Tag: softball

April 16, 2015

WYC Episode 041 – The 10,000 Hour Rule? – Dr. Michael Cathey talks player development and deliberate practice

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

Michael is a professor of exercise science and physical education pedagogy at Tennessee Tech University.  He has coached high school football and baseball as well as his kids’ teams at the youth level.  Michael did his dissertation studying the 10,000 rule and has written and studied this topic extensively.  Michael is married and has 2 children, ages 7 and 5.

Twitter: @m_cathey

Facebook: /catheym

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

 

Coaching/Leadership Quote

You practice with the intent of getting better, and it’s OK to mess up, because messing up helps you get better

Coaching Your Own Kids

  • Coach shares a funny story when a kid asked if he’s unimportant because he’s playing in the outfield – coach turned it around and made this exciting by saying you have to be like a superhero Flash when playing out there

Winning

  • The importance of winning is very dependent on each kid – it depends on where they are at.

My Cringe & ‘Ah-Ha’ Moments

  • In his early years Michael looks back on how naive he was – too much focus on winning instead of fundamentals and player development.  He wanted to win but wasn’t equipping his players with the skills needed to win.

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

  • Michael teaches everything in 3’s so it’s simple and easy to remember
  • ‘Parents come ready and dressed to participate at practice’ – They have competitions and scrimmages against their parents.
  • Teach base running by using high-fives

Mental Peak Performance

  • Teach kids to ignore the noise. And ask the parents not to ‘yip’ instructions at their kids
  • Self-confidence comes from you showing the kids you believe in them

Discipline

HUGE IDEA #1

  • Instead of punishments – have the kids just start that action over again and do it right

Recognition/Rewards

  • They recognize their teammates for hustle,attitude by letting them do the team chant

Inspiring Story

  • Michael shares a story about a kid who was crying at the beginning of practice because he didn’t know anybody- so he had his daughter befriend the kid, and he as the coach got him involved – and once the kid got comfortable he opened up and had a great season

The 10,000 hour theory

  • Michael did his dissertation on this developmental model – specifically studying baseball pitchers
  • Michael found 27 out of 30 pitchers had not specialized in pitching, or even baseball at young ages
  • The professional baseball pitchers predominantly had expert coaches at the high school level – not just a local high school coach or mom/dad
  • Takeaway – think through your travel sports plans when your kids are younger- it might not be necessary, unless there really just isn’t another good option for them to get good competition.  But by middle-school/high-school – seek out paid professionals to coach your kid in the correct mechanics, especially if they want to play at the collegiate level and beyond

Best Stolen idea

  • ‘Talk TO your players, not AT them’

Coaching/Leadership Motivation

HUGE IDEA #2

Parting Advice

  • Have fun, and make sure the kids are having fun.

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April 9, 2015

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

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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

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

 

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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

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

 

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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

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

Screen Shot 2015-02-03 at 10.35.39 AM

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

 Screen Shot 2015-01-26 at 12.53.36 PMWhat 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

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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:
  • 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

Parting Advice

  • Pay less attention to strategy and more attention to fundamentals

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January 8, 2015

WYC 030 Performance Training – Amanda Kephart from Akron General Sports Performance talks getting faster, stronger, and more powerful

What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Amanda Kephart shares stories and discusses her journey to becoming a successful sports coach.

Amanda is the Sports Foreman Supervisor at the Akron General Sports Performance center.  Coach Amanda Kephart, MS, CSCS, USAW, has been training athletes for nearly a decade. She has worked at the Division One level with hundreds of athletes at both the University of Akron and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her energy brings out the best in her athletes and allows them to reach their athletic goals more quickly.  Amanda played basketball in high school, then picked up racquetball in college, where she went on to become a 2-time All-American at Balwin Wallace.

