Former pro athlete shares how parents can identify and work with their kid's athletic potential

As soon as kids start showing certain interests, many parents wonder if they could have a future in the same. This is especially true with athletics. A former pro athlete, Nate Daniels—who goes by @natedaniels_1 on TikTok—shared that many parents ask him if their kid is an "elite athlete." As parents ask him about their kid's potential multiple times a week, he decides to clear that once and for all through a video. So, parents can get an idea of whether their kid should invest all their energy in the sport.

"Is my child an elite athlete? First of all, if you have to ask me that question, they're probably not an elite athlete, but stay with me," Daniels began. "When you have an elite athlete, it is glaring. They stick out like a sore thumb. A layman could walk into the gym and be like, 'Man, who is that kid?' You could walk out on the soccer pitch, the baseball field, the lacrosse field and everyone knows that kid is different," he added. "That affirmation will come from other parents towards you talking to you about your kid. It will come from coaches talking to you about your kid. And like my idol when I was growing up used to say, Walter Payton, 'When you're good, you're going around telling everybody how good you are. But when you're great, they're telling you,'" the coach went on.

The video was specifically for 4 to 13-year-olds. "As a sports performance coach and a former athlete myself, I'm not as enamored with child prodigies as you. People post their seven-year-old on the internet going between their legs or juggling the soccer ball or doing whatever athletic feat. And you'll see in the comments, 'Next Stop MLB, Next Stop NBA, Next Stop NFL.' And all I think of when I see that is, 'Slow down!'" the man expressed. "You do not know what you have until a kid has hit puberty. I've coached and trained youth athletes who were completely dominant at the youth level. After they hit puberty, it has disappeared. The beautiful thing is I've also coached, the vice versa," the former pro athlete pointed out.

"So the moral of the story is parents, if you have a youth athlete that is experiencing success, just let them enjoy that success. Let them continue to work hard," the coach advised. "Parents, be patient to see how it will play out. I'm not saying this to burst your bubble or to temper your being. I'm proud. I want you to be proud of your kids, but these expectations that you're projecting, just aren't realistic most times." He also encouraged kids to keep working even if things are not going their way and not give up hope. "Athletic development is a marathon, not a sprint. No one cares who the best U8 player is. The U9 player is. Holler at me when you're 17, 18, 19 years old. Then, we'll talk," Daniels concluded.

People took to the comments to appreciate his advice. @themensstyleguy wrote, "This is the greatest video ever produced for parents. As a parent, I appreciate you for saying this. When you know, you know! Appreciate you!" @lydiawallace commented, "This is so true. My son was a beast as a youth. Everybody knew his name. Then puberty hit and he disappeared. Still not sure what happened." @darrencooper71 remarked, "Agree. It's the same as a child who reads at 4 doesn't always turn out to be the next Elon Musk. Sometimes they just reach max potential early."

You can follow Nate Daniels (@natedaniels_1) on TikTok for more sports-related content.