In this episode of Chat By The Pitch, I sit down with Gregg Megaw, founder of Ballers ID, to talk about investing in the full player — not the hype.

We break down individual development, 1v1 training, decision-making, culture, confidence, and why true growth takes time. Gregg explains why small group training often beats early private sessions, why standards matter more than shortcuts, and how parents should think about development as a long-term investment.

If you’re a soccer parent navigating the noise, a coach building culture, or a player serious about improving — this conversation will reset your perspective.

This is about building the complete player.

Key Talking Points

1. The meaning behind Ballers ID and individual development

2. Why “invest in the player, not the hype” matters in youth soccer

3. Coaching the 1v1 moment — attacking and defending

4. The role of decision-making in real player development

5. Why cone choreography doesn’t translate to games

6. Small group training vs private sessions under 14

7. Building elite habits without negative coaching

8. Creating competitive culture while protecting confidence

9. Honest parent communication and not selling dreams

10. Why development requires consistency, not quick fixes

Quotes from Gregg Megaw

1. “Everything I do is for that player’s individual development.”

2. “I want elite standards from the start.”

3. “Development doesn’t come from one session — it’s an investment.”

4. “There has to be a decision being made, or it’s not real training.”

5. “I don’t want kids leaving my session feeling negative.”

6. “Winning the moment matters more than winning the game.”

7. “I want to create mavericks, not robots.”

8. “If your energy is high, my energy will be.”

9. “Confidence without decision-making is false confidence.”

10. “Love the game enough to work for it.”

Connect with Gregg Megaw and Ballers ID

📸 Instagram: @ballersid.soccer

🎵 TikTok: @ballersid.soccer

👍 Facebook: @BallersIDSoccerAcademy

💼 LinkedIn: BallersIDSoccerAcademy

Follow Chat By The Pitch

🐦 X: @ChatByThePitch

📷 Instagram: @ChatByThePitch

📘 Facebook: Chat By The Pitch

🎧 Subscribe & Review: Your support helps us keep bringing conversations with players, coaches, and leaders that matter.

#BallersID #InvestInThePlayer #YouthSoccer #PlayerDevelopment #SoccerParents #SoccerCoaching #IndividualDevelopment #SoccerIQ #1v1Training #DFWSoccer #CompetitiveCulture #LongTermDevelopment #EliteStandards #SoccerGrowth #ChatByThePitch

Mentioned in this episode:

Reeplayer: Greater access to footage gives every young athlete the opportunity to develop and be seen. Reeplayer is committed to making footage accessible to teams, families, and athletes of all backgrounds.

Reeplayer

Soccer Innovations: Award-Winning Soccer Equipment & Accessories

Soccer Innovations

TeamPlayr: Find and join the perfect youth
soccer team

TeamPlayr

Seeing the Next Level Changes Everything

In Part 2 of this conversation, Ian and Jonathan dig deeper into exposure, access, and perspective in youth sports.

Jonathan explains why seeing the next level in person — middle school, college, or professional — can motivate kids without pressure, while also giving parents a clearer understanding of what elite performance actually looks like. They unpack the financial realities of club sports, travel, and training, and why “free” programs still come with hidden costs that many families can’t afford.

The episode closes with powerful reflections on the coaches and mentors who shaped Jonathan’s life — reminders that long-term impact rarely comes from wins, rankings, or trophies.

🧠 Key Talking Points

Why seeing the next level up motivates kids naturally

The importance of watching sports live — not just on TV

How context changes our perception of talent

The physical and mental gap between youth and college athletes

Financial barriers that limit access to elite pathways

Why “free” youth sports still aren’t truly free

How geography impacts opportunity in the U.S.

The hidden costs of national leagues and travel

Why winning isn’t a fair measure of development

The lifelong influence of coaches who invest beyond results

💬 Quotes from Jonathan Corone

“Until we see it up close, we don’t realize how big the gap really is.”

“Context changes everything.”

“Even if club fees are free, someone still has to get the kid there.”