Website: strengthcoachamanda.com

Twitter: @_coachamanda_ ; @akrongeneralsp

Facebook: /akrongeneralsportsperformance

Youtube: /AGSportsPerformance

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

 

Coaching/Leadership Quote

‘Coaching is a great opportunity to allow the child to practice being what they want to be, not what their classmates think they are’

My ‘Ah-Ha Moment’

  • Sports conditioning is a science – there is a lot to learn about the body

Have Awesome Warm-up Routines

HUGE IDEA #1

  • ‘Why do you do what you do’ – Is this helping your athlete?
  • Your goal isn’t to develop better runners – you want better (fill-in-your-sport) players
  • ‘It’s 2015 – telling the kids to take a lap isn’t going to cut it anymore’
  • 3 core areas – the shoulders, the core, the glutes
  • No static stretching during warm-ups; after practice/after game static stretches make total sense (because the point of static stretching is to move your body into a range it normally doesn’t want to go, so your body is not ready before practice but it is ready after practice)
  • 10 minutes is a good amount of time for warm-ups – use this time to share something inspirational and transition the mind of the athlete from being in their ‘day-job’ or ‘school’ mode into ‘athlete/team’ mode

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

  • Know what the child really wants – some want to be a professional athlete, some just want to have fun on the team
  • When teaching any skill – demonstrate it visually AND explain why you’re doing it

What age should my child start working out?

HUGE IDEA #2

  • The biggest factor isn’t what age – the biggest factor is who is coaching your child
  • MetaStudy on strength training safety: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23015875/. Results:
    • Injuries occur because of:
    • Poor/no supervision
    • Improper technique
    • Improper use of equipment
    • Inappropriate amount of weight
  • There is NO research that shows strength training stunts growth plates.
  • When looking for a good strength coach, look for coaches that focus on the quality and form/ not the total amount of weight or speed of the reps.
  • Core stabilization exercises – Instead of sit-ups there a lot of better options – like planks

Sports Specialization

  • If your athlete absolutely loves playing just one specific sport – make sure they are taking breaks throughout the year to allow their body to recover
  • If you are playing year-round travel teams – when are you learning new skills?

Winning

  • ‘It’s not about winning at any level except varsity.  Your entire job before that level is developing the players’
  • ‘Your win/loss record as a parent coach does not matter.  The only thing that matters is that the kids had a blast, they learned, and they became better.’

Inspiring Story

  • Amanda loves to work with the athletes that come in shy, and she can build confidence in them and bring out their full personality
  • ‘Coaching is a great opportunity to allow the child to practice being what they want to be, not what their classmates think they are’ – Set up your practices and teams to be safe environments that are full of positive encouragement and build up each athlete.

Coaching Resources

Parting Advice

  • Get a system – write it down.  Have a exercise bucket- where you keep a list of drills/exercises to plug in.

Interview Links / Promotional Partners

strengthcoachamanda.com

 

 

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December 18, 2014

WYC 029 Performance Training – Scott Jones from AthleteOnFire talks Weekend Warriors to Mount Everest climbers

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

Scott runs Athlete On Fire, which is involved with equipping and training athletes all over the world – he also hosts a podcast called Athlete On Fire, in which he has interviewed over 100 top athletes from around the globe.  Athlete On Fire was started to bridge the gap between amazing athletes all over the world and everyday athletes with inspiring stories, resources, and tools.  Scott is married and has 2 young sons, ages 3 and 1.

Website: athleteonfire.com

Athlete on Fire Podcast:  – AthleteOnFirePodcast

Twitter: @Athleteonfire

Facebook: /athleteonfire

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

 

Coaching/Leadership Quote

  • ‘I don’t even count reps until I’m burnt out, then I’ll do 20 more’ – Muhammad Ali

My ‘Ah-Ha Moment’

  • Consistency in coaching – don’t show favoritism – Output/effort is always what is rewarded
  • Do what’s best for the kids, not what’s best for your wins/losses

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

HUGE IDEA #1 – When teaching a specific skill – DON’T GUESS!  Ask for help from a high school coach or local community college, or even Youtube.  If you don’t know if they’re doing it wrong – Don’t correct them

  • When you do know how the skill – be consistent in not allowing bad habits to form.
  • One way to correct during a game – as a coach bring a notepad with you and make notes then work on it during practice

Athlete On Fire

  • The biggest takeaway Scott has taken away from the athletes he has interviewed is that it is less about athletic ability and more about the fire and persistence they possess
  • Muhammed Ali quote: ‘I don’t even count reps until I’m burnt out, then I’ll do 20 more’
  • Check out everything at: athleteonfire.com
  • Podcast:  – AthleteOnFirePodcast

Mental Peak Performance

  • First, understand expectations.  Is the parent pressuring a kid to make a team, or is the child’s true passion?

