Effort. Attitude. Success.
Hustle Points helps young athletes focus on the things they can control and build the habits that help them grow as athletes and beyond sports.
Available on iOS and Android.
Change the Conversation
What if the first question you asked was about effort instead of stats?
What if your child was focused on their attitude as much as their highlights?
This is where Hustle Points begins.
The Process
Four simple steps. One better conversation.
Tell your young athlete you're going to start keeping track of their hustle after practices and games—and that their effort can earn points toward some fun rewards.
We're tracking your hustle.
My effort earns points.
After a practice or game, ask: “How many Hustle Points do you think you earned today?”
Let them answer first.
Their answer starts the conversation.
Talk about what you both saw, agree on the Hustle Points earned, and log the score in the app.
The app keeps both the athlete's original score and the score you agreed on together.
Track progress over time, celebrate milestones, earn badges, and work toward family rewards.
The points add up.
So do the habits.
Our Mission
Control what you can control.
Hustle Points exists to shift the focus for young athletes to the things they can control: effort and attitude.
We believe that recognizing and rewarding these attributes helps young athletes define success in a way that builds lasting habits far beyond sports - while giving them the best opportunity to develop their skills and maximize their athletic potential.
Same Season
Austin and Max are both 9.
Both play hockey.
Both start the season with the same goal:
"I want to score 20 goals this year."
Austin's parents reward the 20 goals.
Max's parents reward the effort and attitude he puts into pursuing them.
Austin finished with 17 goals.Max finished with 14.
Both boys say: "I want to score 20 goals this year!"
His parents love the ambition.
"If you score 20 goals, we'll get you a new PS5."
Now the goal and the reward are tied to the same number.
His parents love the goal too.
"That would be awesome. You know what gives you the best chance to score 20? Getting better. And that takes effort and hard work."
They introduce Hustle Points. Max can keep chasing 20 goals. His parents will reward the effort he puts into getting there.
Austin works hard and has fun.
But practice does not directly move him closer to the PS5. The reward is tied to goals scored in games.
Practices count just as much as games.
"How many Hustle Points do you think you earned today?"
Max begins noticing something: his parents really can tell the difference between a 4-level effort and an 8-level effort.
They notice how hard he is skating, whether he stays engaged, and what he does when the puck isn't near him. Hustle is becoming something Max can recognize - not just something adults tell him to do.
Austin scores twice. Everyone is thrilled.
"Only 18 more until the PS5!"
The goals and the reward reinforce each other.
Max scores twice too. Everyone celebrates the goals.
But the first conversation afterward is still about effort. The goals absolutely matter. They just aren't what determines his Hustle Points.
There isn't much to measure against the 20-goal goal.
No goals were scored because there wasn't a game. Tomorrow is another practice.
"I think I was only a 4 today."
Instead of correcting him, his parent asks:
"Why do you think it was a 4?"
Max thinks about it: "I didn't have great energy today. I don't think I ate enough for dinner."
The Hustle Points conversation is beginning to create self-awareness.
Austin scores only 2 goals over the next 6 games.
More concerning, his body language begins changing. He becomes visibly frustrated when teammates don't pass to him or when he narrowly misses a scoring chance.
He slammed his stick on the ice twice during the last game. When the puck isn't near him, he isn't skating particularly hard.
Max isn't scoring either.
But some of his highest-logged Hustle Point games of the season happen during the same stretch.
He is still coming off the bench at full speed. It is becoming noticeable how many more races to loose pucks he is winning.
The goals aren't coming yet - but parts of his game are clearly improving.
The focus remains on getting back on pace toward the 20-goal target.
The Hustle Points habit is becoming familiar.
"I'm getting more than an 8 today."
Nobody asked him. Reflection is starting to become intention.
Austin has a good tournament on the stat sheet. He scores, adds some assists, and moves closer to his season goal.
But another pattern is becoming noticeable.
There are grumblings from parents of kids who play on Austin's line that their children have started skating less once Austin gets the puck because they don't expect to get it back.
Austin is producing points - but the incentive to produce them may be affecting how he and his teammates play together.
Max spends the weekend doing what 9-year-olds at an out-of-town hockey tournament do: hours in the hotel pool, running the halls, staying up later than he should, and burning a ridiculous amount of energy.
Despite all of it, Max logs more than 7 Hustle Points in all four games.
For Max and his parents, that's a successful tournament.
Austin has 14 goals with only a handful of games remaining.
He regularly says he doesn't think he'll get to 20. He has started blaming teammates for not giving him the puck enough.
Wanting to keep him motivated, his parents reduce the PS5 target from 20 goals to 15. Austin is excited. The reward suddenly feels attainable again.
Max has amassed 216 Hustle Points.
His next reward comes at 250 points, and it's a big one. He still needs 34 points.
His parents remind him that those points are not automatic. But based on what they've watched all season, they know he can do it.
And earning those remaining points is fully within his control.
Austin finishes with 17 goals.
His parents proudly give him the PS5. They post a picture on Instagram:
"Great first season for Austin! Led his team in goals and earned a new PS5!"
By many traditional measures, Austin had a successful season.
Max finishes with 14 goals and 267 Hustle Points.
He's already talking about getting to 300 next year.
His skill development became increasingly noticeable as the season progressed - something his coach even mentions at the end-of-season party.
On the ride home, Max's parents share that with him. They are also beginning to notice that the family's conversations about what Max can and can't control are showing up in situations at school and with friends.
A rewarding first season with Hustle Points.
Two kids.
Two seasons.
The scoreboard can tell you who scored more goals. It can't tell you the whole story.
The scoreboard resets.