it's just my name.
I was born with it and so, you know, for me there, I never put

(12:31):
any added pressure on myself with the outside of pressure,
which I can't even imagine well for me, was, you know, I didn't
have, we didn't have no, any social media or videos or any
none of that. So the pressure was just
whatever, whatever individual people wanted to tell you.
And now it's like, I can't even Imagine some of the pressure
like you know, some of these players kids are under you know,

(12:55):
like like you know like just me my wife talked about it the
other day. Like the brawny, James and
Bryce, you know, bronze kids, you know, they are, you know, I
was 17 and 15 or 14 years old and they are Mega Stars, you
know, just from their existence.And I think it's that presents

(13:17):
such a such a unique thing. That no kids have ever gone
through before, like, yeah, I have my experience growing up
as, as, you know, Larry Diaz Junior.
But again, that's just very localized and Cleveland and
Akron. Ohio, these kids are true stars
and celebrities at such a young age that, you know.
It's so it's such a unique time period, which we there can be

(13:39):
these kids that have just unfairexpectations upon them.
You know, I hope they go on to achieve the most incredible.
I hope you're the greatest players to ever live, you know?
I mean, but like, you know, it'sso it's so hard nowadays with
all this outside influence. Yeah.
And the future, you know, the future is yet to be written what
we'll find out. Just, what were the environment

(14:01):
that were asking these kids to operate in at such a young age?
It seems like every year it getsyounger and younger and younger.
You know, what, used to trickle down into the high school world,
you know, in the world of college recruiting, even when I
was coming up, it was stored sort of happening.
Obviously there was no social media but there was online sites
and rankings in power. Kings and all that.
But now you got down to best 9u,baseball teams in the country

(14:24):
best 10, you baseball teams in the country, you know over time
Ali and all these pop. All these different
organizations that have popped up and you got kids that are
going viral for good things on social and they're going viral
for bad things on social and I guess we're going to see the
toll that it takes on these kids.
You know. They as you mentioned you know
the bronze kids being probably the best example.

(14:45):
But even kids who don't have a famous last name, there's kids
that are living a celebrity. Lifestyle.
Now, as middle school and high school kids that we just didn't
see a decade ago. We didn't see when we were
growing up and I think it's going to be really interesting
to see what the last thing impact and of these.
Stresses and these pressures that were putting on these kids,

(15:05):
who like you said, they just want to play the game and go
home and play video games. But we're asking them to carry
this burden of public opinion and shame and success and
failure. It's it's a challenging thing.
I want to ask you, I want to askyou you.
Said so the light bulb goes on, so take us back.
So you're in high school. You grow, you kind of grow into
your body, you becoming, you? Sorry, basketball.

(15:26):
Now is something you want to do you say your dad's kind of eyes
light up? Does he take now a real direct
role in your development? Is he working with you or you
guys? You know, are you going to work
with other coaches? I what did your training look
like? When you got, when you said I'm
going to make this, this is going to become real for me.
Who's leading that? Is it?
You is it? Your dad?
Are you doing it together or their other people at your high

(15:47):
school. Like what?
When you On it to actually take this to the next level and go
playing college. Tell us a little bit about what
that looks like. So again, yeah my sophomore year
I was 59 510 and then going intomy junior year.
I was actually six four ish. So it was a there was a there
was a pretty pretty large growthspurt and then my senior year I

(16:12):
was about 67. So there was, you know, a solid
foot a solid foot is in there. And so for me, it was when When
I got, when I took that growth spurt, but the final score I was
playing with soccer, and they eventually tried to, you know,
they wanted me to play in goal and I had zero desire to do
that. So, I ended up quitting soccer
just going fully into basketball.

(16:33):
And then it was, it was a littlebit of both.
It took me awhile, fall, like fall in love with the game fall
in love with the process and thework of it.
And that was That was a lot of my own doing of just going and
kind of thinking I was working hard shooting and you know, my

(16:55):
doing all the High School coaches programs and whatnot.
And you know my dad again still never really forced anything.
I'd go play rectly with him and his older buddies and and you
know run up and down with the old man and that's really where
I learned the fundamentals of the game at which are still
carrying me today but it wasn't really when it wasn't really

(17:16):
until Late high school, early college.
When I realized like this guy, Iknow what he's talking about,
where I started, you know, calling him after every game and
and after every practice and sending him film and like, hey,
will you think here, you know, what should I work on?
Hey, you know, you think that should have a right hook, or
should I finish it with my left?Like, you know, just asking him

(17:36):
different types of questions that like, He had already walked
my exact path, he had already. You know, he's a three-time
All-Star, dude. Was, you know, by all accounts
incredible and objectively to just a monster.
And so, you know why we, when I started realizing how difficult

(17:56):
it was to get to even to the next level, from a college, from
high school, to College, collegeto the pros.
You know, having someone that had walked that walk before.
And and the only thing he wantedto do was see me.
You know, following that in thatfollowing that path and be as
good as I can possibly be. You know, why wouldn't I use
him? And he was again, he never

(18:17):
forced it, never pushed the issue.
But was always, very, very receptive and willing to any
kind of help that I had asked him for, I'm not sure what it is
about kids, you're going to see this one day.
There's something about kids that don't think their dads know
what they're talking about, that's in life in general, but I
go through the same thing with my kids, you know, I could tell

(18:38):
them. Hey, here's what it takes now.
Granted minor minor young, but, you know, here's what it takes.
If you guys really want to do this, you want to make this team
or you want to have a, you know,whatever it is.
Here's what it takes. I'm giving you guys the cheat
sheet here. Just these are the steps daily
routine, your approach. And then they'll look back and
then they'll go to work out withanother team or another coach in