“Is winning really a fair way to judge success?”

“Opportunity depends more on access than talent.”

“There are more good people in sports than toxic ones — they’re just quieter.”

“Gratitude is the thing I’ve learned the most from great leaders.”

“The people who show up matter more than the results.”

🔗 Connect with Jonathan Corone

🌐 Website: healthysportsparents.com

🎙️ Podcast: open.spotify.com/show/1dpgJQoownxZfnliaiqIJv

📸 Instagram: www.instagram.com/healthysportsparents/

👍 Facebook: www.facebook.com/HealthySportsParents/

⚽ Follow Chat By The Pitch

🐦 X: @ChatByThePitch

📷 Instagram: @ChatByThePitch

📘 Facebook: Chat By The Pitch

🎧 Subscribe & Review: Your support helps us keep bringing conversations with players, coaches, and leaders that matter.

#ChatByThePitch #HealthySportsParents #YouthSportsAccess #PlayerDevelopment #YouthSoccer #SportsParenting #CollegePathway #SportsCulture #EquityInSports #LongTermDevelopment #CoachingImpact

Mentioned in this episode:

TeamPlayr: Find and join the perfect youth
soccer team

TeamPlayr

Reeplayer: Greater access to footage gives every young athlete the opportunity to develop and be seen. Reeplayer is committed to making footage accessible to teams, families, and athletes of all backgrounds.

Reeplayer

Soccer Innovations: Award-Winning Soccer Equipment & Accessories

Soccer Innovations

In Part 1 of this conversation, Ian sits down with Jonathan Corone, creator of Healthy Sports Parents, to unpack the emotional, cultural, and behavioral challenges parents face in youth sports.

Jonathan shares how his own daughter’s experience — and a moment on the sidelines watching a parent lose control — sparked a platform focused on helping parents do better without shame or blame. Together, they explore why parents react the way they do, how outcome obsession sneaks in early, and why most kids don’t need more pressure — they need perspective.

This episode is for parents, coaches, and anyone trying to protect joy, growth, and long-term development in youth sports.

🧠 Key Talking Points

Why most parents don’t intend to become “that parent” on the sidelines

How outcome obsession sneaks into youth sports early

The emotional fatigue parents carry into games

Why growth matters more than wins at young ages

The difference between reacting and responding as a parent

How kids mirror adult behavior on the field

Why intrinsic motivation matters more than talent

The dangers of projecting adult goals onto children

How environment and resources shape development

What kids actually remember long after the games end

💬 Quotes from Jonathan Corone

“Most parents want to do better — they just haven’t been taught how.”

“Youth sports are not about winning. They’re about teaching kids tools for life.”

“If you’re having to motivate your kid, they’re probably not going to make it.”

“Methods change. Principles don’t.”

“Kids don’t fall out of love with sports overnight — they drift.”

“Growth is what matters, not the scoreboard.”

“Parents are reacting from exhaustion, not intention.”

“You can’t make your kid want it — they have to want it themselves.”

🔗 Connect with Jonathan Corone

🌐 Website: healthysportsparents.com

🎙️ Podcast: open.spotify.com/show/1dpgJQoownxZfnliaiqIJv

📸 Instagram: www.instagram.com/healthysportsparents/

👍 Facebook: www.facebook.com/HealthySportsParents/

⚽ Follow Chat By The Pitch

🐦 X: @ChatByThePitch

📷 Instagram: @ChatByThePitch

📘 Facebook: Chat By The Pitch

🎧 Subscribe & Review: Your support helps us keep bringing conversations with players, coaches, and leaders that matter.

#ChatByThePitch #HealthySportsParents #YouthSportsCulture #SportsParenting #PlayerDevelopment #YouthSoccer #LongTermDevelopment #SidelineBehavior #SportsPsychology #ParentEducation #CoachingCulture #LetKidsPlay

Mentioned in this episode:

Reeplayer: Greater access to footage gives every young athlete the opportunity to develop and be seen. Reeplayer is committed to making footage accessible to teams, families, and athletes of all backgrounds.

