Tag: peak performance

April 9, 2015

WYC Episode 040 – Coaching the Mental Game – Dr. Patrick Cohn from Peak Performance Sports talks sports psychology

What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Dr. Patrick Cohn shares stories and discusses his journey to becoming a mental game of sports expert.

Dr. Patrick Cohn has been an athlete and a coach. He has experienced firsthand how beliefs, attitudes, and mindsets influence performance. Dr. Cohn’s passion for sports and sports psychology started early in life and continued to grow as he participated in sports such as football, hockey, baseball, lacrosse, racquetball, and golf.

Throughout high school and college, Dr. Cohn experienced both the joys of winning and the lessons of failure. After competing in sports for many years, Dr. Cohn went on to study and research sports psychology and the way that mental attitudes shape physical performance. Ultimately, he earned a PhD in Education specializing in Applied Sports Psychology.

The more that Dr. Cohn studied champion athletes and their mindsets, the more he realized that winning attitudes are the key to performing well in competition.

Armed with the know-how needed to build champion athletes, master mental game coach Dr. Cohn has dedicated his mental game coaching business to helping every athlete—whether junior, amateur, or seasoned professional—excel in his or her sport. His peak performance programs also help coaches, athletic trainers, and even parents of aspiring athletes.

Websites: peaksports.com; youthsportspsychology.com

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

Coaching/Leadership Quote

Accentuate the self in self-confidence. You can’t give kids self-confidence, because it becomes a false sense of security. Move from ‘other-confidence’ to ‘self-confidence.’

Mental Peak Performance for Coaches

Most youth sports coaches don’t have any training – Define your philosophy and set goals
Coaches – are you putting pressure on young athletes to meet your expectations? What are these expectations – is one of them for them not to make any mistakes? Instead of putting expectations on the athletes – focus more on letting the kid know you believe in them and are excited to see them be great.
When a kid makes a mistake during a game – leave them in, and then address it in practice, at halftime, or some later point. ‘Games are a reward for all the hard work they put in during practice.’

Mental Peak Performance for Parents

Huge Idea #1

Accentuate the self in self-confidence. You can’t give kids self-confidence, because it becomes a false sense of security. Move from ‘other-confidence’ to ‘self-confidence.’ The athlete has to think they can do it, regardless of what the parents and coaches tell them.

Mental Peak Performance for Athletes

Focus on your strengths. Rely on practice, put in extra reps. Focus on past successes.
Visualize very specifically what success is going to look like during a tryout/game

Pre-game and Post-game tips for coaches

Huge Idea #2

Discuss with your athletes: During games – it’s time to be done practicing. Go out and enjoy the game. Play free.
Simplify things. Get the athlete to be thinking about images and feelings, not mechanics.

Inspiring Story

A racer saw himself as a top 5 racer, but not the top racer. He was limited by his own expectations and beliefs.

Winning

If you focus on executing your best in the moment, the winning usually takes care of itself
At younger ages, the focus should be: developing skills, developing confidence, how to work with teammates, how to take instruction, how to manage mistakes

The One that Got Away

Dr. Cohn focuses on not letting the sport define you. You a person first and foremost, sports does not define you.

Peak Performance Sports and Youth Sports Psychology

Parting Advice

Make sure the kids are smiling and having fun

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April 1, 2015

WYC 039 Dr. Michael Phillips talks Long Term Athlete and Coach Development

What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Dr. Michael Phillips shares stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth sports coach.

Michael is a professor of exercise science at Tennessee Tech University. He has coached basketball at all levels – 5th grade AAU, middle school, high school, and 8 years at the collegiate level. Michael also has studied and presented the concept of LTAD and LTCD – Long Term Athlete Development and Long Term Coach Development – concepts used by the Canadians and British, and being studied by the US Olympic Committee. Michael is married and has 2 children, a 13 year-old son and 8 year-old daughter.

Twitter: @docphillips1

Facebook: /mikephillips

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

Coaching/Leadership Quote

‘The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you figure out why’ – attributed to Mark Twain

Coaching Your Own Kids

It’s hard to strike a fair balance of how hard to be on your own kid

My Cringe & ‘Ah-Ha’ Moments

Being a former player – in Michael’s early years he realized he couldn’t just show up and teach them what he knew – he had to learn how to teach kids

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

Michael found 2 keys to learning how to teach/coach:

1 – Going to coaching clinics

2 – Talking to other coaches

Begin lots of drills without a ball – teach them the footwork first, then add in a ball
Great drill – Split the kids in half and have them do drills towards mid-court so they meet their teammates and can watch/learn as they go

Mental Peak Performance

Practices have to be fun, challenging, and competitive
Preparation is the key to achieving peak performance. Take the thinking out of it- so they can just perform. Make practices game-like so they don’t have surprises during the game.

