Last month, we introduced The EDGE Playbook and laid out what we're building and why. This month, I want to share a bit about the "who". Not the rock band, but some of the folks who have supported and inspired my journey and development as a coach.

But first, here's the truth: we don't have all the answers. Nobody does. Youth development is too complex and too personal for any one person or program to claim they've figured it all out. What we do have and share in common is a deep passion for these topics, a commitment to the work, and a belief that asking better questions leads to better outcomes for kids and the families that support them.

This is the spirit behind every article, study, and resource we share in this newsletter. Each week, we go looking for the people and ideas that are pushing the conversation forward. Researchers studying what actually works. Coaches that rethink how they train young athletes. Psychologists exploring the mental side of performance. Parenting experts who understand what it's like to sit in the bleachers and wonder if you're getting it right.

We don't know all of the folks we share here personally. We aren't affiliated with most of them. We don't officially endorse their products or programs (unless explicitly stated). But we wouldn't share anything with you that we didn't believe you could genuinely learn and gain value from. That's the filter. Every link, every recommendation, every curated piece in The EDGE Playbook passes through the same question: Is there real value here for the parent reading this? If the answer isn't a clear yes, it doesn't make the cut.

At the same time, many of the people shaping my coaching practices and value systems are folks I have direct friendships and relations with. They're people I've mentored under, learned from directly, worked alongside, and built real relationships with through the years, and over decades.

Rick Sessinghaus is a golf and elite performance coach and one of the sharpest minds I know in the mental game space. His work developing golfers, athletes and young people who thrive under pressure is second to none. His coaching methods and systems actually teach skill acquisition instead of just hoping it shows up. He has shaped the way I think about coaching, and about the greater opportunity to positively shape young people as much as I do young players. Rick is also, not necessarily in this order, a dear friend.

Dr. Michael Gervais is a high-performance psychologist who has worked with some of the most elite competitors on the planet. His perspective on mindset, identity, and what it means to perform at your potential has influenced how I think about the emotional foundation we're building with young athletes, not just the physical one. His Finding Mastery podcasts are among my favorite to listen to and draw inspiration from. The story of how we met is a fun conversation for a later date.

Drew Hanlen is an NBA skills trainer who has built his reputation on development, not shortcuts. He is as passionate about supporting the development of young beginning hoopsters as he is working with NBA All-stars. His approach to progressive skill acquisition and his ability to break down complex movements into trainable pieces translates far beyond basketball. The principles are universal and they align directly with what we believe at Good Swings Happen. As a side note, Drew can also smack the heck out of a golf ball. He is heading toward "elite" as a player in his own regard.

There are so many educators, child development specialists, parenting researchers, and coaches across multiple sports who have contributed to the philosophy behind The EDGE Playbook. Some have been mentors, some have been collaborators and some have simply created work that made me stop, rethink something, and further refine my own coaching practices as a result.

You'll be hearing more of these voices in future issues. Spotlights, conversations, and deeper dives into the ideas and frameworks that are shaping how we think about youth development. Some of these people will help guide the evolution of The EDGE Playbook itself, including the E.D.G.E. framework that sits at its core.

We started last month by telling you what we're building and why. Now you know a little more about who's behind the thinking. As I will continue to reiterate, we don't claim to have all the answers, but we are determined to ask the important questions. The best part... we're just getting started.

Thanks for being here! Please forward this to a parent who'd want to know what we're about.

Josh Alpert

Founder, Good Swings Happen
Junior Golf Director, FlowCode
SCPGA Coach of the Year (2023) & Youth Player Development Award (2018)
California Golf Teaching & Coaching Hall of Fame (2024)

This newsletter grows by Word of Mouth. Please forward to a parent who’d find it useful.