(18:58):
the coach, I'll tell them the exact same thing and they'll get
in the car and be like, hey Dad,you know, coach.
So and so he said this. I'm like uh-huh.
Yeah, no shit. I told you that six months ago
you don't even like right ever reason, kid.
And again I do the same. I'm sure I did the same thing
with my dad growing up but you know as you look back do you
ever wish? And I know, you know this to

(19:19):
reach where you are now there's probably to say you have regrets
is probably not the right term but like do you ever look back?
And say, like, I wish I used my dad as a resource earlier.
Oh absolutely. Absolutely.
I wish man in there. Yeah, absolutely.
And inlay high school and in college like again, I've made a

(19:41):
made a long and, and, and successful career.
And I'll, you know, I'll play until they kick me off the
court. But I do think had I used him
earlier and gotten down some of the things that he was would
have been willing to teach me and willing to spend time with
and learn. And I hadn't looked at him like,
Yeah, that's just that just justwatch, you know, just watching

(20:03):
and and my old high school coachis going to show me how to get
better, of course. Yeah.
But I'm trying, and I not done that, I think I would have been
set up to even be in a better position than I am right now.
And like I'm like yeah I don't know if it's the word is Regret
but I do wish I could go back and and appreciate him and his

(20:25):
knowledge earlier on Yeah, but, you know, I know you have
sisters and brothers and other people tell us a little bit.
Now, was your dad's approach with you similar to his approach
with your siblings. Like, did your parents approach
Sports very much across the board with all of you or was it,
you know, I knowing my kids, they have very different

(20:45):
interests in sports, you know, some want to be very
competitive. Some, so again, as parents we
approached it differently with our different kids, I'm just
curious like was your sports experience as a kid growing up
similar. To your siblings.
So, mine was very much so not. I wasn't good at much of
anything until I found until I grew and found basketball, but

(21:08):
my sister who's older than threeyears older than me, she was
dominant at whatever she did. She played soccer dominant,
played a little bit of softball dominant.
She played basketball throughouther whole life and, you know,
eventually led to a scholarship at Dayton University where she
played all started all four years and she's just, she was Is
terrific and but, you know, theynever really pushed her in

(21:32):
anything. They let her play with she
wanted to and eventually just found her way to basketball, but
she to never really never reallyopened up to my, dad's wanting
to teach us and that type of thing.
She was more of the normal kid of like, yeah.
Hey, Dad, did you know it? Get guess what coach so-and-so
taught me. It's a drop step and it's like,

(21:55):
You know how many thousands of points he scored off that like
button shit. Yeah.
As a kid, you never know. Same thing with my younger
brother. He's he's seven years younger
than me. And dude has been a study
whatever he wanted to do. Play football, was a white wide
receiver growing up? It was just bigger faster
stronger than everyone that could have.

(22:16):
He was I mean we we called him is named Pete.
So we would just call him peat moss and because he was, yeah,
Randy Moss. He would just go He was a
monster at whatever he did and then obviously played
basketball, but those are the only two sports football
basketball. But he was I mean your we talked
about all those early rankings of What Not Pete was always in

(22:38):
the ESPN top 100 of kids in his class from Earth from eighth
grade, ninth grade, 10, 11 12. He was always top 100 just
outstanding and played four years of the University of
Northwestern University and now he's, he Word for his senior
year, he's going to be the starting power forward at for

(22:59):
the Tar Heels North Carolina, this year.
So he's You know, he's very goodbut he my dad was on him pretty
early. My dad more kind of molded him
and and worked with him early. I think that's because a lot of
Because by the time I had realized my dad was good at was
Pete's time to start getting in the gym.
Yeah so he was just always in the gym with us, you know, mess

(23:23):
well and what an advantage rightto not only have a father but to
have an older brother. An older sister who again are
charting this path forward. That's why I think conversations
with people like yourself who have lived It from so many
different angles. Obviously, you have your own
career, you have your own success, your own, you know,
kind of resume. But then also everyone around
you. And I just think for other
families, our listeners that arethat are listening to this right

(23:45):
now to be able to learn from your family's approach to how do
you have three successful athletes that all are at
different times or at different levels?
Different levels of Interest, different levels of skill, May
boys girls, you know, that's wife and I just thought I'm so
fascinated by families, like yours, who can just have success
across So many different platforms and so many different

(24:06):
generations to one area that we that I want to transition into a
little bit here and get your perspective on is a lot of our
viewers are our coaches, right? Whether it's youth coaches or
high school or college, you knowin the coaching aspect of the
Youth Sports Experience. It really the experience in
sports at any level to me is themost critical Factor aside from
the parental role, right? The coaches in essence take up

(24:29):
that parental, you know, capacity with so many kids
throughout the country through their you through there.
Sports Experience, talk a littlebit about was it was there a
coach at and maybe a certain level whether it's high school
or before or after who like really shaped your approach to
sports your appreciation. Really helped you develop that
love was there. Someone outside of your family

(24:50):
that you think back on it, just really made a huge impact on
getting you where you are today.Yeah, I do.
I do, and I don't even know if I've told there were two of
them. I don't know if I told either
one of them this, but One of them was youth.
Very young. Probably from Third grade to

(25:11):
about six or seven is a post Cunningham was his name and he
was just, you know, we just had this local group of guys that
would go play basketball and some local tournaments.
And and, you know, I was the kidthat if we didn't win, I was
crying Point Blank, period. I it's just what it was.
I was crying on the way home. There's nothing you could say,

(25:34):
or do other than let me win to either.
I wouldn't cry and I do rememberyou now.
After one game again, we lost tears every time and he was just
like, hey, you know, this feeling it's the worst, right?
It's just the worst, you know, you cry, every time we lose and
we were fortunately, a good team.
So I didn't cry too much but youknow that this thank God.