Coaching Resources

Positive Coaching Alliance – Their Double Goal Coaching material is a great starting place for a coach at any level
Book: Good to Great by Jim Collins – The enemy of great is good
Book: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Book: Leading with the Heart – by Coach Mike K.

Discipline/Rewards

HUGE IDEA #1

Spend much more time praising the kids who are doing it right – and much less time getting on the kids who aren’t behaving. Often the misbehaving kids want attention so if you are giving all the attention to the kids who are doing it right, the misbehavers will fall in line.

Inspiring Story

Michael gave a scholarship to a kid who wasn’t as athletically gifted as some others but had an unbelievable work-ethic and attitude. Michael really connected with the kid and they had a great experience.

Long Term Athlete Development and Long Term Coach Development

Canada and Great Britain have created programs that look at long-term athlete development instead of putting kids on teams immediately focused on winning
Most new coaches in the U.S. have never been trained on coaching

HUGE IDEA #2

When you coach – ask yourself: is your primary goal the long-term development of the athlete, or just winning?

The One that Got Away

When coaching college against his big rival – Coach Phillips showed some ‘Braveheart’ clips pre-game – and his guys got over-fired up before the game, and had absolutely no energy left 5 minutes into the game. Lesson learned: be more methodical and business-like in pre-game, not too rah-rah.

Coaching/Leadership Motivation

Quote: ‘The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you figure out why’ – attributed to Mark Twain

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March 25, 2015

WYC 038 Emily Cohen from TeamSnap talks sportsmanship and lessons learned from great coaches

What does it take to be part of a winning youth team? Listen in as Emily Cohen shares stories and discusses her journey to becoming a successful youth sports team manager.

Emily has been a team manager for youth sports teams for over 10 years. She also is a blogger for TeamSnap, and also hosts a podcast for TeamSnap. As a youth sports podcast host and blogger, Emily is passionate about sportsmanship, injury prevention, and sideline etiquette. Emily is married and has 2 kids, ages 18 and 15.

Website: www.teamsnap.com/community/podcast

Twitter: @emilygcohen

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

Coaching/Leadership Quote

‘Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming’ – John Wooden

Coaching Your Own Kids

Always have an assistant to provide balance for being your own kid’s coach
The Team Manager can be a conduit to hear concerns/complaints from parents – embrace this!

Team Managing Cringe & ‘Ah-Ha’ Moments

If the coach you work with is a bad communicator – don’t be afraid to step up and take over the communication role
Delegate! Have specific roles assigned to a bunch of the parents – and assign them right at the beginning of the season (even if it’s something that you don’t need until the end of the season – i.e. coaches’ gifts, team videos)

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

Talk to the kids physically at their level – take a knee so you’re not talking down to them which can be very intimidating (this can be especially important when coaching girls)
Minimize lines – have multiple stations to keep the kids constantly moving
Free-play – 30 minutes of no adult involvement

Mental Peak Performance

As a parent – Have your child own the experience and stay out of the way, and don’t attend tryouts
As a coach – put each kid in the best position for them to succeed – which is different for each kid
Coaches – you have to format your communication to your athletes – so that they don’t freeze from the pressures you are putting on them

Coaching Resources

TeamSnap – Software program and app that allows you to enter team rosters, schedules, and tons of team info. You can send scheduling updates easily and it’s a lifesaver for team managers.

Discipline

Corporate punishment for individual mistakes – You really need to think through your team chemistry and be careful if you are going to ever use this.
Community service can be another positive way to discipline kids.

Teambuilding/Rewards

HUGE IDEA #1 – Juggling competition – Each week you try to beat your previous record of how many times you can juggle the soccer ball. Good reward because it encourages you to practice on your own outside of practice. And you can set individual and team goals for each week and for the season.
When setting up teamwork goals – make sure you include the parents, not just the kids

Inspiring Story

Be on the lookout for a kid having off the field home problems – being late for practice, etc. – then seek to understand and see how you can help this kid out

Winning

Winning is a happy result – but there are so many more lessons to be learned from losing

The One that Got Away

Emily’s son’s final high school start as a baseball pitcher – they were up 5-1, and then one play rattled him and the team
HUGE IDEA #2 – Coaches – practice situations going wrong and momentum swinging against them – you have to practice it and be prepared for it
Teach your kids to be idiot-proof

Coaching/Leadership Motivation

Quote – ‘Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming’ – Coach John Wooden

Parting Advice

Forget about the win/loss record – and instead focus on making the experience fun

The TeamSnap Youth Sports Podcast

www.teamsnap.com/community/podcast
Great guests for coaches, parents, and kids to listen to

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March 12, 2015

WYC 037 Ray Lokar from Basketball4ALL.net and Positive Coaching Alliance talks teaching athletes to focus on WIN-Whats Important Now

What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Coach Ray Lokar shares stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth sports coach.

