Serving Gen Z:
Don’t Be the Old Person Yelling at Cloud
Michael Huber
Certified Mental Performance Consultant®
Follow The Ball LLC
Share my experiences and expertise in hopes of helping you feel better equipped to serve Gen Z athletes.
My mission for this session
Who am I?
Drop a comment in the chat with your role, any specific area of interest, and any questions you might have along the way.
What is your interest at #YAS2025?
Any athlete born after 1996.
Who are “Gen Z” athletes?
(Gould et al., 2020)
PERCEIVED STRENGTHS | PERCEIVED AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT |
Curious Willing to learn Well-informed Finding web-based resources Visual learners | Seeking short-term results Difficulty coping with construction feedback and failure Short attention span Interpersonal communication skills Poor time management |
What are “Gen Z” athletes?
(Gould et al., 2020)
Meet Gen Z athletes where they are at.
Be curious about Gen Z athletes as individuals.
Help Gen Z athletes understand WHY.
Three takeaways for today
“I’ll text the players and sometimes, they’re actually more open via text then face-to-face. It’s unbelievable.”
(Coach, Gould et al., 2020)
What do you think?
(Gould et al., 2020)
Meet them where they are at
(literally and/or figuratively)...
“(Asking questions) is so important... when you get into the habit of asking questions, you... facilitate that feedback and then it becomes much easier to pick up on how the player is feeling.”
(Coach, Gould et al., 2020)
What do you think?
(Gould et al., 2020)
Be curious about them as individuals.
“Coaches... mentioning the need to provide explanations and meet today’s athletes need to know ‘why’ they should adhere to coaching recommendations.”
(Gould et al., 2020)
What do you think?
(Gould et al., 2020)
Help them understand WHY.
UNDERSTANDING
HELP
PERFORMANCE
Meet Gen Z athletes where they are at.
Be curious about Gen Z athletes as individuals.
Help Gen Z athletes understand WHY.
Three takeaways for today
Michael Huber, MA, CMPC®
Email me:
michael@ftbcoaching.com
My home base:
https://michaelvhuber.com
Please reach out
Thank you!
Gould, D., Nalepa, J., & Mignano, M. (2020). Coaching Generation Z athletes. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 32(1), 104-120.
Gen Z are not ‘coddled.” They are highly collaborative, self-reliant and pragmatic, according to new Stanford-affiliated research. (2022, January 3). Retrieved from https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2022/01/know-gen-z/
References