Reeplayer

Soccer Innovations: Award-Winning Soccer Equipment & Accessories

Soccer Innovations

TeamPlayr: Find and join the perfect youth
soccer team

TeamPlayr

In this solo episode of Chat By The Pitch, Ian Babcock reflects on years of learning as a soccer parent, coach, and constant student of the game. This episode challenges the obsession with early results and reframes success around development, environment, communication, and joy.

Ian explores what youth soccer is getting right, where it’s falling short, and what parents, coaches, and clubs can do—starting today—to create healthier, more sustainable experiences for young athletes. This conversation is for families who care about long-term growth, not just the scoreboard.

Key Talking Points

1. Why development matters more than early wins

2. The danger of overscheduling and athlete burnout

3. Creating safe environments for learning and failure

4. Why kids need space to be kids—not mini professionals

5. The importance of emotional connection between coaches and players

6. How communication breakdowns damage player development

7. Culture as the foundation of healthy teams and clubs

8. The realities and consequences of pay-to-play youth sports

9. How sideline behavior shapes athlete confidence and creativity

10. Redefining success as lifelong love of the game, not outcomes

Quotes from Ian Babcock

1. “Our job isn’t to push kids toward greatness. It’s to walk beside them so they can define what greatness means for themselves.”

2. “Winning early doesn’t create better players. It usually creates burned-out ones.”

3. “Kids don’t fall out of love with sports all at once. They drift—from joy to obligation, from play to performance.”

4. “If a child feels safe enough to fail, they’ll be brave enough to grow.”

5. “We’re raising humans first. Athletes second. When we get that order right, everything else gets easier.”

6. “Development isn’t about today’s score. It’s about who the athlete becomes over time.”

7. “Overscheduling doesn’t build commitment—it slowly erodes joy.”

8. “Culture isn’t about winning at all costs. It’s about creating an environment kids want to stay in.”

9. “When parents, players, and coaches aren’t aligned, development breaks down fast.”

10. “If a kid still loves the game at 25—or 80—we’ve done our job.”

Connect with Chat By The Pitch

🐦 X: @ChatByThePitch

📷 Instagram: @ChatByThePitch

📘 Facebook: Chat By The Pitch

🎧 Subscribe & Review: Your support helps us keep bringing conversations with players, coaches, and leaders that matter.

#YouthSoccer #PlayerDevelopment #SoccerParents #HumanFirstAthleteSecond #LongTermDevelopment #YouthSportsCulture #ParentEducation #CoachingPhilosophy #LoveTheGame #DevelopmentOverResults

Mentioned in this episode:

TeamPlayr: Find and join the perfect youth
soccer team

TeamPlayr

Soccer Innovations: Award-Winning Soccer Equipment & Accessories

Soccer Innovations

Reeplayer: Greater access to footage gives every young athlete the opportunity to develop and be seen. Reeplayer is committed to making footage accessible to teams, families, and athletes of all backgrounds.

Reeplayer

In Part 2 of this conversation, John O’Sullivan dives deeper into the realities of pressure, anxiety, early specialization, and the myths that continue to shape youth sports in unhealthy ways.

We unpack why the so-called 10,000-hour rule doesn’t hold up, why development is never linear, and why mentality, enjoyment, and resilience matter more than chasing outcomes at young ages. John also shares powerful insights for parents on how to support their kids without adding pressure — and why nervousness isn’t a problem, but a sign that kids care.

This episode challenges parents, coaches, and organizations to redefine success, strip away interference, and help kids fall in love with movement so sports remain a positive part of their lives long after the final whistle.