(25:56):
Yeah, thank goodness. Right.
Exactly. And so he's like this feeling
it's, you know, it's terrible. But you know what helps?
What helps you stay away from this feeling.
Working like working harder thanthe other team, making yourself
better than them. This will never.
This won't happen to you. And again, it sounds so simple

(26:17):
and silly. But for whatever reason at that
age, I just thought it was like Hey you know you kind of roll
the ball out there and better team wins on that day.
But it's like all this, right? You can, if you work on this, if
I go work on this, I'll win moregames than I lose.
And you know, that kind of more went more into the sock
earthrealm than basketball for me.

(26:38):
So I practiced that till I was blue in the face but so he was
one of them and just kind of taught me that it's not again,
sounds so simple and silly. But for me, whatever that age, I
was just kind of resonated with me that hey look you know, you
can you can't, you know, work trumps everything.
And then earlier later on like once I started getting better at

(27:02):
basketball like mid High School,too late, High School, Chad
bench with his name or a coach and Again just a local team of
local guys that traveled around various tournaments, but we're
actually okay. And he just it was less about it

(27:24):
was less about the end product for me.
He got him figure out about this.
I was the only so I was the onlydo one player on the team.
We had a bunch of gay guys, thatgoing one guy went in AI.
Another guy went D3 like but Andit was very much.
So, like, this is my team and hekind of took it.

(27:46):
I've always taken losses hard it.
So he kind of took it as a for me, pulled me aside.
One game was like, Hey, look, For you, it should be less about
right now. Should be less about the outcome
and more about because you know,we're playing teams, we're
playing King James shooting stars.
That has a full seven top, sevenof D1 guys and we're playing
these teams that are just kind of wiping us off the court and

(28:11):
it got frustrating. But of course, like, he pulls me
aside. He's like, hey look like we
don't have the top-end talent ofthese teams.
So you got to take this as a challenge for yourself to learn
to play a team game. Try to make to try to bring
these Guys to your level so thatwe can beat these teams, you
know, from a leadership perspective and from a team game
and distribution type of type ofrole.

(28:35):
And, you know, instead of trying, you know, it's tough.
Trying to go out there and score25 or score 30, and try to win
that way. Like, that has never been my
game and that was never going tobe my game, but I was trying to
do it was frustrating. And so then I took it to a point
of like, hey, you know, that's one thing I can do is I do You
know, how to get people open. I do know how to make other

(28:56):
people around me better. And so, that's what my game.
Kind of mold it into is using myself.
As a decoy, you know, setting, great screens going to clear the
glass going to do other things, that kind of evolved into what
my game is more like, now into into raising, everybody's level
around me and trying to make myself a, you know, instead of

(29:18):
making myself the star of the team almost like, Use myself as
a platform for those guys to raise themselves up on.
And for me that was, that's whateventually I took and was really
good at and just kept compounding on top of that with.
That's how I got to where I am. That's a really interesting

(29:41):
point. I'm going to ask you to kind of
dive a little deeper because I think that's super interesting
so much of what we hear from parents.
And again we go through it ourselves with our kids is,
there's this, there's this balance between finding the The
right team and the right situation to bring out the best
for your kid. Right and especially we're
talking about at the young age where yes everybody wants to win

(30:01):
but no one remembers who the 12 year old Champion was no one
remembered what kid was the bestan eighth-grade, right?
It's all about the journey, it'sall about getting down the road.
So when you look back, you were the best player on your team
playing against other. You know, more quote, unquote
high-level teams from top to bottom which forced you to have
to kind of really look deep in yourself and innovate and Really

(30:24):
improve. Not only yourself but your team
to compete, but if you maybe were on one of those other teams
where you just rolled the ball out, and you guys had the best
five players, who knows what approach would have happened.
So as you look back, was there ever, I guess it's two fold.
My question. A was there ever a consideration
to just going to join one of those teams that maybe just had

(30:44):
better Talent top to bottom or Division, 1 kids and be if you
did take that route, do you think it would have had it?
It would have altered the path that you just Describe that
you've now carried forward into the NBA.
Like, how much did that experience as a high school kid
having the mold yourself and having to handle that advice
from your coach, help you versus?
Maybe if you were just on the team that you could just roll

(31:05):
out there, be one of the five, get your points, get your
scholarship and just always be on the best team.
That's a good question because like for me it was never an
option for my sister was never an option.
Like, hey, we are you go to Revere High School?
That's where we're going. We don't.
Any of this. Interesting we don't, we are not

(31:26):
moving to do any of this. You're not going to a private
school where your this is where you work with, what you got,
that's what life is. It was what?
We were always taught like, hey,this is the hand you were dealt,
this is where you're going. You're going to do to make what
you make with this team, what you can.
And so, it was never even a thought and now, like, even
looking at it now, like, I nevertransferred schools because it

(31:47):
was like a Absolutely not. You know, this is what I chose.
This is who you chose me. I chose you were going to stay
loyal to this and this is just what it is finite and so you
know but to a certain extent andagain that eventually molded me
into the game that I play today,which I think is, which I'm, you

