No Phones, No Problem: The rule that makes kids look at us like we’re insane

Mighty Oak Athletic Podcast S2:E62 - No Phones, No Problem: The rule that makes kids look at us like we’re insane

Walk into Mighty Oak Athletic and you’ll see our training rules posted right at the entrance.

Training shirt required. Because belonging matters, and that shirt says “I’m part of something.”

No shoes on the turf. Barefoot training builds stronger feet and prevents injuries down the road.

Only water, no gum. Sugar drinks don’t belong in training, and gum always ends up stuck somewhere disgusting.

And then there’s the big one:

No phones.

That’s when the panic sets in.

You’d think we asked them to stop breathing.

The look of genuine horror. The nervous glances toward the door. The white-knuckle grip on their device before they finally — reluctantly — place it in their shoe by the entrance.

I’ve watched kids literally start sweating before we even begin the warm-up.

That’s not exercise. That’s withdrawal.

The Five-Minute Miracle

But here’s what happens next, and I promise you it’s worth the initial drama:

About five minutes in, something shifts.

Their shoulders drop. Their faces relax. Their eyes — get this — actually look up.

And then the magic happens.

They start talking to each other.

Real conversations. About school, weekend plans, that weird thing that happened at lunch, whatever meme is currently dominating their group chat.

They laugh. They joke. They exist in the same physical space and actually acknowledge it.

They act like… kids.

Not mini-adults glued to a screen. Not zombies scrolling through an endless feed.

Just kids being present with other kids.

And honestly? That might be the most important thing we do all session.

Your Kid’s Brain on Constant Stimulation

Let’s talk about what that phone is actually doing to your child’s developing brain.

Every notification, every like, every new video — it’s a hit of dopamine.

Their brain learns to crave that instant reward. That constant stimulation. That endless novelty.

And when it’s gone? The brain literally goes through withdrawal.

This isn’t hyperbole. Brain scans show that social media and gaming activate the same reward centers as gambling and drugs.

We’re essentially handing our kids a slot machine and wondering why they can’t put it down.

Rest Isn’t Lazy — It’s Where Growth Happens

At Mighty Oak, we talk about three pillars: character, courage, and reason.

But none of those develop without one crucial ingredient: rest.

And I don’t just mean sleep (though that’s critically important too).

I mean mental space. Room to think. Permission to be bored.

Our Circles of Life model puts Recovery right alongside Nutrition and Movement — equal importance, equal priority.

Recovery = Sleep + Celebration

That celebration might look like:

- A family dinner without devices at the table

- A post-workout laugh session with teammates

- A walk outside where the only notification is a bird chirping

- Simply sitting still without needing to document it

Throughout history, every great thinker found their best ideas in stillness, not stimulation.

Thoreau went to Walden Pond. Einstein took long walks. Your kid’s brain needs the same thing — space to just be.

What We’re Really Teaching

When your child walks through our doors and puts down their phone, they’re not just following a rule.

They’re practicing the hardest skill of our generation: focus.

Focus is a muscle. And like any muscle, it atrophies without training.

Every session, they’re learning to:

- Be present in their body

- Engage with people face-to-face

- Tolerate discomfort (physical and mental)

- Trust that the world won’t end if they miss 45 minutes of notifications

These aren’t just “nice to haves.” These are survival skills for the world they’re growing up in.

The Grind Culture Trap

Our culture worships busyness.

We celebrate the kid who does five sports, three clubs, advanced classes, and still finds time to maintain their Snapchat streaks.

But we don’t celebrate the kid who’s learning to rest well, think deeply, or simply exist without constant external validation.

That needs to change.

Real strength isn’t about doing more, more, more until you burn out at 16.

It’s about the balance between effort and recovery. Between output and input. Between doing and being.

As we tell our athletes: Be consistent. Rest is where the magic happens.

You can’t build muscle during the workout — you build it during rest when your body repairs and grows stronger.

The same is true for your mind, your relationships, and your character.

What Parents Can Do

I know what you’re thinking: “This sounds great for the 45 minutes they’re at Mighty Oak, but what about the other 23 hours of their day?”

Fair question.

Here’s what we recommend:

Create phone-free zones. Dinner table. Car rides. Before bed. Start small and build from there.

Model it yourself. Your kids watch everything you do. If you can’t put your phone down, why should they?

Replace, don’t just remove. Taking away the phone without offering something else just creates resentment. Offer conversation, games, activities, or even comfortable silence.

Embrace boredom. The best ideas, the deepest thinking, and the most creativity come from unstructured time. Let them be bored.

Protect their sleep. Phones out of bedrooms at night. No negotiations. Their developing brains desperately need actual rest.

The Real Flex

You want to know what impresses us at Mighty Oak?

Not the kid who can deadlift the most weight or run the fastest time.

It’s the kid who can sit still for five minutes without reaching for their phone.

The kid who makes eye contact during a conversation.

The kid who can be present in an uncomfortable moment without immediately distracting themselves.

That’s strength.

That’s the real flex.

Because in a world designed to fracture their attention into a million pieces, the ability to focus — truly focus — is becoming a superpower.

Building Better Humans

So yes, we have a no-phone policy.

And yes, it causes initial panic.

But five minutes later? Your kid is laughing with their teammates, focused on their form, present in their body, and actually building the mental muscles they’ll need for life.

They’re learning that they can survive — even thrive — without constant digital stimulation.

They’re discovering that real connection feels better than likes and comments.

They’re training their brain to find satisfaction in effort, growth, and genuine human interaction.

We Build Better Athletes — and better humans — one distraction-free rep at a time.

Want to give your kid the gift of presence? Come see what happens when the phones go down and the real work begins. Visit us at Mighty Oak Athletic for a FREE TRAINING SESSION.