Youth Inc. with Greg Olsen

Shane Battier & Alex Smith on Coaching Kids the Right Way

Date: December 16, 2025

Overview

In this episode of Youth Inc., Greg Olsen sits down with former NBA player Shane Battier and former NFL quarterback Alex Smith to dissect the state of youth sports coaching in America. The trio dive deep into the values, habits, and cultural shifts that define effective youth coaching—digging beneath flash and spectacle to spotlight the process, fundamentals, and relationships that help young athletes grow both on and off the field. With real talk on social media’s influence, parental pressures, and coaching their own kids, the conversation is unvarnished, insightful, and directly applicable to anyone coaching or parenting the next generation of athletes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Coaching Philosophies in Youth Sports

• Staying Calm Under Pressure:
  Shane Battier shares his coaching style, emphasizing calmness during high-stress moments.

  “Coach K said his best trait... when the pressure is the highest, I want to be the calmest person in the gym...that gives your team amazing strength.” (00:39)

• The Value of Fundamentals:
  Battier laments the modern obsession with flash over substance, repeatedly returning to basics as the foundation.

  “Most kids today don’t know the proper angle to screen... They don’t know how to do a simple post pass, fake a pass, make a pass.” (00:51)
  “The basics win. The elimination of mistakes actually wins you games.” (01:59)

• Keeping it Simple:
  All three agree that focusing on fundamentals and habits moves the needle farther than elaborate schemes or flashy plays, irrespective of the sport.

  “You’ll win 95% of your games if you just focus on that. I don't care what play you draw up.” – Greg Olsen (04:17)

2. Over-Complication vs Simplicity in Coaching

• Youth Coaching Gone Awry:
  Olsen and Smith discuss how coaches overcomplicate for the sake of seeming sophisticated, to the detriment of player development.

  “Everyone’s been to too many clinics...they want to overcomplicate it. Scheme, scheme, scheme...” – Greg Olsen (03:07)

• Importance of Repetition—At Every Level:
  Smith and Battier highlight that the “boring basics” are drilled even at the professional level, and should be emphasized even more with kids.

  “My first several years in the league, if I threw a slant and the ball was behind the receiver, the coaching point was like, get it out in front, right?” – Alex Smith (07:03)
  “It was literally coaching points you would give to an 8-year-old.” – Smith (07:58)

3. Emotional Tone & Communication as a Coach

• Constructive Specificity vs Yelling:
  Olsen distinguishes between being loud/boisterous versus being specific and actionable in instruction.

  “You can be loud and boisterous, but you have to give them solutions...Alex, you’re tackling the wrong hip. Shane, you’re the edge player—stay outside.” (09:05)

• Single Voice, Fewer Messages:
  Smith calls out the chaos of too many voices on the sidelines, making learning impossible for kids.

  “You’ll have four coaches on the sideline all screaming at nine kids...it’s chaos, and no one’s digesting any of this...” (06:18)

4. Building and Sustaining Team Culture

• Process Over Outcome:
  Olsen describes his program’s philosophy of winning as a byproduct of standards and process—not as the core objective.

  “We always talk about winning as being a byproduct of everything that we do…We could win a game and we’re not happy…It’s about process.” (15:14, 16:10)

• Compete Relentlessly:
  A core value for Olsen’s teams is extreme competitiveness—against oneself, teammates, and the opposition.

  “We really stress compete. Compete is at the corner of everything we do.” (17:25)
  “We are going to be incredibly violent. We are going to be physical.” (17:46)

• “Score Takes Care of Itself”:
  Echoing Bill Walsh’s famous adage, they agree that proper habits and culture naturally lead to wins, especially at the youth level.

  “The score takes care of itself. And you know what? It’s especially true at the young age...” (19:07)

5. Handling Social Media and “Me Culture”

• Combating Highlight-Reel Mentality:
  Battier asks how Olsen’s program counters the constant self-promotion and “me-first” attitude fostered by social media.