Ray Lokar is the Director of Basketball4ALL (basketball4ALL.net), which provides a variety of lessons, camps, clinics, competitions, and events for the benefit of the Southern California basketball community. Coach Lokar was the Head Basketball Coach of the 2002 CIF Champions while at Bishop Amat High School led St Anthony High School to the semi-finals, Western Christian High School to the quarterfinals, made 4 NCAA tournament appearances in his 9 years as an assistant coach at Pomona-Pitzer College and is a Past-President of the Southern California Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association.

Always an advocate for the multi-sport athlete, “Coach Lok” coaches baseball at Covina High School and has two DVD series titled “The Fundamentals Factory” and “Effective Practice Planning” for both basketball and baseball that are available at ChampionshipProductions.com. Ray’s book “101 BasketballTips”, published by Lifetips as part of their Lifetips Book Series, is available at Amazon.com and his eBook titled “Creating Confident and Coachable Players” can be found on his website, basketball4ALL.net, where you can also book his sport-specific “Gold Standard Coaching” clinics. Lokar also serves as the Southern California Lead Trainer for the nationally renowned Positive Coaching Alliance (positivecoach.org) that provides tremendous resources for everyone in youth and high school sports. He has spoken for hundreds of organizations in over a dozen States on ethics in sports, peak performance, getting the most out of your players, and being a good Sports Parent.

For over 30 years Coach “Lok” has taught basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, football, swimming and track in the San Gabriel Valley at the youth, high school, and college levels and has worked countless camps and clinics during that time for ages 8-18. He coached his children Shawn, Heather, and Brittany throughout their participation in youth and high school sports and they each went on to compete at the college level. Ray enjoyed it so much he is doing it all again with his young son, Tyler, who he hopes learns all the same life lessons as his older brothers and sisters.

Website: basketball4ALL.net

Twitter: @CoachLok

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

Coaching/Leadership Quote

‘When you take the time to teach your boys, there’s an implied confidence, that you believe they can achieve, and that’s praise in itself” – Coach John Wooden

Coaching Your Own Kids

Remember often kids like things their team’s name being the RoboSox as much as the wins/losses
Before volunteering to coach – make sure to ask your kid if they want you to be their coach
Err on the side of being a little tougher on your own kid- but communicate continually with your child, explaining to him why you are doing what you’re doing

My Cringe & ‘Ah-Ha’ Moments

Early on – Coach Lok would start his coaching points being critical – after listening to a Coach Wooden observation, he started focusing on spending more time praising little successes and less time being critical
Coach each game possession by possession

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

Kids respond to recognition and rewards (think about kids in a classroom who will do anything for a sticker)

HUGE IDEA #1

Your results will come from what you measure, recognize, and reward

Mental Peak Performance

HUGE IDEA #2

WIN – Whats Important Now – In high pressure situations – have the kids focus on ONE thing that is important(i.e. hold your follow through) – don’t tell them more than one thing or their head will be swimming with too many concerns

Coaching Resources

Basketball4ALL.net – Great basketball resource
Positive Coaching Alliance – Just launched the Development Zone – ‘Web MD for youth coaches’ – search for problems you are having
Article: ‘What a Coach can teach a teacher’ – Followed John Wooden and analyzes the % of his communication

Discipline/Rewards

Advice from Larry Brown: ‘I don’t have a lot of rules, but I have a lot of suggestions’ – If you make any hardfast rules – you have to enforce them – so be careful making too many rules, especially because each individual situation is usually very different.
When things tend to go bad – the tendency is to crack down on the bad stuff – but often if you start praising more the kids doing it right – the rest will come along. You can even come up with a rewards program for rewarding good behaviors.

