About Coach Joel

Helping Parents & Athletes Navigate Youth Sports with Confidence

When I Was 13, I Thought I Was Falling Behind

In 7th grade, I was an okay player on my basketball team. I played a decent amount, but I was small, inconsistent, and physically behind some of my teammates. Some kids were several inches taller, 30 pounds heavier, and simply faster and stronger than me. It was frustrating. I thought maybe I wasn’t talented enough—maybe I just didn’t have “it.”

Fast forward a few years: only three players from that middle school team made it to varsity basketball. Of those, just one became a full-time starter as a junior and senior—me. I was also one of a handful in all of San Diego county who went on to play college basketball. Meanwhile, many of the kids who dominated early either quit, burned out, or got passed up along the way.

This story isn’t unique—it happens all the time. And yet, youth sports today still push early specialization, short-term results, and unrealistic expectations on kids before they’ve even hit their growth spurt. Coaches and clubs run Instagram pages full of false promises, only to capitalize on privates and year round programs.

Whether your child is a standout player or struggling for playing time, there’s a better way to approach development—and I can help.

Why I Started This Mission

I’m Joel Anderson—with my partners, I run one of the largest youth basketball clubs (a 501(c)(3) non-profit) in San Diego county. I'm a youth athletic development coach, former collegiate athlete, and long-time advocate for healthier, smarter approaches to training kids for long-term success. I've spent decades coaching youth athletes, listening to and watching parents at practices and games, and I've raised my own children in recreation and club sports. Let me let you know a secret... there are massive problems with the system.

After decades around youth sports as a player, coach, and educator, I’ve seen hundreds of real-world examples:

  • Early bloomers who faded away

  • Late bloomers who thrived

  • Talented kids lost to overtraining, injuries, or burnout

  • Families overwhelmed by bad advice and broken systems (and after large financial output)

Through these experiences—and backed by real sports science, long-term athlete development (LTAD) models, and objective performance measurement—I saw the urgent need for change.

I started this platform to educate, assist, and bring light to a youth sports environment that, too often, prioritizes short-term wins over lasting growth. Not just in coastal North San Diego County (Encinitas, Carlsbad, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, San Elijo) where I live and coach—but everywhere.

Youth sports should be about building confident, capable athletes for life, not just chasing the next tournament trophy.

What I Believe

  • Multi-sport participation beats early specialization.

  • Stage-based training builds stronger, safer athletes.

  • Objective progress tracking and assessments matters more than hype.

  • Fun and engagement are critical to long-term success.

  • Parents (and players) deserve clear, honest guidance—not sales pitches.

If you're a parent, coach, or athlete looking for clarity, encouragement, and expert tools to navigate youth sports with confidence—I’d love to help.

Building better athletes starts with building better systems.
Let's change youth sports, one player at a time.