(32:08):
know, I'm thrilled with. You know, I'm very happy sir.
I mean it's served you so it serves you so, well, of course,
right? I think it's and which I'm
thrilled with the mentality. That's put me on because I think
there is And to get a little bitinto the weeds here, there is a
lot of guys that were on those teams that jump to a that jump
to a yeah. Hey, this this is already, you

(32:30):
know, this team's already, you know, cooked, I just get to jump
on them and, you know, here we go to go with the state
tournament, which again is a route, you can take.
But, you know, I think now, now where I'm at is I think we're
seeing a lot of guys, when you get to a try to make it to the
NBA level. College to the NBA.
You have a lot of guys that never learned how to do all the

(32:54):
in between things that you have.I had to learn how to do in
order to keep my team's competitive.
You know, a lot of guys are justlike, yeah, I scored 40 and he
scored 30 and he averaged 25. So, therefore we won every game.
I didn't have that. I've never a 20 in my life.
Nobody on my team does ever averaged 20 and again, other

(33:17):
than till the NBA but But and so, I had to learn all the
little, you know, all the little, like, little nuances of
how to win the game. And that's why I think now, like
we're seeing a lot of guys that were so.
So talents for such a young age and so, so prominent early have
a hard time finding their way into the NBA.

(33:37):
Because again, I just heard Draymond talked about it, the
other day on social media because on every team, there are
two. Maybe two, sometimes on a great
team. Three guys.
That get to do kind of what theywant.
They get to play that top end game where you can average, 20,
average, 25, average, whatever it is, and get to shoot all the

(33:59):
shots, maybe two to three. So that's what 55 60 guys in the
world. That get to do that at the
highest level. The rest of us, you gotta find.
You got to find other ways to impact winning to make it to get
onto the court. And that's what I feel like I
learned by going taking the route and learning.

(34:19):
No, to make the best with what Ihad and learn to raise everybody
else's levels. Because I think maybe typing
that is, as that is such a good lesson for our.
I can't tell you how much that'sgoing to resonate with our
followers with our, with our viewers because everybody wants
even a time. Seeing it at even the my kids
young age, you know, they're notthey're still in elementary

(34:40):
school. There in Fifth Sixth and fifth
grade for third grade, fourth grade.
Everyone's answer is, well, let's just go join the better
team and ants it solves everybody's Problems might and I
just think to hear them and hearyou reflect on what you learned
through everything you just mentioned, I think is so
powerful? I heard I think.
Are you referring to Draymond, when he was speaking after they

(35:02):
just finished the conditioning drills and he was addressing
that group of guys standing around him.
I watched that this morning, somebody shared it in my feed
and man, what a message for anyone who hasn't seen it, just
go on social and find it, because his message exactly.
As Larry just said, is so spot-on about Just what it takes
to carve out a role and what it takes to, it was just an

(35:23):
unbelievable message and I thinkit goes hand-in-hand with what
you just described. So thank you, that, that is I
think of anything that is the lesson of our whole show, if we
could put it our whole show in one little and one little box, I
think you just summed it up perfectly.
I want to go back to your, to the coaching a little bit that
you alluded to, you know, was there a style of coaching that

(35:44):
you felt? You were that resonated the best
with you maybe that you gravitated towards.
Or maybe gravitated away from like, especially when those
younger years through high school, that can, when you're
describing these coaches, what was their approach with you, or
just your team in general? So, I found early on coaches,
were very passive with me when they first met me, very passive.

(36:07):
Like, you know, my dad was always in the stands.
My dad was always watching it practices and everything, so
they are very past with me like,you know, hey, Larry.
Maybe we should try this next time or hey, do probably not
make that pass. And then like, as they got to
know me like, You can yell at me, I don't really care, you
know, you can get and I've played, I've played for a wide
range of coaches. Whether it's the coaches, almost

(36:30):
like the players friends, that'll come up to you and kind
of be real cool to players. But then drop a, you know, drop
a little tidbit here and there, I've played for the I've played
for the the hard-nosed coach. The, the screamers, the yellers,
Doesn't really none of them really bothered me.
I'm really bothered me you know as long as there's no disrespect

(36:50):
as long as you're not treating me as beneath you and we're on
the same level just like, hey aslong as we're in this together,
you need me, I need you, let's just go win this and however we
will we got to get there. I'm cool with that as long as no
one's above or beneath the otheris what I found.
I've never had an issue unless it was a situation of You know

(37:12):
hierarchy issues. Yeah I think I think that's
important to put out because there are a lot of ways to
coach. There's a lot of ways to
motivate. There's a lot of ways to coach
and teach and what not but I think your point about as long
as it's coming from a place of love, a place of respect and a
place of I want what's best for you and we might not always
agree. And in the process, we might

(37:33):
always not agree in the path to get there.
But as long as the two people, you know, the coach, the player,
the coach and the team share that same.
Appreciation for one another, asyou just mentioned, I feel like
typically when it comes from a place of love you can weather
the ups and the Downs, right? You can weather the
disagreements. You can weather the not being on
the same page. It's it's when it's as you

(37:54):
mentioned when it's when it's toxic and it's - and it's it's
more about tearing you down thanit is about.
Lifting up the team. I think that's when things can
get a little sideways. So, I think, you know, again,
what's also served you so well and why you've had the career
you have is I think, I think so often with these young kids
nowadays they can only operate with one type of person.

