Growing Champions for Life

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak with us last night.  I found the seminar truly enlightening and extremely helpful for me as a Dad of two boys and as a junior golf coach.  The material you covered was something I wish every parent could have the opportunity to listen to no matter what sport their child participated in.  The message is universal and I will make a commitment to work towards the principles you outlined for both my children and my junior golf students.   Thanks again.

While attending a soccer convention in Boston I listened to David’s seminar. I spoke with David at the end of his class and decided to buy his book Coaching Revolution. After reading it I gave the book to the assistant coach and we both decided to implement the strategies presented. This season we were given a newly assembled team of 10 and 11-year-old girls. I can honestly say this was the most fun I have had coaching! The girls gave us a thank you card at the end of the season. They wrote, “Thank You for the Funniest Season Ever!” As an aside our record was 7-1-1 and it was the most successful soccer season I have had as a coach.

We, as a staff, heard Mr. Benzel speak last month, and let me say, I thought he was fantastic. I wasn't too excited to hear "another" speaker talk to me about the "same" motivational techniques that I have heard time and time again... I was wrong because HE WAS DIFFERENT! Being a parent of two myself, I ended up listening as a mom (as much as a coach) and I was amazed at how accurate he was on my parenting, as well as my coaching. I was using phrases and words that were actually hindering my authority and not helping it. He taught me the better use of words and new language to get across to my children (and gymnasts) where I would gain more respect and see long-term changes. I was not put up to this email, I just really enjoyed listening to his lecture and I think you all will too. I am confident that each of you will leave feeling a bit different than when you came in! Hope you can make it!

I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed your presentation in Wichita, it really hit home with me and I am getting the "sunshine jar"  tomorrow. I guess what I have learned is that happiness can be learned and I am very inspired and motivated (yes I know the difference between the two now) to help my son learn how to respond in a positive way rather than negative to situations that are thrown at him.

In my opinion, a parent that cares about the future development of their children, both mentally and in sport should be doing backflips to have David’s GCFL tools. It is very helpful to us.

David provides an invaluable service to parents, coaches, and players with his publication and programs. His message is one that desperately needs to be heard.

It was great to see you in Boston (at the PSA Coaches Conference). All of your presentations were outstanding. You are an excellent public speaker. Coaches are very interested in what you have to say. Your topics were very relevant to them and the job they do.

I just wanted to thank you again for the positive advice you shared with us this weekend. I truly believe people are placed in your life at the most important times. And your advice was by-far the some of the most empowering material I've had the privilege of receiving. It is with an open mind that I share what I've heard with my fellow board members. But I must share with you that in my personal business it has been quite inspiring information to share with others. Just today I spoke with a 19-year-old young lady that is just so down. It made me feel so excited to share with her some of your lessons. I'm not sure she completely heard me but hopefully, some of it sunk in. So again I thank you for taking the time to share your advice at our Annual General Meeting of Florida Youth Soccer Association.

High-performance coaches are frequently skeptical. But our coaches came out of your presentation with a new perspective - analyzing their coaching/teaching methods. I think the epiphany came when coaches realized they were using positive actions as a punishment. For example, 'making' a player run laps because they lost a practice game. We are actually teaching them to resent the very actions that make them stronger and better! It was a wake-up call for the parents, too. You could tell from the questions they were asking that your information was generating introspection. Personally, I wish I had had access to this information and these tools when I was a tennis parent, but hope to use them as a promoter of the sport and to help others.

I wanted to share with you a parent quote from an email I just received today. This is a parent of an 8yr old boy, and the parent is a masters swimmer also. "I look forward to some of the educational information that you discussed putting on the website and really enjoyed the Dave Benzel seminar last year.  I wish more parents had taken the time to attend that meeting.   I will continue to work at being a good swim parent and support you and the other coaches guiding the kids. Thanks for all your hard work and dedication," This is just one example of the great communications I receive now after having provided your parent seminar last spring. I also read the Coaching Revolution over my spring break. Met with my coaching staff and gave them the 5:1 Ratio coaching philosophy and challenged them to be only positive. I also created "Way To Go!" cards and passed them out to the staff and asked them to reward sportsmanship behaviors. It is my goal to improve our Team Chemistry, Athlete Commitment, and Self Confidence. And do this in ways that the parents can see and hear. Thank you so much for providing the great support materials for coaches, parents, and swimmers.

