Podcast Summary: The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

Episode: 1KHO 605: Let Them Fall in Love First | Dan Blewett, This Slump Shall Pass

Host: Ginny Urch
Guest: Dan Blewett (Former professional baseball player, author, and coach)
Date: October 27, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the value of unstructured outdoor play and its foundational role in a child’s development, especially within the context of youth sports. Ginny Urch speaks with Dan Blewett, a professional baseball player turned coach, author, and mentor, about how to nurture a true love for sports in children, why free play paves the way for passion and resilience, and how parents can best support their kids through both triumph and adversity—on and off the field. The episode also explores Dan’s visual mindset book, "This Slump Shall Pass."

Key Themes & Discussion Points

1. The Value of Free Play in Childhood & Sport

[01:05] - [02:38]

• Dan reflects on his late entry into baseball (age 8), noting his early childhood was spent outdoors catching turtles and frogs.
• He attributes his enduring passion for baseball to countless hours of backyard free play with friends and family, not early regimented training.
• Concern is voiced over the current trend of highly structured sports at very young ages (e.g., 6U and 7U). Dan worries this structure might reduce kids’ opportunity to fall in love with the game organically.

Notable Quote:
"There was a lot of free play, just backyard baseball in my childhood, and I think that was really important...I have a little bit of an issue with the lack of free play that kids are getting now in youth sports. A little troubling to me."
— Dan Blewett [01:50]

2. Challenges for Modern Parents & Navigating Youth Sports Culture

[05:59] - [10:17]

• Ginny asks about the "conundrum" parents face: balancing a late start with kids’ FOMO and the push to conform to organized leagues.
• Dan suggests backyard play as a rich alternative—providing skill-building, opportunities to sample various sports, and more individualized attention.
• He encourages all parents, especially moms, to engage in sports play regardless of their background, debunking imposter syndrome around coaching and participation.

Notable Quote:
"You can do sporting activities, backyard version of any sport, and just play with your kid. And I know you have a ton of moms listening to this podcast...don't act like there's a gender difference...go be the sports mom."
— Dan Blewett [08:36]

3. Dabbling vs. Specializing & Parent Involvement

[11:19] - [13:32]

• Both agree that early specialization is unnecessary. Many great athletes tried multiple sports as kids.
• Ginny shares her own story of coaching youth basketball for the first time with no experience, learning (and making mistakes) as she went—emphasizing enthusiasm over expertise.
• Dan stresses it’s more important for coaches and parents to foster a positive, encouraging environment than to have technical mastery.

Notable Quote:
"If you have kids just like, they can't wait to go back to basketball practice with coach Jenny, like, that's it, right? Even if you’re learning the same as they are...That’s the biggest thing that matters."
— Dan Blewett [12:26]

4. Dan’s Journey: From Athlete to Mentor & Author

[18:02] - [25:15]

• Dan discusses his transition to mentorship, driven by feedback from his YouTube audience (over 100k subscribers for baseball).
• His new book, "This Slump Shall Pass," is designed to be visually engaging and accessible, inspired by Austin Kleon’s style—“a mental skills book for all athletes of all sports.”
• The book features hand-drawn illustrations, practical chapters (e.g., on routines and personality types), and aims to make mental skills approachable for the “TikTok generation.”

Notable Quote:
"All the mental skills books that exist so far...they’re walls of words just like any other book...That’s just not how kids are now."
— Dan Blewett [19:00]

5. Letting Kids Fail, Building Grit, & Parental Boundaries

[27:39] - [36:06]

• Dan urges parents to refrain from smoothing every bump in their child’s athletic journey. Letting them fail is key to resilience.
• He likens this to his own comebacks from injury, crediting his “deep love” for baseball to early free play and a sense of ownership over his journey.
• Parents should offer support and resources, but refrain from intervening with coaches or complaining about fairness.

Notable Quote:
"There’s too many parents in sports right now trying to pave the road for their kid and make it pothole free where they're just gonna...not have the tenacity and the resilience to stick with it later."
— Dan Blewett [28:19]

6. Enduring Joy, Sampling Sports, and Adult Play

[36:34] - [40:09]

• Dan recounts finding joy in adult recreational softball, tapping into the same feelings he had as a child.
• Ginny describes her brother’s and other adults’ lasting involvement in sports—not for achievement but for social, physical, and emotional fulfillment.
• They call for a generational perspective: the true gift of sports is a lifetime of connection and well-being, not just scholarships or pro contracts.