Inspiring Story

You often won’t know the impact you’re having until years later: when John Wooden was asked if the season was a success: ‘We’ll find out in 20 years’
Coach Lok tries to draft at least 1 kid each year who is a little challenged and he could impact
Biggest challenge to mom/dad coaches – Make them love the game so they keep playing. ‘Don’t ever be any kid’s last coach’

Winning

Be careful about talking about end-of-the-year goals of winning a championship – you want to focus on winning each game, one play at a time
Jim Thompson, founder of Positive Coaching Alliance – ‘The heat that competition provides is crucial to the recipe of success’
Nelson Mandela – ‘Sports speaks to our youth in a language they understand’

The One that Got Away

Coach Lok went against his gut – in a game-winning situation – he didn’t let his son (who was his best player) take the shot – he was too worried about the perception from the parents. When you’re the coach – you need to separate out emotions and do what’s best.

Coaching/Leadership Motivation

Books – anything by Coach Wooden
Coach Wooden stories:
- Coach Lok asked Wooden about Wooden’s lack of verbal praise for his players: ‘When you take the time to teach your boys, there’s an implied confidence, that you believe they can achieve, and that’s praise in itself’
- Coach Wooden talked about a player he kicked off the team for smoking – the kid quit school and didn’t go to college. Coach Wooden said from that point on, he always thought about the consequences of his consequences.

Positive Coaching Alliance/ Basketball4ALL.net

Coach Lok is involved with the Positive Coaching Alliance – Their Double Goal Coaching material is a great starting place for a coach at any level
Coach also provides great resources for basketball coaches at Basketball4ALL.net

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March 4, 2015

WYC 036 Keith Van Horn, 10 year NBA veteran, talks youth basketball and the importance of free-play

What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Keith Van Horn shares stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth sports coach.

Keith was the ESPN NCAA Player of the Year in 1997, and went on be drafted with the 2nd pick in the NBA draft. He spent 10 years in the NBA, averaged over 16 points per game, and went to NBA finals with the New Jersey Nets and the Dallas Mavericks. He currently serves as the Founder and Executive Director for Colorado Premier Basketball Club which is the largest youth basketball club in the state of Colorado, and works with over 1,000 youth in the communities it serves. He also serves on the National Advisory Board for the Positive Coaching Alliance. Keith is married and has 4 kids, ages 11 to 19.

Website: keithvanhorn.com

Blog: layupsandrebounds.com

Twitter: @coach_keith44

Facebook: /keithvanhornofficial

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

Coaching my own kids

Keep the proper perspective – have fun, learn the sport, learn life lessons

My ‘Ah-Ha’ Moment

Youth basketball coaching is very unorganized (vs. other sports like youth soccer, which requires accreditation) – Coaches need to take a little time to get organized so they can teach well

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

HUGE IDEA #1 – 1st look at it from the kid’s performance – why are the kids playing? – To have fun, spend time with friends, run and jump a little bit? This might be different based on their gender also. When looking at the 4F’s for goals – Fun, Friendships, Fundamentals, Fight – You need to individualize these for each player – some kids just want to hang out with their friends, others want to improve a skill, others just want to win – so create motivation/goals for each individual based on where they are at.

Teaching skills

HUGE IDEA #2

Spider – Ball handling game – 4 or 5 defenders, 3 or 4 offensive players – Players have to dribble to the other end of the court while the spiders are trying to knock their ball out of the court, if you get your ball knocked out you join the spiders.
Teaching shooting – Do form shooting in 2 player groups – Shooting the ball back and forth to each other (without a basket) to work on form

Mental Peak Performance

If you are coaching an organization with tryouts – have good options for everyone – give the parents/kids good
As a player – the key is to play present and stay focused on what you are doing – you have to block out the fans/other coaches, etc.
The biggest thing a parent can do is instill the right priorities- a basketball tryout is not the most important thing for your child or your family

Inspiring Story

Keith is working with youth to teach more than basketball but real life lessons – dealing with losses, working in a team environment, the discipline of practice.

Layupsandrebounds.com

Blog created to encourage parents and kids on lessons learned off and on the court
Keith encourages more free-play time with no coaches – just learn the game and have fun

Parting Advice

Take a Postive Coaching Alliance online course
Go into practice organized, but still have fun

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February 24, 2015

WYC 035 Brian Brunkow from ZeroOffseason.com talks Football, Concussions, and Coaching kids with Divorced Parents

What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Brian Brunkow shares stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth sports coach.

Brian is the founder of ZeroOffseason.com, where he trains wide receivers and blogs about youth sports, concussions, recruiting, and many more topics. Brian is a divorce attorney and financial planner. His background in divorce law has given him a unique perspective on the importance of dealing with divorced parents when coaching young athletes. Brian began coaching his Junior year of High School, and has been coaching football ever since. He recently was added to the speaker bureau at Glazier Clinics and will be speaking at their Head Coach Academy this spring on “Recruiting Regulations Every High School Head Coach Must Know.”

