The Blogger Archive

Ask James Ryan: Favourite Memories

Written by James Ryan

Mandy Brown asked: What is your favourite memory? The long of the short of it is that I have had a lot of really great moments in my life, but sadly, the thrill and excitement that I used to get from these now distant memories is much like the memory itself: Faded. Becoming the...

Ask James Ryan: Regrets, Dreams and Heroes

Written by James Ryan

Drew Barnes asked: Do you have any regrets in life? What is the one dream or inspiration that you want to accomplish? Who is your biggest hero? Everyone regrets something in life. I think I read somewhere that it’s not good to have regrets, but I personally think that’s a load of bullshit. You...

Mr. James Ryan: New Book Announcement, Return to Blogging and More

Written by James Ryan

. . . . “Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.”―Eckhart Tolle A few months ago, I had decided to take a “temporary” break from sportswriting and blogging (even though I had announced it publicly as...

Youth Football and the Value of Losing

Written by James Ryan

. . . . “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.”—Vince Lombardi via UCLA coach Henry Russell Sanders We all know that football is a game of winning. Any coach, player or fan who has in any way familiarized himself with the culture of American football over the past few decades has been bred...

Ego-Driven Coaching promotes a Culture of Disrespect in Youth Football

Written by James Ryan

“The public holds the coach responsible for the team. His orders must be obeyed. He is responsible for the system and the carrying out of the system, not necessarily the winning of the game.”—Coach Knute Rockne For as long as I’ve been coaching, I have come to expect certain on-field behaviours from each and...

Football: The Do’s and Don’ts of the Post-Game Handshake

Written by James Ryan

“Let us not hear of generals who conquer without bloodshed. If a bloody slaughter is a horrible sight, then that is a ground for paying more respect to war, but not for making the sword we wear blunter and blunter by degrees, from feelings of humanity, until someone steps in with one that is...

Try Not to take your Miserable Life out on your Kids

Written by James Ryan

Sitting in my home office today, which overlooks the park, I overheard a woman cursing (f*%$ off!) and repeatedly uttering the words “shut up,” which were obviously directed at someone that I can only assume was a person that she didn’t like very much. So I stood up from my chair, only to see...

Second Mile Charity Foundation in Dire Straits after Sandusky Scandal

Written by James Ryan

Over the past few years, I have become quite familiar with the Second Mile Charity Foundation based out of State College, Pennsylvania. After all, there’s a big 3-page introduction about it in one of my books entitled, 101 Linebacker Drills (written by Jerry Sandusky and Cedric X. Bryant), which in a way, has become...

Remember This…Every Joke has a Shelf Life

Written by James Ryan

Friends will always make fun of other friends, that’s just the way it is. But good friends, young men especially, shouldn’t intentionally go out of their way to make another friend feel like he’s continuously being picked on or the butt of an ongoing joke. It’s one thing to make fun of someone who...

Jerry Sandusky: 101 Linebacker Drills and The Second Mile

Written by James Ryan

Written by James Ryan As a youth football coach who specializes in defensive player development, I own many books on the subject of tackle football fundamentals, but none have proven more useful over the years than 101 LINEBACKER DRILLS written by none other than Coach Jerry Sandusky (Penn State University) and Dr. Cedric X....

Paul Bernardo: Understanding the Sexually Sadistic Serial Killer

Written by James Ryan

Written by James Ryan on November 8, 2006 as part of a Criminal Psychology course at Niagara College Canada. How do you define a serial killer? Typically, they are people who kill on at least three separate occasions (according to the FBI handbook), taking breaks between murders. The crimes committed are a result of...

The Sportstender with James Ryan: A New Beginning

Written by James Ryan

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” When I first set out to be a professional writer, I didn’t even know what I wanted to write about. All I really knew was that I wanted to help people, and I definitely wanted to somehow make...

Blogging with Mr. James Ryan: An Open Letter to my Fans and Friends

Written by James Ryan

Chris: “James, your writing has been a great gift, or incredible thorn in the side, for all who have had the chance to read it.” James: “Thanks Chris. Mission accomplished!” Before we officially begin, let me start off by clearing something up… I am not the South African actor who appeared in multiple martial...

Osama bin Laden: Holy Terrorist or Political Scapegoat?

Written by James Ryan

“If the instigation for jihad against the Jews and the Americans in order to liberate al-Aqsa Mosque and the Holy Ka’aba Islamic shrines in the Middle East is considered a crime, then let history be a witness that I am a criminal.” [Time Magazine quoting Osama bin Laden on January 11, 1999] Written by...

Blogging with Mr. James Ryan: How it All Began (Including the Name)

Written by James Ryan

“Historically, Mr., like Sir, once indicated an ill-defined social status only applied to gentlemen or persons at or above one’s own station as a mark of respect. This understanding is all but obsolete today.” One day I was telling my neighbour, Paul Dalton, about how I would love to write for a living, but...

Re-developing a Positive Outlook on Life

Written by James Ryan

Change is stressful. Changing jobs (or being unemployed and job searching) can be even more stressful, particularly if you have major responsibilities in your life such as a mortgage to pay for or children to feed. The emotional toll of joblessness can weigh heavily upon a person’s shoulders and this can deeply affect a...

Job Search Series: Competing for a Career in Today’s Struggling Economy

Written by James Ryan

If you work long enough, you may someday find yourself unemployed. It happens. In fact, it has happened to ‘Yours Truly’ on more than one occasion and I will attest that it is no fun at all. In fact – it downright sucks. You don’t need me to tell you that we are living...

The Importance of Life-long Learning

Written by James Ryan

As a teacher and counsellor, one of my main responsibilities is to always offer whatever level of service and guidance that I can to young adults who constantly struggle to choose the right career path that best suits their personal life goals and interests (and in some cases, their dreams). Of course, it always...

And so it begins…

Written by James Ryan

2009 Welcome to my very first blog post. Special thanks to my good friend, Paul Dalton for starting this blog for me, thus helping me to begin my dream of becoming a professional writer. Getting involved in coaching is easy. Anyone can do it. Being a good coach however, is a completely different (and much...

1 2 34