  “How do you undo the damage that social media does...It’s about work, toughness, grit...how do you combat the evils of social media?” – Shane Battier (24:43)

• Spotlighting the Team, Not Just Stars:
  Olsen describes actively highlighting non-scoring players’ value in meetings and film, rewarding selfless, team-positive behavior.

  “We’re going to send all our attention in film study...to the left guard, the wide receiver who got his block...That right there is every bit as valuable as the kid who just ran for his third touchdown.” (25:25)

6. Coaching Your Own Kids

• Balancing “Dad” and “Coach”:
  Olsen discusses the challenge of fulfilling both roles at home, being aware of overstepping or taking his own kids for granted.

  “There’s probably moments where I over swing the pendulum and I come down too hard on them...It's easy to yell at your own kid because you don't got to answer to anybody.” (29:17)

• Defining Success:
  Olsen’s house philosophy is to focus on effort and continual improvement—not comparing to others or measuring strictly by stats.

  “Success is not based on the outcome. Success is based on—did you maximize everything you were born with?” (32:46)

• Kids of Athletes—Burden of Expectations:
  Smith observes that his, Battier’s, and Olsen’s kids carry heavy external expectations due to their parents’ visibility, something today’s parents and coaches need to sensitively navigate.

  “All our kids hear buzz...your last name is Battier and you’re on a basketball court, right...That’s something that...weighs on me as my son starts his freshman journey…” – Alex Smith (33:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Shane Battier (00:39):

  “When the pressure is the highest, I want to be the calmest person in the gym...because that gives your team amazing strength.”

• Greg Olsen (01:59):

  “The elimination of mistakes is what actually wins you games... and that's probably the most frustrating message that it's hard to get across to young kids today. Just keep it simple. Stupid.”

• Alex Smith (07:58):

  “It was like, literally, coaching points you would give to a 8-year-old.”

• Greg Olsen (09:05):

  “When you are yelling instruction, it’s got to be very specific... Alex, you’re tackling the wrong hip... Shane, you are the edge player—stay outside.”

• Greg Olsen (15:14):

  “We always talk about winning as being a byproduct of everything that we do.”

• Greg Olsen (17:25):

  “Compete is at the corner of everything we do... We are going to be incredibly violent. We are going to be physical.”

• Shane Battier (24:43):

  "How do you combat the evils of social media to your guys?"

• Greg Olsen (25:25):

  "That right there is every bit as valuable as the kid who just ran for his third touchdown. This is so much bigger than you."

• Greg Olsen (32:46):

  “Success is not based on the outcome. Success is based on—did you maximize everything you were born with?”

Key Timestamps

• 00:34 — Battier on his coaching style and the influence of Coach K
• 03:07 — Olsen laments coaching overcomplication in youth football
• 04:17 — The universal advantage of teaching fundamentals
• 06:18 — Smith on chaos from over-coaching and the need for clarity
• 07:03 — NFL anecdotes: basics are king at all levels
• 09:05 — Olsen on being loud vs being specific in coaching
• 15:14 — Olsen’s philosophy: winning as a byproduct, not a goal
• 17:25 — Defining team values: compete, violence, and physicality
• 25:25 — Olsen on rewarding “role players” in film sessions
• 29:17 — The challenge of balancing “dad” and “coach”
• 32:46 — Olsen on developing his own kids and defining success

Summary Takeaways

• Calm, clarity, and fundamentals are foundational for coaching success at all levels.
• Coaching should focus on actionable, specific feedback, not generic exhortations or emotionality.
• Winning flows from process and habits, not from “gaming” the scoreboard.
• Team culture depends on recognition, inclusivity, and high standards applied with love and trust.
• Social media’s me-focus poses a challenge; coaches must intentionally celebrate teamwork and humility.
• Coaching one’s own children involves unique struggles with fairness and expectation, but process and effort should always trump outcomes.

This episode offers a practical, soulful blueprint for anyone trying to coach kids “the right way.”