Website: zerooffseason.com

Blog: zerooffseason.blogspot.com

Twitter: @ZeroOffseason

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

Coaching/Leadership Quote

‘We run a forward-looking operation’ – Chip Kelly after tough loss

My ‘Cringe’ Moment

Ego – Early on Brian ran a no-huddle offense just to get penalties on the defense – but in retrospect – what was he really accomplishing?
Priorities – Was he focused on winning, or developing ALL of the kids?
Leadership – It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and fail to communicate with your assistant coaches – prioritize over-communicating with your assistants

My ‘Ah-Ha’ Moment

Importance of communicating at the level they can understand – and keep the explanation short (under 10 seconds)

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

Cross-train kids on different positions within a sport – they learn the game much better
Explain the ‘Why’ – so they can truly learn the game
From post-game to Monday practice – have kids think of:
- 1 thing they did well
- 1 thing they want to improve on
- 1 lesson they learned

Huge Idea #1

3 areas to have the kids focus:

1 – set process oriented goals (setting mini-goals within the game)
2 – get present (teach the kid the big red delete button)
3 – control the controllables

Mental Peak Performance

Huge Idea #2

Play present – The delete button, and ‘put on the thought-brakes’
Visualization – 2 things:
- 1 – Visualize the worst-case scenario – and realize that failure will not define you
- 2 – Post-game – Parents/coaches – Don’t discuss suggested improvements for at least 24 hours after a game

Coaching Resources

Bookmark your state’s interscholastic site – free resources on safety, concussions, etc.
‘Peak Performance Sports‘ newsletter by Dr. Patrick Cohn – lots of mental tips
Ted Talks – Great talks, one on ‘grit’ is great
Your library

Concussion Safety

Best resource – go to Center for Disease Control website
The 2nd concussion is the most dangerous one!
Things to look for:
- Sluggish behavior
- Slurring words
- Change in behavior
USA Football offers a great program: ‘Heads-up Football‘

Discipline

Don’t use conditioning as a punishment
3 Types of mistakes:
- 1 – Mental errors – Find a consequence that hits home with the athlete
- 2 – Behavior errors – 3 strikes then you’re sitting out the rest of practice
- 3 – Safety errors – get parents involved

Rewards/Teambuilding

Focus rewards on process more than outcomes
To inspire conditioning – when offense scores, offense gets to do 7 push-ups; when defense stops offense, defense gets to do 7 push-ups

Inspiring Story

Kid whose parents were going through tough divorce – Brian really poured into this kid and tried to make a difference in this young man’s life

The One that Got Away

In a game where they were heavily outmatched physically – Brian and his coaches spent halftime trying to figure out technical adjustments – he wished he had spent the time just teaching life lessons

Best Stolen/Borrowed Idea

Chip Kelly – after tough loss, talked about moving forward not looking back: ‘We run a forward-looking operation’

Coaching/Leadership Motivation

Quote: ‘Fall down 7, get up 8’
Book: ‘David and Goliath‘ – by Malcolm Gladwell – problem-solving creativity

ZeroOffseason.com

Book, blog, coaching and parenting advice
Developing student athletes
Tips on coaching kids with divorced parents
Book on amazon: Zero Offseason

Parting Advice

‘Don’t send a 10 year-old into early retirement’ – Make them love the game and love being on the team

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February 10, 2015

WYC 034 Upward Sports President Caz McCaslin talks about Playing with Purpose

What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Caz McCaslin shares stories and discusses God’s journey in developing Upward Sports to reach Hundreds of Thousands of kids through youth sports.

Caz is the founder of Upward Sports. Established in 1995, Upward Sports is the world’s largest Christian youth sports provider. Today, approximately half a million players at more than 2,000 churches in 47 states participate in camps, clinics, and leagues through Upward Sports’ Recreation Division. In 2012, Upward Sports created its Performance Division – Upward Stars – aimed at young athletes wanting to further develop their skills and participate in a higher level of competition. Within the first year, approximately 900 athletes competed on Upward Stars teams. Caz is married and has 3 grown daughters.

Website: upward.org

Twitter: @CazMcCaslin; @UpwardStars; @UpwardSports

Facebook: /UpwardSports

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

Coaching/Leadership Quote

‘Caz, you don’t need another gym…What you need is 1,000 gyms.’

