How to Develop Urgency in Young Athletes

I traveled to Tampa Bay, Florida this summer to grab a training session and sit down with my former mentor, Raphael Ruiz, a master strength and conditioning coach who became my mentor during an intensive apprenticeship in 2014. I spent months working alongside Raph at his Tampa facility, getting an immersive education in skill acquisition and athlete connection that you simply can't get from seminars or textbooks.

From training professional boxers like Antonio Tarver to working with middle school kids, Raph taught me how to truly see movement patterns and, more importantly, how to connect with athletes across every age and skill level.

It was a masterclass in reading people and adapting your coaching approach in real-time and now I aim to hand these lessons off to you in this podcast.

Also available on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

The Evolution from Individual to Team-Based Urgency

Raph shared a brilliant insight about how urgency must evolve as young athletes mature. Early on, kids operate on simple rule-based urgency - "I need to move fast enough so I don't get yelled at." But the magic happens when you can shift them to team-based urgency, where they understand how their effort directly impacts their teammates.

Raph uses "team totals" as the bridge - if the team needs 30 reps total and one athlete only does 5, they start to realize they just dumped 25 reps on their teammates. This creates empathy and genuine care for others' experience, not just fear of individual consequences.

From Pod to Practice

I'm implementing team-based urgency concepts immediately in my lacrosse practices. Instead of always focusing on individual performance, I create scenarios where athletes feel responsible for their teammates' success.

• Team Totals Implementation: Set total rep counts/running distances for partner/small group exercises where everyone has to contribute, making effort visible and shared
• Rotating Leadership: Have different athletes "own" the warm-up each week, making them responsible for the group's energy and preparation
• Consequence Sharing: When one athlete isn't meeting standards, the whole group shares in additional work - but also celebrates when someone steps up
• Peer Coaching Moments: Build in time for athletes to give each other technical feedback, creating investment in teammates' improvement

There's always more to these kinds of things, no doubt. What would you add? What have you found helps build genuine urgency and team accountability in young athletes without creating fear or negative pressure?