(38:17):
Right? If it's not the teacher that
they love the mom moves, their classes.
If it's not the coach that they feel the best about they change
teams like no one has the ability anymore to adapt.
You know. So I think to hear you be able
to say yeah I can deal with any really coach and I've had a
bunch of different ones and we all can get along and and work
towards our ultimate goal. I think is a good lesson because
in my experience now with families and raising young kids

(38:41):
People don't like a lot of ways,people do things and they're
only going to put their kids in environments that they feel
their kid, is the safest, and the most comfortable.
And unfortunately, I just don't think that's the reality of the
world. No, I could agree more.
I could not agree more. And that's a, that's, you know,
something that I'm definitely going to employ with my kids is,

(39:04):
you know, you're gonna have to deal with.
You're gonna have to deal with. It's just the world.
The world is you're going to have to work with people that
you don't see eye-to-eye with, you're going to be in locker
room. With guys that you don't agree
with, you're going to be, you'regoing to have to deal with
people that may not be on your same wavelength.
And that's just, you know, that's just a part of life and
so now I couldn't agree more as like, it feels like we've gotten

(39:27):
very, you know, we'll just go somewhere else that if we don't,
if you don't like it we'll just go somewhere else and I don't
I'm not going to take that. I'm not going to take that
proton. My kids.
Well let's talk about that. Let's look into the future.
What? What kind of sports Dad?
Are you going to be? Let's get right to what?
Everybody wants to know that thecourt is conversation, what kind

(39:49):
of sports Dad? Are you going to be?
Are you going to be the guy out in the Outfield?
He doesn't talk to anyone. You're gonna be guys, sitting in
the corner of the gym with his mouth closed.
Are you going to be coaching your kids team right on the
bench? Like where are you going to be
on that Spectrum? If you had to guess right now?
So I can already tell, I've thought about even this
extensive thought, um, when it comes to basketball, when

(40:10):
they're in a group setting, I'm going to be in the corner of the
gym, mouth shut, no, none of that for me, unless I'm invited
by the coach like, hey, you know, would you like to join us
for practice? Or would you have anything to
say, like, unless I want the coach to have that as your, as
long as you're doing a good job and mean the best for my kids
and have at it? Sure now.

(40:30):
Hopefully, and I've got my fingers crossed a double
hopefully when my kids get into soccer, oh man, I've got I fully
plan on. I've already got this.
There's a there's a guy. In Cleveland, Ohio, there's a
guy that lives. I grew up with, in high school
and lives. Maybe a mile from me.
And he had a, he, you know, he had a daughter, the same age as
mine, and we've already got thisplan.

(40:55):
We are going to be wearing our khaki shorts, and our polos with
our, with our whistles, down here and worry.
I'm going to be the head coach. He's going to be my assistant
for all for all the youth soccergames.
And it's going to be going to begreat.
Oh, I'm gonna be the soccer coach?
Yes, this is gonna be a ball, no.
No, it's so funny. You say that and meanwhile, I'm
going to sound like a hypocrite because I am coaching my kids

(41:16):
football team. But for the longest time, I
coached my kids teams in all theother sports mostly because I
wasn't around in the fall. So football, we didn't really
have a great youth football, youknow, experience because that we
didn't really do it. So, my spring was my off time,
my summer. So we played a ton of baseball
travel, baseball, and I was always coaching the kids, I'd

(41:36):
help out me and my dad would coach, like, their little Rec
basketball team of the kids in school and whatnot.
But we didn't do a ton in football, at least I didn't.
But now, you know, here I am now.
Full circle, I'm retired, I havemore time on my hands, but it's
funny to hear you say it. It's kind of more fun to coach.
The sport, you didn't play like,that's what I found at least,
because I've been to a million football practices to now, go

(41:58):
through that, all again with 10 and 11 year olds and teach them
stances informations. I'm like, I've done this but to
go learn baseball, for example, and almost learn alongside the
kids. I couldn't wait to go to
practice. As you know, I mean like there
was something about doing a sport other than the one I did
with my kids that was so to hearyou say, soccer is the one you

(42:19):
look forward to. I can relate to that because
that's been my experience thus far as well.
So question, girl, you actually yeah, when so you did Coach you
coach a little bit of football for your kids.
Did you find it hard to be able to double back to be able to
like back up and then explain the bare-bones basics of of the

(42:40):
sport? That's I would the part that's
frustrating. The most again, coaching Youth
Sports can be, it's amazing. I love it.
I spend a lot of time doing it, but it can be very frustrating,
right? Because you, you live and die
with the success of these kids. If they don't have success, you
kind of take it personal like I'm failing them kind of thing.
The thing I would say about coaching football specifically,

(43:03):
because that's the world. I've lived known, I grew up
around it, my dad was our coach like the nuances of it.
Just it's my World, I get it. I know it in and out I assume
everybody else in the world knows it too.
So, to like all of a sudden, I'll be like, all right.
Johnny, you're the left guard, Johnny go to left guard truck

(43:24):
and he looks at me and I have togo, wait a minute.
This 10 year old kid, he doesn'tknow left guard from point guard
from the, he doesn't know what I'm talking about.
So like that's been the part that's been in the beginning.
It was a little frustrating because you're like, we gotta
move forward, like, you guys gotto know this stuff, but then
it's also I look back now. And I'm like this last couple
weeks of being able to really goto the nitty-gritty of, how do

(43:47):
we get in a huddle? How do you get in a stance?
How do we break the Huddle? How do we call a play?
Like, for so long? Those were things.
I always just took for granted, we never practiced getting in a
huddle, you just knew where to get in the Huddle, it's been
fun, right? Like, that's been really cool to
now, take a step back and say even with my own kid like I'll