Key Talking Points

1. Why the 10,000-hour rule is a myth — and what matters instead
2. The dangers of early specialization and outcome obsession
3. Why development is different for every athlete and every sport
4. How pressure shifts from excitement to anxiety
5. Teaching kids to handle nerves instead of eliminating them
6. Performance as potential minus interference
7. Why parents must separate their identity from their child’s sport
8. Letting the journey belong to the athlete, not the adults
9. How joy fuels resilience and long-term commitment
10. Redefining success beyond wins, trophies, and rankings

Quotes From Guest

1. “There’s no such thing as a 10,000-hour rule.”
2. “Kids are not computers — you don’t just program hours into them.”
3. “Nervous means that you care.”
4. “Performance is potential minus interference.”
5. “The same drive that helps some kids succeed can also destroy them.”
6. “You can do everything right and still get hurt.”
7. “Sport is something kids do — it’s not who they are.”
8. “Our job as parents is to strip away interference, not add to it.”
9. “Success isn’t winning every game — it’s kids wanting to come back.”
10. “The goal is raising athletes for life.”

Connect With John O’Sullivan

🌐 Website: https://changingthegameproject.com

🎙️ Podcast: https://wayofchampionspodcast.com

📚 Book: Changing the Game

📸 Instagram:...

In Part 1 of this conversation, John O’Sullivan joins Chat By The Pitch to break down what truly drives healthy development in youth sports.

John shares his journey from long-time soccer coach to founder of Change the Game Project, explaining why burnout, fear-based coaching, and adult agendas continue to derail young athletes. We dive into culture, joy, intrinsic motivation, and why relationships — not tactics — are the foundation of sustainable success.

This episode is essential listening for parents, coaches, and anyone invested in helping kids stay in the game longer, love the process, and grow as people — not just players.

Key Talking Points

1. Why fear-based coaching can create short-term results but long-term damage
2. The difference between transactional and transformational coaching
3. How burnout often starts with adults, not athletes
4. Why coaching is fundamentally a relationship business
5. What research says kids actually want from sports
6. The myth that fun and competitiveness don’t coexist
7. How joy fuels intrinsic motivation and long-term growth
8. Teaching athletes to compete, not just “win”
9. The role of autonomy in athlete development
10. Why culture matters more than systems, tactics, or drills

Quotes From John O’Sullivan

1. “You can compel people through fear in the short term, but it’s not sustainable.”
2. “If kids quit next year, who cares how many games you won?”
3. “Coaching is a relationship business — not an X’s and O’s business.”
4. “You can’t teach winning. You can teach competing.”
5. “Joy and competitiveness absolutely coexist.”
6. “Fun doesn’t mean sloppy — it means organized, challenging, and meaningful.”
7. “Intrinsic motivation is the path to mastery.”
8. “If you remove joy or ownership, motivation fades.”
9. “Sport teaches kids how to do hard things.”
10. “Development isn’t just performance — it’s moral character.”

Connect with John O’Sullivan

🌐 Website: https://changingthegameproject.com

🎙️ Podcast: https://wayofchampionspodcast.com

📚 Book: Changing the Game

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/changingthegameproject

✖️...

In Part 2, Ian Babcock continues the conversation with Dominique Molina and Antonio Perez, founders of Salient Touch Football Academy, diving deep into how real development is executed day to day.

This episode breaks down session design, open enrollment, punch cards vs. consistency, defending development, and Salient Touch’s ability-based leveling system. Dominique and Antonio explain why age alone is a poor indicator of readiness, how players are evaluated during trial sessions, and why holding firm on levels actually protects player confidence and growth.

For parents navigating busy schedules—and coaches trying to maintain standards—this conversation provides rare transparency into what thoughtful development looks like behind the scenes.

🔑 Key Talking Points

1. How Salient Touch designs sessions around player readiness
2. Why cones vs. game-based sessions change day to day
3. Open enrollment without sacrificing training quality
4. Punch cards vs. monthly commitment — what actually works
5. Why defending is one of the fastest transferable skills
6. Leveling players by ability, not birth year
7. How trial sessions evaluate the full player profile
8. Managing plateaus without rushing promotions
9. Parent communication as a core development pillar
10. Building long-term pathways instead of short-term wins