Coaching Your Own Kids

Remember that each kid is different so you have to coach them differently

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

HUGE IDEA #1

The 360 Progression – Grow children mentally, athletically, spiritually, and socially
- Children want to grow – so give them the right direction
- The progression for each kid is very different – you have to build on where they are at – then progress them. It has nothing to do with their age or grade.
- The greatest challenge for a parent/coach – is to understand where each child is in their journey – then progress then appropriately

Mental Peak Performance

Confidence and arrogance are 2 very different things – They are the same on the inside, but the difference is on the outside – are you confident internally or are you bragging externally?
Getting better, progressing – builds self-confidence on and off the court

Coaching Resources

Upward equips and trains their coaches in all elements of coaching

Discipline

HUGE IDEA #2

Billy Graham on sports: ‘It’s the last thing left where there is immediate discipline for wrongdoing’ – so make discipline immediate and make it be something the kids really want:
- Freezeball: If a kid is dribbling and picks up his dribble – yell ‘Freeze’ – everyone freezes, then explain to the child that he cannot dribble again or it is a double-dribble. His options are to pass or shoot. Then unfreeze.
Let the team come up with the rules – i.e.: If someone talks when the coach is talking – let the team decide at the beginning of the season what the punishment is

Teambuilding

Every team should do a service opportunity in their community as a team

Inspiring Story

Being on a team often has a powerful impact on individuals but on and off the field
Coach K response to Duke’s only loss of one season: ‘How could I be disappointed in how these kids have grown and matured? I don’t have one ounce of disappointment in anything that has happened with this team’

The One that Got Away

In Upward Stars’ early days – they had a game ripped away from them by a referee – but Caz actually wouldn’t change a thing – because the Upwards Coaches, players, and parents handled it perfectly with class

Upward Stars

Created to bring the positive impact of Upward Sports to post 6th-grade athletes in competitive levels
480 areas across the country targeted
Currently 41 areas served and growing

Parting Advice

The tagline for Upwards – ‘Play with Purpose’ – Coaches have a purpose with everything you are teaching these young men and women – a purpose on the court and more importantly a purpose off the court
‘The moment you decided to be a coach – you became a legacy. What kind of legacy are you going to leave?’

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February 3, 2015

WYC 033 Athlete Development – Olaniyi Sobomehin from Pro Squad Athletics and the New Orleans Saints talks self-confidence and ‘Prime-Time’

What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Olaniyi Sobomehin shares stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth sports trainer.

Olaniyi is the founder of Pro Squad Athletics, which inspires and propels young athletes to their ultimate potential by showing what it takes to be great, providing a plan that works, and the systems, habits, and mindset that greatness requires. Pro Squad has successfully trained athletes at the youth, high school, college, and professional levels. Olaniyi played college football at Oregon State and was an All-American his senior year at Portland State and went on to play for the New Orleans Saints in the NFL. Olaniyi is also a full-time firefighter, and is married and has 5 children, 3 sons and 2 daughters, ranging from ages 11 to a newborn.

Olaniyi has also generously offered a free 12 page e-book on the Power of Habits to Winning Youth Coaching listeners, check it out here: prosquadathletics.com/winning-youth-coaching

Website: prosquadathletics.com

Twitter: @NiyiSobo

Facebook: /ProSquadAthletics

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

Coaching/Leadership Quote

‘Leaders are stubborn on vision but flexible on details and approach’ – Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon

Raising my kids

Who is taking control of how my kids are being conditioned(mentally and physically)? If I don’t do it – somebody else will. You have to invest in them and have a plan.
The Daily D system (Daily Disciplines) – each kid has a set of daily habits that are tracked and rewarded

My ‘Cringe Moment’

Early on Olaniyi thought his approach was the only right one. He learned each kid, each team – have individual personalities and will respond uniquely. So you have to constantly be learning.
‘Leaders are stubborn on vision but flexible on details and approach’ – Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

HUGE IDEA #1

Communicating in a way that the kids understand is your ultimate goal/challenge. Use analogies with something they are passionate about (Legos, basketball, singing, etc.)
Tony Robbins: ‘The only way to know if you’re communicating well – is if your point is getting across’

Mental Peak Performance

Fear of failure- Great analogy – Olaniyi’s son hates to lose and might quit in the middle of a race – So he used the analogy of how obsessed his son is with Mari0 Kart to beat a level – when he fails to complete a level – he doesn’t quit, he keeps pushing reset until he eventually will beat the level. So use this analogy to show your athlete the type of passion you need to accomplish something – quitting is the only way you will fail.
Quote: ‘As long as I take action, evaluate the effectiveness, and adjust according to my desired result, then it’s a win’
Initially the first killer of confidence is a lack of skill. So initially establish a baseline and define some quick improvements where they can see their skill improve by doing some Daily disciplines.