(44:08):
say to my own kid, like hey remember and he'll look at me
and I'm like, Oh my My God, he lived in my house for all these
years, but he doesn't even understand that the basics of
football. So, to answer your question,
it's been fun being able to like, go back in time and start
from the very, very beginning because you can't take anything
for granted that these kids know.
But at times, your frustration comes out because Just you know,

(44:33):
I know it. I'm like, so how does everyone
else not knowing like what are you guys doing?
You know. So like every once in a while I
gotta like check myself. But teaching a sport you know
the most about is fun but it's alot more aggravating because you
expect everybody else to know itlike you do and you got to stop
and tell yourself. These kids are 10.
They don't even know. They can't put the I got to

(44:53):
buckle their chin straps. Like we, we had to do a whole
lesson. You're going to love this.
We had to do, like, a whole pregame when we first started
putting on. Pads.
Like the kids didn't know how tobuckle their pads.
They didn't know how to put their chin straps through
underneath their helmets. These kids would come, they'd
have their helmet, their face mask and then the chin strap
straps would be like on top of the face mask.

(45:16):
So before practice, we have to undo the Buckles Feed, it under
the facemask and like teach themteach their parents.
Like, we're teaching them how toput the equipment on and now
we're like, all right, in three weeks, we got to go play a game.
So it's it's been really cool experience.
It with my kid just teaching himthe game that I've Loved for a
long time. But yes, it's, I can see why you

(45:38):
want to go coach soccer. I'll just put it that way, I get
it, I get it. Yeah, it's always interesting.
Like, when I have to go back andwe go back to the some of these
youth camps, like, you know, they'll do these drills and, you
know, I'll step in sometimes be like, all right, you know, for
the next one guys. Rip Baseline, go back.
Give him a countermove and then finish it with a right hand

(45:59):
reverse or whatever it is. Just talk them through some
Specific action or like, I'll make, I'll do something in a
game and you know, some kid or even one of my younger
teammates, will ask me like, hey, how did you do that?
Or what made you think of that? And at this point, we've been
playing it so long. It's like, I don't know if I can

(46:21):
walk you back through it, it just kind of happened.
Totally, I don't know. I saw that and did this.
I, I don't know, I can't really walk you back through the
step-by-step process because it's now just kind of It's what,
you know. Yeah, I get, I get it and it's
hard to say, what sometimes what, you know.
And now you got to say it to a kid who knows, zero.

(46:47):
Like I said they can't put theirhelmets on.
So it's it's you take it for granted but I can relate 100%,
where you're coming from. I don't get me wrong, I'm loving
coaching them to be able to experience this with my kid and
here's the one. I'll back up and say, and I've
said this before, on the show, if you have a son who ends up
playing football or whatever thecase whether you do, you don't

(47:09):
whatever football what I found and why we've held off is it was
the one sport that was. If I, he can go play for a great
baseball coach, like he does. Now my kids great, I will go sit
in the bleachers. I don't need to be the coach,
you have a great basketball coach, because if you don't have
a good coach in those, in those settings, then we can find a
different team. Maybe that season doesn't go

(47:31):
great, but we'll figure it out. If you have a bad football
coach, there are safety implications you can never want
to play again. Like, that was always the one
that was non-negotiable for me when my kids and my two boys,
play tackle football, at least in the beginning, at the young
age, I was going to make sure I was around to see it.
Whether I was the coach or I wasjust a helper whatever that

(47:53):
level of involvement was like I did not want my kids to learn
and experience football. That wasn't the right way
because if Like I said not only could someone get hurt or
whatever a bad experience in football, you'll never want to
go back right there and that wasalways my fear and that's why I
was the one sport that I was like know when it's time whether

(48:14):
it's right or wrong, I'm going to be involved those first
couple of years and then I'll pass you off to a high school
coach and you go on and do your thing but I want the kids to
learn. So being able to teach them the
game from the beginning and let them know they're doing it the
right way. And the correct way and be able
to build this Foundation forwardhas been has been I've been
really cool. So I think you're going to learn

(48:35):
when you start wearing your khakis and your whistle.
I think you're going to love coaching the kids because it's
pretty cool man. Is pretty fun.
Yeah do I look forward to it? Yeah well the last thing that I
have for it you've been generouswith your time I'm going to
leave you with kind of a question.
We leave all of our guests with.You know if you could look back
on your Youth Sports scene like versus what you're watching now

(48:56):
unfold. And again with potentially
having kids entered this world down the road like what is That,
you know, is available now that you see these kids having access
to or whether it's educationallyor whether it's skill training
or whether it's you know whatever it is that you look
back on your early life and say man I wish when I was a kid
coming up through the sports scene, I wish I had that.

(49:18):
I wish I knew that. Um, gosh, the first one that
came to my mind was actually totally opposite.
What I what? I'm glad we didn't have go for
it and then you go ahead and take the opposite right of the
question, ants right now. And what I've seen more and

(49:40):
more, and I'm sure again, I'm sure, you know, your you played
long time. So like, I'm sure you've seen
the same thing and, you know, I don't know how to describe it
necessarily. Like the different General, the
younger generation of athletes that come through that have
gotten into this. Highlight culture is an alma, is

(50:04):
I hate it. I hate it so much now like
defense is almost playing defense is almost like you're
looked at as it's super dangerous now because now
everybody's out there to try to either cross you over, get you
to fall or dunk on you and pointyour face or whatever it was.
And it's like, That happens maybe once of every three games

(50:27):
and now all these kids they workon that and only that because
that's what's going to get you all these clicks and Views and
likes and retweets and all that type of stuff.
And so now like you see the watching these a you games and
watching like good, good playersin high school and good players
in college. It's all about for me.