Thanks so much!  You are a great resource for many athletes, coaches, and parents.  What a great need these days.  I am an old school parent and coach.  I think kids need to be kids .............play as long as possible within your sport.  Be a kid.  Parents get in the way........I see it all the time.  Saddens me.  I am an Olympian and I played in my sport when I was younger.  I still do!  That's why I am an Olympian.  You are a blessing to many!

David,  I wanted to share a very positive experience with my son who is a freshman runner at UF. I had an opportunity to watch him run this past weekend in Seattle, Wa.  It was a great trip as I got to see him which doesn't happen much since he is away at college.  He had big goals set for his race.  About a mile into his 5k race, his back started having spasms and his performance was not what he or his coach wanted.  It was, to say the least, very disappointing for him. We had plans to go out to dinner that night after his race and obviously I wasn't sure what the night would bring.  I remember your words about your son not having a good game and getting in the car.  You told us that when a child has a game, good or bad, that they will talk about it when they are ready, not when you want to give them advice.  I met my son in the lobby, hugged him, and we set out for dinner.  Not once did I bring up the race.  I talked about my trip, things going on at home and how great it was to see him.  About halfway through dinner, he started to talk about his performance and how disappointed he was.  All I did was take that opportunity to ask him a series of questions that got him thinking about everything from his pre-race preparations traveling out west to his thoughts on what he could have done differently.  He immediately talked for 30-45 minutes as I sat and listened, realizing how true your words were and it was great to see him thinking about what he needed to do without me lecturing him from my perspective. You might only be changing one parent at a time and making the difference in a young athlete but THANKS for all your insights into the world of a young athlete.

Extremely helpful and timely for us. The situations and examples David explains are so relevant and real to us - what he shared is something we can use immediately.

Dear David Benzel, Thank you for your time; I really appreciated it. Having that conversation with you was in a way detoxicating for me. I was full of anxiety but I'm glad that I realized it before it became too serious. I will put to practice your exercises and I know that eventually, everything will turn out for the better. I already started reading your book and it is truly interesting. Today, I think I got the boost I needed to have the inspiration to support my son positively throughout this next baseball season.

I love it!  You are amazing and have an incredible gift to help us all better communicate with each other and with our kids.  Sadly, I wish it was as easy as it sounds, but we are all a work in progress and must strive to improve every day.  We must not only hear the words but live by them.  Thank you so much for your time and encouraging words.

I just wanted to share with you the positive impact my 13-year-old son and I have experienced not too long after discovering your Growing Champions For Life® program. Throughout this fall baseball season, I have made a concerted effort to watch his baseball games with minimal participation and without "coaching from the bleachers." After the game, most of our conversation now centers around providing encouragement and asking if he had fun. What I have seen as a result is amazing! His batting average has doubled and he plays with much more confidence. More importantly, baseball is fun for him again and he can't wait to play and practice. Please continue to do the great work you are doing. It truly makes a difference.

The short of this is- thank you!  The timing of the Emotions webinar came in the midst of some challenging things and I cannot tell you how helpful it has been- I go back and listen to bits at a time to continue to practice gaining control of emotions for me and my boys.  The "Have You Taught Your Child to Learn" in the last newsletter was also helpful. Looking forward to the next webinar

My daughter is at the pre-professional level of ballet. I have been enjoying several of your webinars over the past two years. You are so wise and always deliver incredible advice that most parents and coaches are not using effectively. Thank you for what you are doing. Your thinking really resonated with me and I have listened to you many times. Our thinking is the key and you are an awesome trainer and very much needed in today's culture. Again, thank you for pouring into the lives of others with your insights.

Loved the webinar tonight! Your insights are wonderful and so generous of you to share. I saw your presentations at the PSA conference in Boston and knew I wanted to follow your programs. You are making the world a better place!

David! I wanted to say thank you for two great learning sessions at our sports club. I really took away some great tips for parenting our daughter thru these teenage years as she continues her journey as a competitive athlete. When we were driving home from your session, she turned to me and said, I really didn't want to go tonight, I was tired and just didn't feel like it but I'm so glad you pushed me because that guy was cool! He had a lot of great ideas.

Growing Champions for Life offers our 125,000 members some great resources on our website. The videos are very professional and offer fresh, relevant content. USA Gymnastics values what David Benzel's Growing Champions for Life® has to offer.