Athletic Support: 'Cat’s in the Cradle'

Dear Athletic Support: My grandson is heavily involved in basketball, football, and baseball. I love supporting him in all his activities, but lately, I feel like I’m doing more than supporting him. His parents are both deep in the throes of their professional lives. They’re very busy. As a result, they don’t get to make it to many of his games. Actually, they’re rarely able to take him to practice. That’s where I come in. I enjoy taking him to all these events and supporting him best I can, but I’m also getting up there in age. I’m tired. I also don’t think it’s good for his parents to miss so many games. Do you have any advice on how I can broach this subject with them? — Tired Nana

Dear Nana: First off, kudos for being so involved in your grandson’s life. My daughter is only in dance at this point. I can’t quite fathom having a child who’s involved in multiple sports just yet.

With that being said, you need to have a talk with his parents. They’re the ones who should be highly involved.

It won’t be easy—talks like this never are—but it is necessary. Be sure to plan the conversation so that your grandson won’t be around. You don’t want him to feel like his athletics are a hindrance to you or his parents.

Regarding what you should actually say during this conversation, just shoot from the heart. If that doesn’t work, you could always play them “Cat’s in the Cradle,” by Harry Chapin. That song puts things in perspective every time.

Dear Athletic Support: My son will be a sophomore quarterback next fall. This is his first offseason with the high school football team. I’ve been kinda surprised that the coach has spent so much time trying to tweak his throwing motion. Guess I thought when they got to that age, there wasn’t any point messing with mechanics. What do you think? — Gunslinger

Dear Gunslinger: Watch any good quarterback, especially these days, and you’ll see one thing in common. You know what it is?

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Here’s a hint. It’s not a perfect throwing motion.

It’s the ability to make off-balance throws from varying launch points.

The game is faster now than it was ten years ago. Even if a quarterback isn’t a pure runner, he has to be able to move. More importantly, he has to be able to throw while he’s moving.

Luck for you, this is easy to drill.

Get some flags, put them on your son’s waist, and have a buddy chase him around while he tries to make accurate, downfield passes on the move.

In the end, practicing proper throwing fundamentals is usually something coaches do in the offseason, especially during the winter months. When things warm up, I bet your son will be back on the field and all those fundamental drills will be a thing of the past.

Eli Cranor is a former professional quarterback and coach turned award-winning author. His debut novel, Don’t Know Tough, is available for preorder wherever books are sold. Send questions for “Athletic Support” in using the “Contact” page on elicranor.com.