HUGE IDEA #2 – Best way to minimize performance anxiety is practice: ‘For every minute of a presentation, you need 1 hour of preparation’

Favorite Quote/Book

  • Book: J.D. Rockefeller’s attention to details – Titan
  • Book: ‘The River of Doubt‘ – about Teddy Roosevelt dealing with defeat by challenging himself to a huge audacious goal
  • Book: Ed Viesturs (summited Everest 7 times without oxygen) ‘No Shortcuts to the Top‘- speaks to patience

Parting Advice

  • It’s a game!  Teach them something that will last beyond the game they are playing

Interview Links / Promotional Partners

AthleteOnFire.com

 

 

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December 12, 2014

WYC 028 Strength & Conditioning – Robert Taylor from SmarterTeamTraining.com talks Doing One Perfect Rep Ten Times

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

Coach Taylor runs Smarter Team Training, which is involved with equipping and training athletes all over the world – his clients include Super Bowl champions, World Series champions, and players who have been drafted #1 in the NBA draft.  Coach is married and just had his first daughter.

Website: smarterteamtraining.com

STT Podcast: Coach Taylor hosts a radio show on iTunes and iHeart Radio – Half hour released every Sunday – interviewing coaches and athletes around the world – Join the 37,000 subscribers listening to over 280 episodes – STTpodcast.com

Twitter: @SMARTERTeam

Facebook: /smarterteamtraining

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

 

Coaching/Leadership Quote

  • ‘At the youth level of sports – you don’t want more reps- you want better reps.’

click to tweet!

My ‘Cringe’ Moment

  • One thing they don’t teach you in college is how to value and develop relationships – with the athletes, the parents, your coaches

My ‘Ah-Ha Moment’

  • Stop chasing the word success and start chasing the word impact

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

  • Keep it fun!
  • Don’t expect perfection – instead enjoy the process of incremental improvements
  • Have very few rules
  • ‘We don’t do 10 reps.  We do one perfect rep ten times’

HUGE IDEA #1 – ‘At the youth level of sports – you don’t want more reps- you want better reps.’  More leads to drudgery and hating the sport.  Better leads to excitement and loving the sport.

Best Stolen Idea/Advice from another Coach

  • Praise in public.  If needed criticize in private.

Discipline

  • Have the kids take a picture of their bed made in the morning and send it to one of the coaches – ‘You can’t start the day undisciplined then expect to be disciplined the rest of the day’
  • Coach doesn’t like making them run as a punishment – we want them to love exercise and running – so don’t use it as a punishment.  ‘If they miss a layup – don’t have them run – have them practice layups!’

Reward and Recognition

  • Count high-fives during a practice.  Then try to beat that number in a future practice.
  • At the end of practice – have players say something positive about a teammate.
  • Spend one practice evaluating players’ GPA – Good Positive Attitude.  Are they giving a high-five coming off the field; are they picking up a teammate’s water bottle, etc.   If there’s a bunch of 4.0’s – the team spirit is good, if not – think of ways to recognize those who have the best GPA to encourage the whole team to raise the GPA level.

Mental Edge

HUGE IDEA #2 – How do you de-emphasize the importance of the moment?  One method is a trigger mechanism – something you have practiced and evaluated what works with each individual – something to get the player to smile and realize it’s just a game.  Maybe it’s slapping your leg.  Maybe it’s a teammate saying ‘Spongebob is ugly’, etc.  But you have to practice putting kids in those situations during practice!

The One that Got Away

  • Coach Taylor believes in living/playing present – so doesn’t get caught up in reliving wins and losses in the past.