💬 Quotes from the Guests

1. “Development is best seen with consistency — there’s no way around that.” — Dominique Molina
2. “It’s not one size fits all. It’s one size fits one at a time.” — Antonio Perez
3. “If we water down our levels, we water down what we offer.” — Dominique Molina
4. “Defending is the only way you ever get the ball back.” — Antonio Perez
5. “Progress doesn’t always show on the field right away.” — Dominique Molina
6. “We evaluate the emotional and social side just as much as the technical.” — Antonio Perez
7. “Some players need time, not pressure.” — Antonio Perez
8. “Parents deserve clarity, not confusion.” — Dominique Molina

🔗 Connect with Salient Touch Football Academy

🌐 Website: https://salienttouch.com/contact

📸 Instagram: www.instagram.com/salienttouchfutbolacademy

👍 Facebook: www.facebook.com/SalientTouch

Email: Info@SalientTouch.com

Call/Text : 940.268.3392

🎧 Follow Chat By The Pitch

🐦 X: @ChatByThePitch

📷 Instagram: @ChatByThePitch

📘 Facebook: Chat By The...

From Park Sessions to Facilities: The Salient Touch Origin Story

In Part 1 of this conversation, Ian Babcock sits down with Salient Touch Football Academy founders Dominique Molina and Antonio Perez to unpack how Salient Touch was built—from a bumpy public field to a multi-location technical training program serving hundreds of players each week.

This episode dives into identity, first touch, emotional intelligence in coaching, and why individual development is often misunderstood in modern youth soccer. Dominique and Antonio share personal journeys from elite athletics, professional playing ambitions, and hard transition moments that ultimately shaped their coaching philosophy.

If you’re a parent, coach, or player trying to understand what real development looks like—and why progress isn’t linear—this conversation sets the foundation.

🔑 Key Talking Points

1. Why first touch is foundational at every age

2. Letting go of the professional dream to build something bigger

3. Coaching without mentors — learning through lived experience

4. Adapting training to emotional and psychological player needs

5. Why technical repetition alone doesn’t work for every child

6. The difference between team development and individual growth

7. Building a business while protecting coaching culture

8. Why progress feels invisible during development plateaus

9. The challenge of parent communication at scale

10. Creating environments where discipline and joy coexist

💬 Quotes from the Guests

1. “If you don’t have a good first touch, it’s impossible to be a good player.” — Antonio Perez

2. “Each player needs something different emotionally from the game.” — Dominique Molina

3. “Our goal isn’t to make everyone pro — it’s to educate them through the sport.” — Antonio Perez

4. “Nothing worth doing in sports is easy, and we shouldn’t pretend it is.” — Dominique Molina

5. “Some players need repetition. Others need sensation.” — Antonio Perez

6. “Culture starts with who you allow on your staff.” — Dominique Molina

7. “Progress isn’t linear — it’s chaotic.” — Antonio Perez

8. “Parents deserve clarity, not silence.” — Dominique Molina

🔗 Connect with Salient Touch Football Academy

🌐 Website: https://salienttouch.com/contact

📸 Instagram: www.instagram.com/salienttouchfutbolacademy

👍 Facebook: www.facebook.com/SalientTouch

Email: Info@SalientTouch.com

Call/Text : 940.268.3392

🎧 Follow Chat By The Pitch

🐦 X: @ChatByThePitch

📷 Instagram: @ChatByThePitch

📘 Facebook: Chat By The Pitch

🎧 Subscribe & Review: Your support helps keep these conversations going.

#ChatByThePitch #SalientTouchFA #YouthSoccerDevelopment #FirstTouch #PlayerDevelopment #SoccerCulture #TechnicalTraining #YouthSportsParent #CoachingEducation #SoccerPodcast

Mentioned in this episode:

Reeplayer: Greater access to footage gives every young athlete the opportunity to develop and be seen. Reeplayer is committed to making footage accessible to teams, families, and athletes of all backgrounds.

Reeplayer

TeamPlayr: Find and join the perfect youth
soccer team

TeamPlayr

Soccer Innovations: Award-Winning Soccer Equipment & Accessories

Soccer Innovations