All Episodes · Newest First
Stop Lying to These Kids
Rob delivers an unfiltered monologue on the hard truths nobody wants to hear about player development. From regional differences in competitive softball to the slapping epidemic destroying young hitters' futures, this episode challenges parents and coaches to stop telling kids what they want to hear and start giving them what they need: honesty.
Topics Discussed
- Why traveling for competitive softball is worth every penny of sacrifice
- Regional differences in play style: Northeast power pitching vs. California spin vs. Georgia hitting
- The false flex of young players "playing up" in age groups
- The slapping epidemic: Coaches creating slappers who aren't fast enough
- Wasting 3-4 years of development on the wrong approach
- Why early honesty beats comfortable lies—even at 11 years old
- Reality checks: Taking your team to get exposed by elite competition
- Former players returning years later—what that says about the impact
- Softball as a support system: Structure, purpose, and keeping kids on track
- "If your family can't handle the truth at 11, they won't handle it at 16 or 18 either"
The Mental Game with Jenny D
Jenny D returns to Transcending Sport for a powerful conversation about what it really takes to develop the mental side of athletic performance. Rob and Jenny dive deep into the psychology of peak performance, using compelling clips from coaching legend Gino Auriemma and the vulnerable testimony of basketball star Hailey Van Lith to explore why the mental game is often 80% of the battle.
Topics Discussed
- Why elite coaches train athletes beyond their comfort zone (the Gino Auriemma philosophy)
- Hailey Van Lith's powerful story of struggle, self-reflection, and asking "Who are you?"
- The difference between being "teamy" vs. self-absorbed in team sports
- Why elite athletes have elite parents—and what that really means
- The danger of caring too much about what others think (FOPO)
- Jenny's 8-session mindset program and the tools athletes need to execute under pressure
- Process over outcome: Why focusing on results is killing your performance
- The importance of pre-game mental routines (and why most athletes skip them)
- How coaches can build authentic connections that make athletes run through walls
- Core values and self-discovery exercises every athlete needs
The Motor Signature Profiling Originators
In this landmark episode, Rob sits down with Bertrand Théraulaz, co-founder of ActionTypes and one of the originators of motor signature profiling. For over 35 years, Bertrand and his partner Ralph Hippolyte have developed a comprehensive approach to understanding human movement—connecting brain, body, and behavior in ways that transform how we coach athletes.
Topics Discussed
- The origin story of ActionTypes (dating back to 1989-1998)
- Bertrand's breakthrough discovery in Canberra, Australia (1998)
- Why "one size fits all" coaching fails athletes
- The four motor skills and how they coordinate together
- Motor profiles vs. motivational profiles—and why both matter
- Vision strategies: central-to-peripheral vs. peripheral-to-central
- Applications beyond sports: therapy, autism spectrum, education
- The U.S. Hybrid Training Program launching in 2026
- Ethical responsibilities when profiling athletes
- "Coach the intention, not the action. The HOW belongs to the athlete."
Why You're Seeing It (Even When You Think You're Not)
Rob breaks down the science behind perception and challenges the common belief that hitters can't see the ball. A deep dive into visual processing, the "vision lie," and why your eyes are capturing more than your conscious mind realizes.
Topics Discussed
- The myth of "not seeing the ball"
- How visual processing actually works in hitting
- Conscious vs. subconscious perception
- Why traditional vision training misses the mark
- The perception-action connection in real-time
Inside the 2025 NFCA Convention
Rick Pauly returns for a no-holds-barred breakdown of the 2025 NFCA Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada—the largest in convention history. As both attendees and presenters, Rob and Rick share their unfiltered observations about what they saw, what surprised them, and what concerns them about the current state of softball coaching.
Topics Discussed
- Record-setting attendance and what it reveals about travel ball coaching
- New technology and products showcased by exhibitors
- The tension between education and product endorsement in presentations
- Is technology becoming prohibitively expensive for smaller programs?
- Should travel ball coaches have a voice in college recruiting calendar decisions?
- Rob's new concept: "Egosystem" and its implications for competitive sports
- Does softball genuinely want to embrace data-driven coaching?
- Their favorite speakers and sessions from the convention
The State of Travel Ball
Rick Pauly returns to Transcending Sport for another fan-favorite conversation where Rob and Rick contrast their perspectives on softball—hitting coach vs. pitching coach. In this episode, they tackle the current state of travel ball softball and ask the hard questions that need to be asked.
Topics Discussed
- Is velocity everything, or are we missing something more important?
- How the transfer portal has reshaped recruiting
- The travel ball landscape today
- Why the rich keep getting richer in travel ball, college, and pro sports
- What to expect from Rob and Rick at the upcoming NFCA Convention
Breaking Through Belief Barriers
Go beyond surface-level coaching in this powerful excerpt from Rob Crews' Monthly Master Class series, part of his exclusive Coaches Certification program. Rob demonstrates why great coaches must become students of the mind, learning to identify and dismantle the limiting beliefs that create invisible barriers to performance.
Topics Discussed
- The power of belief in athletic performance
- Why traditional coaching often fails to address root causes
- How to dig deeper into the mind of the student
- Defeating doubt and confusion from past teaching
- Techniques for uncovering what students truly believe
- Replacing doubt with clarity and conviction
Welcome to Transcending Sport
The inaugural episode of Transcending Sport with Rob Crews. Rob introduces himself, his background, and the mission of the podcast—to explore player development, coaching philosophy, and the deeper dimensions of athletic performance.
Topics Discussed
- Introduction to Rob Crews and Complete Game
- The mission of Transcending Sport
- What to expect from future episodes