HUGE IDEA #2

Confidence is a choice. Olaniyi’s kids start each day by looking in the mirror and do ‘Affirmations’, they call it ‘Prime-time.’ They flex their muscles and tell themselves they are strong, confident, and proud. They also record audio of their affirmations in GarageBand laid on top of their favorite track.

Discipline and Teambuilding

The #1 challenge for a coach is to establish a purpose for being on this team. The athlete should be excited about coming to practice, not dread it.

Inspiring Story

One of Olaniyi’s students did not have much self confidence. Olaniyi has worked with her to establish a life vision, purpose, morning mastery routine – now she is taking massive action towards these goals.

The One that Got Away

As an assistant coach- Olaniyi saw an athlete who was having a rough game – and he chose not to say anything because he was worried about overstepping his boundaries. He regrets choosing passivity.

Coaching/Leadership Motivation

Quote/Book – ‘ Never cut anything, never dilute greatness, never pull back on your horsepower, and never put a limit on your ambition, drive, and passion. Demand obsession of yourself and all those around you.’ – Grant Cardone in ‘The 10X Rule‘

Pro Squad Athletics

ProSquadAthletics.com
Inspires and propels young athletes to their ultimate potential by showing what it takes to be great, providing a plan that works, and the systems, habits, and mindset that greatness requires.
Pro Squad has successfully trained athletes at the youth, high school, college, and professional levels.
The Daily D habit system – for parents and for athletes
Athletes feel free to email Olaniyi with questions – [email protected]

Parting Advice

Be a student – invest in learning about your athletes- what makes them tick, what are their goals/expectations

Promotions Partners

Free 12 page e-book on the Power of Habits to Winning Youth Coaching listeners, check it out here: prosquadathletics.com/winning-youth-coaching

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January 26, 2015

WYC 032 Cheerleading – Sean Timmons talks BLT – Believe, Love, Trust; and access to Club Zero

What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Sean Timmons shares stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful sports coach.

Sean is the Director of All Stars for all Premier Athletics facilities. Sean cheered at Rutgers University, and was a member of the first open team at World Cup, The Wild Stars. In 1996 Sean started his coaching career at the Pop Warner level with the Toms River Angels. During his time with the Angels they won three consecutive National Championships and his success landed him a job coaching at The World Cup All Stars in 1999. Within the 14 years at World Cup he has coached and choreographed for levels 1-5, and has won numerous State, Regional, and National Titles. While working at World Cup Sean also coached Lacey High School, Jackson Memorial High School, Howell High School, and was the Head Coach of Rutgers University from 2009 until 2014. Sean has traveled all over the US and Canada teaching camps, choreography, judging, and speaking at conferences. He is a former member of the USASF National Advisory Board and is an inaugural member of the NACCC. His certifications include USASF Level 1-5 (United States All Star Federation), AACCA (American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators), NCA (National Cheerleading Association), and USAG (USA Gymnastics).

Website: premierathletics.com

Twitter: @PA_Premier

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

Coaching/Leadership Quote

‘BLT – Believe, Love, and Trust’

My ‘Cringe’ Moment

Early on – ‘I coached with a lot of ego’ and coached to his own agenda instead of putting the agenda of the athlete first

Coaching AH-HA Moment

Coaching Rutgers – Sean realized the importance as a role model/ parent role he held as a coach

Coaching Girls

You have to work with them through the changes in their athletic ability as their bodies go through changes
Your communication style needs to take into account how they respond – sometimes boys respond to ‘yelling’ more than girls – with the girls you need to adjust for this

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

HUGE IDEA #1

Set up drills/stations strategically so you can be watching multiple stations at the same time. And having 5 or 6 stations for the athletes to rotate through keeps standing-around time to a minimum and the athletes’ more interested and engaged
You have to get the fundamentals right first before trying to put the whole team routine together

Mental Peak Performance

Mastering skills in practice is best preparation
Visualize with your eyes closed your perfect routine
If you can walk-through your performance the day before the event at the actual location. Take out surprises.

Skill Development at young ages

Learning skills young can help – but make sure you learn them right first! It’s much easier to teach them correctly instead of trying to correct bad habits developed.

Discipline

Talking to the parents and getting on the same page is key

Reward, Recognition, and Teambuilding

Moving up a level is a big recognition – the girls get a bow and they celebrate.
‘Club-Zero Bracelets’ – Anytime an athlete has a perfect routine they get a bracelet. Then the gym/team with the most bracelets at the end of the season gets recognized with sweatshirts.