(50:48):
Growing up and I feel like for again.
I feel like I'm sounding so old,I'm only 29.
Like, for me growing up, it was all about like hey when when you
whatever it was to win and now it's like yeah, how bad can you
embarrass that guy? You know.
Now like, you know, I don't Don,you know, I've had, yeah, I was

(51:10):
lucky enough to be a very good athlete.
You know, I've done. Countless number of people and
not once have I ever pointed in there like, like, I, I should
say that not one. Was one time I did it, but it
was a personal thing, but like now, like, I feel like all these
young kids, they dunk on someone, or they cross someone
over, and then it's like, they're pointing at him and

(51:31):
laughing at him. The whole game shut down, people
are running on the court, because to celebrate this one
move and it's like, man, Get up and go places so true like it's
so true. It's so maddening that like you
have no idea if teams won or lost.
If the kid is good or bad, you have no idea.
All, you know, and all you'll see from these games is like, oh

(51:53):
man, that kid got crossed over something serious.
And then he made a three like what?
A fool like. Now he's playing defense.
Just that happens sometimes. Man, I do hear you.
So clearly stay all these so points like when we started this
Is concept of you think, like these are the conversations and
the tools and the messages that we wanted to go out and have

(52:13):
through conversation with peoplelike yourself and share to all
the to all our viewers and listeners?
And because these are parents raising kids in this culture.
Parents raising kids in sports coaches who are coaching these
kids and like we're in charge ofshaping what they view as being
important. And so often we had Josiah
Johnson, he's like a MBA, Twitter guy and he came on and

(52:34):
talked a lot about his role in social media, and he has a, he
was a fast. Mating conversation and you
know, his understanding of social media and he said exactly
what you just said and he and hewas great.
He's like, listen, we all have aresponsibility to yes, we
capitalize on it and yes, we allare guilty of sharing it and but
he goes we have a we have a responsibility that we teach

(52:54):
these kids that their self-identity and their
self-worth is not directly tied to the engagement of their
highlight reel or to their, you know, going viral for a dunker
for, you know, ahead top and like all their silly stuff.
So it's so funny. It to hear everyone kind of
share that same message. I think, is important because at
sometimes I think it's a, it's acause that we're never going to

(53:16):
win, you know, I that it's so far out of the bag that I don't
know if we ever can put it back in, but I just think to hear
people like yourself and when wehad Joe Zion just to talk about
that is, is it is a battle that we're fighting.
I don't know the end result and I don't know how we ever.
Is no going back. So we got to make the future the
best we can. So I think it's such an

(53:36):
interesting point and it's such a great point to kind of end
this conversation on because I'mwith you I was never a
celebrator, I was not a dancer. I scored a lot of touchdowns I
never wasn't it, you know, I made a spike the ball couple
times like here and there but itwas never my only thought, after
I scored was like, I'm exhausted, I need to go sit on

(53:57):
the bench and pull my shit together because I got to do
this another 50 times. The rest of, you know, Like
right, it was never about that to me so I just I can relate to
what you're saying and I want more and more kids.
Hopefully of this generation. My kids generation your kids
generation that feel that way. But unfortunately that's that's
the exception to the rule. Yeah, my thoughts I see what my

(54:18):
kids are not going to be doing. That's one thing I'll have him
put on they're not going to be doing all that shit.
My kid did that by ever hit a home run?
Can I bat flip? I said, yeah, you can bat flip
and then when you come back to the Dugout, your have a foot in
your ass. You gotta listen, you can do it.
Like, you can do it, but then there's gonna be a problem.
Damn, just we're not here to show people up.

(54:39):
You want to go compete against somebody go.
When you take the court, you know, if you're playing
basketball, you want to show that you're competitive?
You want to show your tough. Find the best kid on the other
team. I got him.
I got Larry and I'm gonna go compete.
You don't, we're not here to show people up.
You want to be a tough guy, and you want to show go guard, the
best kid on the other team and compete in battle.

(54:59):
That'll show everybody who needsto see.
How important it is to you, you don't need to try to have a
stupid silly moment. Well Larry, I could go on and on
because I feel like we see things very similarly, but in
the room in the process of time,I'll let you go.
But Larry Nance, Junior, I can'tthank you enough for agreeing to
come on with you think. Share a little bit of your
story, your reflect back on yourchildhood, but then also all the

(55:21):
crowd, the qualities that have made you the player in the
person that you are now. So, thank you so much for
joining us here on you, think and best of luck this season and
best of luck in the future. Her with everything you have
going. So I appreciate you, man.
Thanks. Thank you.
Appreciate you guys. I hope you guys enjoyed that

(55:41):
conversation with Larry, you know, just, he was so
thoughtful. He had such a great perspective
of not only growing up around the game of basketball because
of his father. But, you know, talking about how
his first love was soccer and how he was late to kind of
getting into the basketball world.
And his father never pushed him and it wasn't until he told his
father, and I want to get good at basketball, that, that his

(56:02):
dad really took a like, you know, took a real big interest
and Coach them and really pushedhim to be the player that, of
course, he is now So I just think there was a lot of really
relatable stories, a lot of really relatable perspective
from from Larry Nance Junior. So I appreciate Larry for
joining us and sharing some of those thoughts and stories with
us here on you think at this time, as always, I'm going to

(56:23):
welcome in my producer. Tasha, who on, what's Happening?
And what do you got for us today?
We got some good ones. We do have some good ones.
The first one is from Gary from Instagram and he wants to know
what offense are you teaching your tackle football?
All team. Oh wow Gary wants someone Sam 11
year old football X's and O's. He wants the inside scoop you