Favorite Quote/Book

SmarterTeamTraining

  • SMART – Speed, Movement, Agility, Reaction, Technology, Education, Resistance
  • Work with teams and individuals – do clinics and can revenue-share
  • Teach coaches
  • Check out the awesome results their clients are seeing: smarterteamtraining.com
  • STT Podcast: Coach Taylor hosts a radio show on iTunes and iHeart Radio – Half hour released every Sunday – interviewing coaches and athletes around the world – Join the 37,000 subscribers listening to over 280 episodes – STTpodcast.com

Parting Advice

  • If you want more, you must become more.
  • If you want your kids to give more, you need to give more to them.  If you are their lacrosse coach, go to one of their football games or band concert.

Interview Links / Promotional Partners

SmarterTeamTraining.com

 

 

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December 3, 2014

WYC 027 Youth Football – Mike Frederick talks High School Football, the NFL, and Joe Ehrmann

What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Mike Frederick shares coaching stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful coach.

Mike played 5 years in the NFL, including a Super-Bowl run with the Tennessee Titans, 1 year with the original Cleveland Browns, and 3 years with the Baltimore Ravens. He is now the head football coach at his alma mater, Neshaminy High School in Philadelphia.  Mike is married and has four children.

Neshaminy H.S. on Twitter: @neshaminy

Neshaminy H.S. Website: neshaminyfootball.com

NFL Player article on Mike: nflplayerengagement.com

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

 

Coaching/Leadership Quote

  • ‘The reason I coach is to make each player feel valued – from the top player on the roster to the bottom’

click to tweet!

The Music City Miracle

  • This was a play they practiced every week all season – so the team was prepared, the coach did not panic, and even though it didn’t go exactly as planned – the players were prepared and executed the play successfully.

My ‘Cringe’ Moment

  • Pulling players immediately after they make a mistake – you teach your players to play in fear instead of aggressively

My ‘Ah-Ha Moment’

HUGE IDEA #1: ‘The best time to implement change is after a win’  – players are in a good mood, your voice will come across less irritating, studies show kids are apt to listen more after a win.  After a loss is when you need to be more encouraging.

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

  • Each kid responds to different types of teaching – and the only way to figure it out with each kid is trial and error
  • Change things up: Play loud music during practice(learning to communicate in a loud setting); set fun goals: if our running back out-rushes their running back then we get ice cream(great goal b/c it affects the offense and defense)

Best Stolen Idea/Advice from another Coach

  • ‘The reason I coach is to make each player feel valued – from the top player on the roster to the bottom’

Recommended Resources

  • HUDL – allows him to watch film with his coaches while at their own home.  Also they exchange 3 films with each team they play- so they physically don’t send any scouts to any games.  You can also track how long players have been on HUDL – so they try to catch their players doing something right and recognize players that are putting extra time in.
  • Other coaches – if you’re struggling with something – call up some other coaches and ask for a few tips

Discipline

  • 4 step process for a player who has a concern or is upset:
  1. Talk to your position coach
  2. Talk to your coordinator
  3. Talk to the head coach
  4. If there is still a problem – then the head coach can pull in the parents if needed

Reward and Recognition

  • Mike asked the players if there were any ‘entertainers’ in the group (artistic, musicians, rappers, etc.) – told them to prepare something  – and on the last 3-a-day of the summer – they skipped the last practice and let the players ‘entertain’ the team

Inspiring Story

  • Joe Ehrmann has been a personal mentor to Mike, and Mike has implemented Joe’s philosophy of how to love these kids.
  • Mike shared a story of a kid from Haiti who didn’t have much money or insurance, but when he turned 18 he purchased his own 4-month insurance rider and is playing for their team his senior year.  Very inspiring to Mike and the whole team.  ‘That’s why I coach’

Winning/Goals for a Youth Coach

HUGE IDEA #2– Priorities for a Youth Sports Coach:

  • Top priority: teaching safety techniques
  • Next priority: Avoid specialization – play multiple different sports – not only are their mental benefits(keeping things fresh) but also there are physical benefits(mixing up which muscles you are using)

The One(s) that Got Away

  • Mike shares a high school memory of fumbling on the goalline in a game they lost 7-6.  The thing he remembers though is ‘I am glad it was me.’
  • Mike also shares a story from college football at Virginia where they let a game get away from them against a team they normally should have beaten.  The QB got hurt and the backup QB came in and did well – b/c his team had done all their preparation for the starting QB.

