In this episode, I take on a claim I hear constantly in coaching circles — that you can't teach a skill you can't perform, or that you can't teach soccer if you haven't played at a high level.
I break this down philosophically, using examples like the Erie Canal builders and people who've climbed Everest without prior experience, to show humans regularly achieve things without a playing background in that exact thing. I share my own experience training my sons to a high level despite never having played myself, and I walk through what teaching actually requires: content knowledge, experience, communication, and pedagogy — not necessarily elite playing ability.
I also get into the real gap between playing and teaching, address the major objections people raise, and make the case for why this belief matters beyond the debate itself — it shrinks the coaching pool, drives up costs, and keeps parents and motivated volunteers from stepping in to help their own kids develop.