(56:45):
know our our overall philosophy is the hardest thing to do in
youth football is block right. It's just it's hard for any
levels. Offensive line play is always
the most challenging aspect of football.
It's just it's hard to do. The other guys are moving.
You can't grab them. You got it.
We can't are the rules. Are you not allowed to put your
hand on the ground? So it's just a, it's a difficult

(57:07):
thing. So, our Main philosophy is, how
do we make our offense seem complicated, motions movement,
Jets, all sorts of different movement before the snap, that
makes the defense see. All this movement play slow, and
with our formations, and our pre-snap movement, and motions

(57:27):
have to block the least amount of people possible, and that's
where the kind of gamesmanship of, you know, making it look
really difficult to the defense,but to our kids were Really
running. Just a handful of plays but just
putting a bunch of window dressing on it.
That makes a ten-year-old. Middle linebacker.
See guys going in all different directions and not really know

(57:47):
where the balls going and by thetime he does find out where the
balls going, he's a step or two behind.
So everything we do is with thattrain of thought, the least
amount of guys that we have to successfully block to make a
play successful, the better and That's now as we continue to
work with the kids every day forhours and hours about improving

(58:09):
our ability to block and coming out of our stance and striking
and maintaining our position in our footwork.
Now it just allows us to run more and more different style
plays but in the beginning that was our we entered with that
kind of approach and so far, it's it's working, the kids have
have really gotten better, the kids are really buying into the
way. We're teaching them to do things
and it's hard. We push them hard and we make

(58:31):
them do it the right way and I spend An hour plus a day with
the offensive and defensive linemen about coming out of our
stance and footwork and strikingbags and punch.
In its it's lot, but we're teaching them to play real
football. And, you know, the more your
kids can do the easier it gets. So we are constantly trying to
not only find things that are easy for them to run and and

(58:52):
handling both mentally and physically but also improve
their skills. So that they have more success
on game day. Nice.
So then the next one is from Brandon.
Also from Instagram, he wants toknow, how do you Assess your
child's athletic ability withoutthe parent bias goggles and he
goes on to say our son has been very successful and three

(59:12):
Sports. I'm wondering if we should move
him to a more advanced team or we should just leave them where
he's at and have fun. Yes, I think this kind of goes
to the to the core of so many ofour conversations with our
guests here on. You think, I think it all
depends on what is your child's goals, right?
Is your son or daughter? Just really happy to be on the

(59:33):
team with their friends, and they're comfortable.
And there's really no aspirations to seek a higher
challenge or seek a higher levelof play.
If that's the case, then just stay with what you're doing.
They're finding success. They're having a great time.
They're enjoying themselves on both practice days and game day.
If that's if that's the ultimate.
Goal. Then there's no reason to change
it, but if your son or daughter continues to show the interest

(59:56):
and to show the drive that they want to be challenged and they
want to seek more competitive teams more, competitive games,
more competitive, leagues, or whatever it is.
Then I would highly recommend not having your kid be the best
player on he or she's given team.
I think from everyone, we've talked to on this show from dr.
Gervais all the way through to Olympians, and professional

(01:00:17):
athletes and coaches at the highest level.
Kids succeed more when they're pushed outside their comfort
zone and I think to be the best player on your team.
There's just an inherent human instinct.
That what I'm doing is good enough, I don't need to keep
pushing because I'm the best player like and you could put
your kid on any team. There's so many out there now,

(01:00:37):
where you could you could artificially create that they're
the best, the best kid. I mean, that's, that's easy to
do. So, I would encourage parents to
find ways for your son, or daughter to be challenged to be
taken outside their box. But the caveat is as long as
that's what they want, as long as that's what motivates them,
as long as they are mentally andphysically prepared to handle

(01:00:58):
that grind, and handle that push.
So as always it starts with whatthe kid wants and once the kid
established, what's what they want, it's the parents job to
make sure they find the right you know, the right situation to
accommodate it. That's good.
And then our final fan, questionis James from Charla ask what?
What? Why do quarterback?

(01:01:19):
As always say hut hut, can they say another word you know,
that's a really good question and I've been around football my
entire life. I don't really know.
The origins of why hut hut was such a was such a thing.
That's a really good question. We are our youth team goes back
to our earlier question. We use set go, we don't say set

(01:01:40):
hut or hut hut on to, I don't know, but in the NFL we did, I
would not when I'm done with this episode, I'm gonna google
it. And I don't want to sit here and
pretend that I have the answer to that.
So, James from Charlotte, we will get back to you and we will
have a full history of set hut on the next episode here on, you

(01:02:01):
think? Yeah, if someone knows the
answer, they should leave it in a comment or something.
What's direct us? Because I'm sure there's a
reason I'm sure it has to do with the syllables, right?
I'm sure they wanted things thatwere quick and easy and came at.
I don't know. I'm sure there's some some
method to the madness but I don't pretend to know Well,
that's all the audience questions we have.

(01:02:22):
Today, we love hearing from you guys.
Keep submitting them, Greg will answer them and you can submit
them on Tick, Tock, Instagram, and Twitter at you think, or at
Greg Olsen? Well, thanks so much.
Tasha. Thank you for joining us as
Tasha mention, we love hearing from you guys.
So please continue to to rate you know, right?
Us continue to submit your questions on social and email

(01:02:43):
and all the different ways. Thanks for listening to us here
on you think, please continue torate review.
Subscribe wherever you, get yourpods.
And we look For to seeing you guys next week.