From coaching your own son or daughter to navigating playing time, lineup decisions, and difficult conversations, they discuss:

• When parents should talk to a coach—and when they shouldn’t
 • The challenges of coaching your own child and avoiding “daddy ball” accusations
 • How to choose coaches you can trust
 • Why athletes need to learn to advocate for themselves
 • What coaches are really thinking when they make playing time decisions
 • How parents can support their children without becoming part of the problem
 • Why independence—not dependence—is the ultimate goal of youth sports

Whether you’re a parent, coach, grandparent, or athlete, this conversation offers practical advice for building healthier relationships between families and coaches while helping young athletes grow into confident, independent adults.

Forward is a podcast from Hard Knock Press dedicated to building Better Athletes. Better People.

📘 The Long Ride Home: How to Help Your Kids Shine in Youth Sports (Without Driving Them Crazy) by Joe Clemente is available now at 🌐 hardknockpress.com

🎙️ Subscribe to Forward: New episodes every week featuring honest conversations about youth sports, parenting, coaching, leadership, and helping kids thrive—both on and off the field. Available everywhere you get your podcasts.

👍🏻 If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe, and share it with another sports parent, coach, or athlete.

📩 Media, speaking engagements, sponsorships, and business inquiries: hello@hardknockpress.com

💬 We’d love to hear from you:
 When was the moment you realized it was time to step back and let your child advocate for themselves? Leave a comment below or connect with us on social media.

📸 Instagram: @theforwardpod
 📲 Facebook: @theforwardpod
 ▶️ YouTube: @HardKnockPress

© Hard Knock Press. All Rights Reserved.

In Episode 2 of Forward, Joe Clemente and Kevin Mulhearn examine the “old-school tough guy” approach to parenting and coaching. Drawing from their own childhoods, their experiences as sports parents, and Joe’s 25 years as a coach, they explore what that style gets right, where it goes too far, and why toughness without balance can do lasting damage.

Joe shares how relentless training, public criticism, and the fear of disappointing his stepfather affected him as a young athlete. Kevin reflects on the lessons he learned from his own father—and the moments when he later repeated the same behavior with his son.

This conversation is not about eliminating discipline, expectations, or hard work. It is about learning to separate effort from outcome, knowing when to push and when to pull back, and remembering that a parent must provide something a coach cannot: a safe place to come home.

In this episode:

• The benefits and dangers of the old-school parenting approach
 • Joe’s experience playing through injured and bleeding hands
 • Why children should not be criticized for outcomes they cannot control
 • The difference between demanding effort and demanding perfection
 • How parents’ behavior affects young athletes on and off the field
 • Why talented children sometimes lose their love for the game
 • The importance of balancing discipline with encouragement
 • Why a child’s desire to improve must be greater than the parent’s
 • What it means when you have to drag your child to practice
 • How parents can push their children without pushing them out of sports

Forward is a podcast from Hard Knock Press featuring honest conversations about youth sports, parenting, coaching, growth, and the lessons that extend far beyond the field.

Better Athletes. Better People.

Order The Long Ride Home at hardknockpress.com.

Questions, comments, or stories to share? Email hello@hardknockpress.com.

Subscribe to Forward and share this episode with a parent, coach, or athlete who needs to hear it.

In the first episode of Forward, Joe Clemente shares the story behind The Long Ride Home: How to Help Your Kids Shine in Youth Sports (Without Driving Them Crazy) and the painful car ride that changed the way he approached parenting, coaching, and youth sports.

Joe and Kevin Mulhearn talk candidly about the pressure parents place on young athletes, the mistakes they made with their own children, and why even well-intentioned criticism can damage a child’s confidence, enjoyment, and relationship with sports.

This conversation is not about lowering expectations or giving everyone a trophy. It is about helping kids compete, grow, and work hard without allowing a parent’s pride, frustration, or fear to take over.

In this episode:

• The ride home that inspired Joe to write the book
 • Why parents criticize their children when they are most vulnerable
 • The difference between being a parent and being a coach
 • How pressure and financial investment affect sports families
 • Why young athletes remember our words long after the game ends
 • How parents can help raise better athletes—and better people

Forward is a podcast from Hard Knock Press featuring honest conversations about youth sports, parenting, coaching, growth, and the lessons that extend far beyond the field.

Better Athletes. Better People.

Order The Long Ride Home at hardknockpress.com.

Questions, comments, or stories to share? Email hello@hardknockpress.com.

Subscribe to Forward and share this episode with a parent, coach, or athlete who needs to hear it.

Youth sports have changed—but the guidance for parents hasn’t.

Hosted by publisher Kevin T. Mulhearn and veteran coach Joe Clemente, Forward explores the conversations every sports parent needs to hear. Drawing from Joe’s book, The Long Ride Home: How to Help Your Kids Shine in Youth Sports (Without Driving Them Crazy), each episode tackles the challenges of raising young athletes while protecting what matters most: your relationship with your child.

Whether you’re a parent, coach, or athlete, you’ll find practical advice, honest stories, and thoughtful conversations designed to help families navigate the highs and lows of youth sports.

Join us each week as we talk with coaches, parents, athletes, and experts about building confidence, handling pressure, communicating better, and creating an environment where kids can thrive—not just as athletes, but as people.

Better Athletes. Better People.