Favorite Quote/Book

Parting Advice

  • Embrace the differences in kids and keep it fun – make them love the sport! The majority of kids stop playing sports by 3rd grade – we’ve made it too serious and taken the fun out of it.

Interview Links / Promotional Partners

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November 14, 2014

WYC 025B – Craig Haworth turns the microphone around – interviewed on Janis Meredith’s Positive Sports Parenting Podcast – talks Winning

Craig Haworth, the host of the Winning Youth Coaching podcast, turns the microphone around and shares his interview with Janis Meredith on the Positive Sports Parenting Podcast.  Listen in as he discusses the role winning plays in youth sports, as well as what he’s learned in the first 24 interviews conducted with Winning Youth Coaches from across the country.

Twitter: @craighaworth1

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

 

Interview Links / Promotional Partners

JBM Thinks – Positive Sports Parenting

 

 

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November 11, 2014

WYC 025A – Craig Haworth turns the microphone around – interviewed on Dave Westwood’s New and Noteworthy Podcast – talks Winning Youth Coaching

Craig Haworth, the host of the Winning Youth Coaching podcast, turns the microphone around and shares his interview with Dave Westwood on The New and Noteworthy Podcast.  Listen in as he discusses what he’s learned in the first 24 interviews conducted with Winning Youth Coaches from across the country, as well as his own personal coaching experiences.

Twitter: @craighaworth1

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

 

Interview Links / Promotional Partners

New and Noteworthy Podcast with Dave Westwood

 

 

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November 4, 2014

WYC 024 Youth Basketball – Randy Montgomery talks High School Basketball and shares stories from John Wooden

Randy picBook picWhat does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Randy Montgomery shares coaching stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth coach.

Randy has been a high school basketball coach in Northeast Ohio for the past 31 years and coached over 700 games. He coached under Bob Huggins at Walsh College in Canton for 3 years. He then coached varsity basketball at Triway High School in Wooster for 19 years and North Canton Hoover High School for 12 years. Randy also became friends with John Wooden and got to learn and share stories with Coach. Randy is married and has 3 grown daughters.

Twitter: @coachmont73

Website: beyondthehardwood.com

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

 

Coaching/Leadership Quote

  • ‘You don’t handle people, you work with people’

click to tweet!

Coaching your own Kid

  • Make sure you take into consideration the age and make-up of the teams you are coaching

My ‘Cringe’ Moment

  • Coming from an era of Bobby Knight, Coach Montgomery shares being really intense and focusing on winning

My ‘Ah-Ha Moment’

  • Know that if you set an aggressive goal like making it to the State championships – it is grueling on the coaches, players, families, and fans.

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

  • In 31 years – they never scrimmaged in practice – they spent practice time doing drills that were applicable to the game
  • HUGE IDEA #1 – Whole-part-whole teaching method – Show it all, then drill it, then run it in full. Start it at 2-0, then 3-0, then 4-0, then 5-0. Then add in a defense.
  • Dribble tag – put it to music and do it for 5 to 7 minutes to keep it fun

Best Stolen Idea

  • Figure out what your team needs to work on – then seek out 1 or 2 drills to focus on that

Discipline

  • It’s a team sport – Coach Montgomery would end every practice with a 90% drill – he picks 5 different players to shoot 2 free throws, if they don’t collectively make 9 out of 10 – the whole team runs
  • Use the Bench – One of the most effective discipline tools is to use playing time/the bench

Reward and Recognition

HUGE IDEA #2

  • 3 Huge awards at end of season:

1 – Most charges

2 – Best free-throw shooter

3 – Leading rebounder

Parent Involvement

  • Coach would never talk to parents about playing time

Inspiring Story

  • A lot of kids don’t appreciate what you are investing in them at the time – but come back years later and thank you

Winning

  • Winning should be one of the goals, but not the goal. Coach Wooden never talked about winning, but rather about playing your best
  • Kids need to learn to win, and more importantly need to learn how to lose

The One that Got Away

  • Coach Montgomery has no regrets on his preparation for each game – but certainly there are games that hurt

