Jeff Janssen has posted another great article of general interest on coaching. It's definitely worth reading if you are coaching the age group known as Millennials — those born roughly between 1982 and today.

If you're a Boomer like me, you've no doubt noticed that today's kids are very different than we were. In particular, they tend not to just go out and play sports for the fun of it. Either some adults need to organize their sports for them, or they don't play. They also tend to be rather fragile as a group. They've grown up sheltered and protected from criticism and negativity for the most part (think helicopter parents), and thus have a tough time with the failure involved in sports — especially softball.

If you're a Gen Xer, don't feel too superior. According to the article, your age group has a lot of trouble relating to the Milennials as well, for many of the same reasons. You were brought up differently and approached your sports differently. In fact, you may find their inability to handle criticism or failure even more frustrating because they look more like you, and you're not as far from being them as the Boomers are.

Here's a link to the article itself. I highly suggest you give it a read.