7. Unspoken Realities of Sports: Pain, Injury, and Perseverance

[41:52] - [53:25]

• Dan shares raw vignettes from his professional career—multiple major surgeries, heartache at missing opportunities, and the daily struggle and grit required at every level.
• The reality is rarely broadcast: regular pain, sacrifice, uncertainty, and learning to manage what you cannot control.
• He advocates for coping mechanisms such as routines and mental reframing, and wants kids and parents to understand that resilience and perspective are as important as performance.

Notable Quote:
"Every athlete that’s out on the field...half of those women, two thirds of them have an ankle injury that hurts them every time they run...But it’s also like...I want to stay on this field. You know, it’s just a lot of ups and downs, a lot of hardship. But it’s also like, you build a lot of resilience and toughness."
— Dan Blewett [51:18]

Key Topics from "This Slump Shall Pass"

[46:46] - [56:02]

• Control: Learning what you can and cannot control—coaches’ decisions, umpire calls, injury, politics, outcomes.
• Perspective: Developing a “bright-side” mentality and practicing gratitude and resilience.
• Identity: Navigating the challenge when your sport no longer defines you.
• Letting Go of Stats: Focusing on development, not numbers.
• Dealing with Haters: How to handle criticism and negativity.
• Process over Outcome: Emphasizing mastery, not control of all events.

Notable Quote:
"Sports is a proving ground to learn...like, look, I know you did everything you could and the umpire made the wrong call...As a parent, you can teach your kid to whine and complain...or you can say: you don’t control the umpire, but you can control...your habits."
— Dan Blewett [59:27]

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Ginny on Parent Coaching:
  "I had literally never played a game in my life. So you can learn from YouTube."
  [13:58]

• Dan on Team Dynamics:
  "You learn stuff from the good ones and the bad ones. We just need people who are encouraging and willing to learn and grow and work with the kids to just step in there and do it."
  [13:22]

• Dan on Family Memories:
  "My dad never said no to the question of, like, do you want to go play catch?...spend the time with your kid, because as you could tell, it'll mean the world to them and they won't forget it."
  [62:30], [64:40]

Actionable Advice & Takeaways

• Let children discover joy in sports through free and unstructured outdoor play before committing to organized leagues.
• Encourage sampling multiple sports to build diverse skills and help kids find what truly excites them.
• Parents: be present, supportive, and willing to play, regardless of your confidence or expertise.
• Embrace failure and setbacks as learning opportunities, not crises to be solved by adults.
• Focus on the long-term benefits—love for the game, resilience, social bonds—not just short-term accolades.
• Teach kids to focus on controlling their effort, attitude, and preparation, not external factors.

Closing: Favorite Outdoor Memory

[62:30] Dan shares a touching memory about his late father, who never refused an invitation to play catch.
"That's what I think about. It's a good, good memory, you know?" — Dan Blewett

Additional Resources

• Dan Blewett's Book: This Slump Shall Pass: A Visual Guide to Mindset, Confidence, and Life for Athletes of all Sports
• Dan’s YouTube Channels: Baseball and Softball Coaching, Q&A, and skill development
• 1000 Hours Outside: Encouraging families to match outside time to kids' average annual screen time (1,200 hours/year)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:05] Dan’s Childhood & Late Start in Baseball
• [06:47] Parental Fears & Advice
• [10:17] Backyard Sports’ Value
• [18:34] Why Write "This Slump Shall Pass"?
• [28:19] The Need to Let Kids Fail
• [36:34] Joy in Adult Play & Lifelong Benefits
• [41:52] Professional Setbacks & Grit
• [56:02] Baseball’s Unique Complexities
• [59:27] Sports as a Proving Ground for Life
• [62:30] Favorite Childhood Memory: Playing Catch With Dad

Overall Impression:
This episode is both heartfelt and practical, urging listeners to recenter childhood and sport around relationships, joy, and self-discovery, rather than comparison, anxiety, or early achievement. Dan Blewett’s journey illustrates the transformative power of play, parental support, and resilience—reminding us that the deepest rewards are lifelong and often found in the simplest moments outdoors.