Teambuilding with Parents

3 parts to every team: 1 – the athlete; 2 – the coach; 3 – the parents. When all 3 are working well together, success is more likely to happen.
Parents night out – they open the gym up and parents can drop off girls and parents go out (hopefully with other couples from the gym). Same is true when they have closed practices.

Inspiring Story

One of Sean’s students wrote an essay about him as one of the most influential people in her life – he kept this and when he is having a tough day he will read it

The One that Got Away

HUGE IDEA #2

In a big competition Sean failed to thoroughly read through his score sheets after the first day, so they made the same technicality on day 2 – and it cost his team first place. -‘My head might as well have popped off my shoulders’. READ THE RULES/BE THOROUGH! And don’t be shy about bringing in another coach as a 2nd set of eyes to make sure you are doing things the right way.

Best Stolen Idea

Sean learned from a coach who had an amazing gift for communicating everything in a positive way

Coaching/Leadership Motivation

Every team is different, so each team has a different quote that applies to them
‘BLT’ – Believe, Love, and Trust

Premier Athletics

9 facilities in 5 states – 4 in TN, 2 in KY, 1 in MI, 1 in NC, 1 in FL
Multifunctional facilities – gymnastics, dance, preschool programs, class/school cheer, tumbling classes
premierathletics.com

Parting Advice

Love the kids unconditionally – regardless of their athletic performance

Ready to be an Awesome Youth Coach? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter:

January 17, 2015

WYC 031 Mental Sports Psychology – James Leath talks achieving peak mental performance

What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as James Leath shares stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful sports coach.

James is currently getting his masters in mental sports psychology, has coached youth sports for many years, and is a student of all aspects of sports performance. James started coaching when his 8th grade coach had to leave the team, so James took over and coached his own 8th grade team! James played college football and played for the Los Angeles Extreme in the XFL. James is married and works in sales.

Website: jamesleath.com

Twitter: @jamesleath

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

Coaching/Leadership Quote

‘Spend less time in the strategy books, and more time in how to talk to kids’

My ‘Cringe’ Moment

Not being organized
When he was just out of college – Not being on time actually got him fired from a coaching job.

Coaching AH-HA Moment

HUGE IDEA #1

Keep it simple; Run less plays. Learned from a coach that ran only 1 formation – that coach only lost 3 games in 4 years. When you simplify formations and the kids don’t have to think about where to line up – the kid’s confidence and success skyrockets.
‘If your goal is to freeze an athlete – give them a whole bunch of stuff to think about’ Give them only 2 decisions to make on a play, and you’re OK as long as you only choose 1 of these 2(even if it’s the wrong choice, because we can teach you how to choose better). I’m only going to be upset if you choose something other than 1 of these 2 choices.

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

HUGE IDEA #2

2 absolute foundational books:
- ‘Teaching to Change Lives‘ – by Dr. Howard Hendricks
- ‘How Children Succeed‘ – by Paul Tough
Remember to keep the kids accountable – while you love the kids, you are ultimately their mentor and coach, not their peer friend
‘Spend less time in the strategy books, and more time in how to talk to kids’
Everything in short bursts – John Wooden would talk in 20 second bursts
How to Improve my Youth Practices:
- Don’t scrimmage very much. Only the best athletes touch the ball in scrimmages, plus it’s hard to coach in this environment.
- When teaching a skill – try to find a way to make the focus the technique, not the result. So for basketball – teach them against a wall to try to work on form and hit a crack on the wall. Then add steps that eventually progress into actually shooting at the basket. This process builds their confidence and makes the focus perfecting their technique.

Coaching Resources

Youtube
Reach out to your local high school basketball coach
‘The Talent Code‘ by Daniel Coyle

Inspiring Story

James and his wife have fostered kids, so some of his athletes have actually stayed with him. James had one kid who stayed with him for a while in 6th grade – that kid in 11th grade was about to play in state championships and called James up at 11 o’clock at night to talk – very cool.

The One that Got Away

Coaching girls basketball – He smacked his plastic clipboard and it shattered in 20 pieces. He was upset about the girls not getting rebounds – then afterwards he thought about it and he had never spent any time teaching them how to rebound.

Coaching/Leadership Motivation

Book: anything by John Wooden
Book: The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance by W. Timothy Gallwey – Pete Carroll uses this all the time to instill mental toughness.

Parting Advice

Pay less attention to strategy and more attention to fundamentals