Good Morning!

We hope everyone is staying warm and safe as storms are sweeping the country this weekend. Meanwhile college lacrosse is one week away 😵‍💫!

Today, we release a killer podcast episode with Loyola women’s head coach Jen Adams. Read on below for some more of our recent content around coaching, player development, recruiting and some college season predictions.

Let’s get into it. Happy Friday ☕️,
Matt & Deemer

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One concept we believe in is taking 100% responsibility for your journey. This can sound aggressive at first, but it’s not. It’s an empowering mental reframe once you understand what it actually means.

Taking responsibility does not imply that you can control everything. In reality, it’s the opposite.

It means accepting that many desired outcomes are outside of your control while still taking full ownership of the one thing that always is in your control: how you choose to act.

When you stop negotiating with circumstances and start focusing on your response, problems become more solvable.

Today, we want to share a practical way to apply this mindset by avoiding three deceptively dangerous words: I know that.

The “I know that” trap is toxic for anyone with ambitious goals.

If you take full responsibility for your development, there are really only two explanations when things aren’t going the way you want.

This framing is not about blame or being hard on yourself. It’s about leverage. When you accept these two options, you stop spending energy on explanations that don’t move you forward. You stop externalizing the problem. Instead, you start asking better questions about what you’re missing or what hasn’t stabilized yet.

That’s where control comes from.

If your first reaction to reading this is “I know that,” keep reading.

Awareness often isn’t the problem in these scenarios. Execution is.

“I know that” usually shows up when something sounds familiar. We recognize the concept. We’ve heard it before. The brain flags it as understood and moves on.

Like when your coach is trying to improve your scoring chance by explaining how to “catch it loaded” but you’ve heard this 50 times… I got it coach, thanks 👍.

The issue isn’t that the idea is wrong or unimportant. It’s that familiarity creates a false sense of completion.

Once we decide we already understand something, curiosity shuts down… but behavior often stays exactly the same. You may know to catch it loaded and each step to execute it. And yet, in the moment, you don’t do it.

Most of the time, this isn’t spoken out loud. It happens internally during feedback in practice or film review.

Sports aren’t a multiple choice test. You don’t get credit for identifying the right answer after the fact. Behaviors and execution matter at the end of the day.

If a concept is truly learned, it appears consistently in behavior.

This is where the “empty your cup” metaphor is a helpful tactic.

“I know that” is a full cup. When the cup is full, nothing new gets in. Feedback bounces off and corrections feel repetitive. Subtle details get ignored because there’s no space left to examine them.

Emptying your cup doesn’t mean pretending you know nothing. It means holding ideas loosely enough to test whether they’re actually showing up. It means using “I know that” as a trigger, not a stopping point.

Instead of moving on, you pause and ask: Where does this break down for me? What part of this isn’t stable yet?

Used this way, “I know that” becomes information. If you truly know it, it should be visible in your behavior. If it’s not, you’ve found exactly where the work still is.

That’s how learning stays active.

Real development starts when you take responsibility for how you operate, not just how you feel about the outcome.

When something isn’t improving, it’s rarely a motivation or talent issue. Most of the time, one of two things is true. The expectation isn’t fully understood yet, or the behavior hasn’t been repeated enough (in the right context) to hold up.

That’s why we emphasize behavior over intention.

Wanting to improve matters, but it doesn’t change outcomes on its own. Everyone wants to get better. Everyone agrees with good ideas. That part is easy.

What actually moves the needle is what you do consistently.

The body learns through patterns. Confidence is built through evidence. Over time, the players who develop fastest aren’t the ones who say the right things in meetings. They’re the ones who stay curious when something isn’t clicking, take ownership of the gap, and keep working the behavior until it stabilizes.

That’s what 100% responsibility really gives you. Leverage. It narrows the problem and keeps learning active.

The next time you feel yourself thinking, “I know that,” pause.

Don’t pause to to correct it, argue with it or explain yourself. Just notice what happens next.

Growth doesn’t slow because effort disappears. It slows when curiosity does. Responsibility isn’t just being harder on yourself. It’s being curious and honest about what you need to do to get what you want.

Behaviors drive outcomes. If you are not getting the outcome you desire, what behaviors can you change to improve those chances?

Coach Class and Coach Dunn

Earlier in January, we held our Men’s & Women’s Winter Showcases for 2028’s & 2029’s at IMG Academy in Florida.

Check out the ASG rosters for each age group for our Winter Showcase:

And read some of the standouts at our Winter Showcase below. (Full men’s Inside Lacrosse article here and women’s here).

Stahl impressed by being a great blend of everything that it takes to be an impactful defender. He does a bit of everything well — he has a strong stick, demonstrates a clear understanding of team scheme and covers the ball with success. While he has room to begin to excel in a particular field, he does a bit of everything with success and consistency. When it comes to playing defense in this sport it, it doesn’t always have to be flashy to be effective and executes his role with an admirable simplicity.

Limberg is a lefty keeper who really found the zone and racked up saves in the scrimmage portions of the BIC Winter Showcase. What stood out most was his efficiency of movement. He’s super technical and patient, which allows him to be concise and efficient on each save. No false steps, dipping of his hands or guessing at location allow him to be consistently make save after save. With additional work in the clear to round out his game, he’s sure to materialize into a strong keeper and as just a 2029, he has more than enough time to continue to sharpen those tools.

Best is a true competitor. Taking every drill with the same intensity as a game. She tracks the ball down on the ride to ensure the turn over then finds a way to set up the next play on offense. Best controls the tempo with her IQ. is a true competitor. Taking every drill with the same intensity as a game. She tracks the ball down on the ride to ensure the turn over then finds a way to set up the next play on offense. Best controls the tempo with her IQ.

Driscoll is a rising star who plays with a level of composure and IQ well beyond her years. Her technique is fundamentally sound, featuring polished fakes and a versatile arsenal of dodges that keep defenders guessing. As a true two-way midfielder, she is a significant asset on the draw circle and brings a disciplined aggression to the defensive end, where she communicates effectively to keep the unit organized. The former 2029 recently reclassed, joining the 2030 recruiting year.

✏️ Read the full men’s Inside Lacrosse article here and women’s here.

✅ Want to catch up on the action? Check out our @fclbestinclass Instagram page for the best highlights and moments from the event!

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