Spending time with Coach – Randy talks about spending time with Coach John Wooden

  • ‘You don’t handle people, you work with people’
  • Awesome story about how he ended up at UCLA instead of Minnesota

Parting Advice

  • Write down 2 or 3 things you want to accomplish, then set up your plan accordingly – don’t overcomplicate things

The Best-Laid Plans of a High School Basketball CEO

  • This book has a unique perspective in each chapter – From the perspective of a 100-win coach(Coach Matt Kramer), and from the perspective of a 500-win coach (Coach Randy Montgomery)
  • Find it here: beyondthehardwood.com

Interview Links / Promotional Partners

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October 28, 2014

WYC 023 Youth Football – Clint Schumacher talks youth football and how he implemented Dave Cisar’s Winning Youth Football System

Clint picWhat does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Clint Schumacher shares coaching stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth coach.

Clint was raised in Nashville, TN. Clint is an Attorney and now lives outside of Dallas, Texas. He has been coaching flag and tackle football over the last 7 years. Clint played football, basketball, and track growing up. Clint is married and has 3 sons, ages 12, 10, and 7.

Twitter: @J_Clint

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

 

Coaching/Leadership Quote

  • ‘Put aside your positional authority to demand, and think about your relational credibility to expect’ – from 2 Timothy in the Bible

click to tweet!

Coaching your own Kid

  • Clint shares a story of being too hard on his own kid

My ‘Cringe’ Moment

  • In dealing with an assistant coach that was being too hard on his own son, Clint regrets he ‘let that go’ and didn’t correct that situation with assertiveness

My ‘Ah-Ha Moment’

  • Learned from Dave Cisar: Conducting everything at a much faster pace. Teach against air and instead of running a play every 2 or 3 minutes, run 4 plays per minute.

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

  • Break everything down into small pieces – A football stance can be broken down into 5 micro-steps. Use visual images, using kid’s terms, so it’s easy for the kids to remember.
  • Clint will bring out a boom box for a segment of practice to lighten the mood and keep things fun.
  • Speedball – Wide open, fast-paced frisbee football – This is also great ‘hidden conditioning’

Coaching Resources

Discipline

  • 2 things they punish whole team for:

1 – Lack of effort

2 – Jumping offsides

  • Everything else is case-by-case. Making kids sit out is one of the most effective punishments.
  • HUGE IDEA #1: Criticism sandwich – Sandwich criticism between praise

Reward and Recognition

HUGE IDEA #2:

  • Practice Warrior – every practice they have a blue jersey that is lettered ‘practice warrior,’ and whoever is best teammate get to wear jersey next practice
  • Helmet stickers – If team accomplishes all 4 goals for the game, everyone gets a sticker:
    • 1 – Win the game
    • 2 – Score 26 points
    • 3 – Hold the other team to 7 points or less
    • 4 – Win the turnover battle
    • Individual stickers: ‘hidden victories in a game’:
    • 1 – Pancake block
    • 2 – Anyone who forces or recovers a fumble/interception
    • 3 – If a back carries out such a good fake that he gets tackled
  • Character quality of the week – 4 kids win each week – the 4 kids that win that week are captains for the game

Inspiring Story

  • Clint prayed in the offseason for some kids who came from tougher backgrounds so they could impact them – he has 2 kids on this year’s team that they have really poured into

Winning

  • Winning is important – but not because of the scoreboard – more importantly it is a grading of your process

The One that Got Away

  • Clint’s 2nd grade flag-football team just lost a heartbreaker on a last second play – but he was extremely proud of the great way they competed

Coaching/Leadership Motivation

  • Books: ‘Inside-out Coaching’, ‘Season of Life’ – both by/about Joe Ehrmann
  • Quote: ‘Put aside your positional authority to demand, and think about your relational credibility to expect’ – from 2 Timothy in the Bible

Parting Advice

  • Many kids will remember their first coach – are you going to feed positive qualities into them, or negative ones

Interview Links / Promotional Partners

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October 18, 2014

WYC 022 Youth Basketball – Kevin Furtado talks girls basketball and the Intensity of Winning

Kevin picWhat does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Kevin Furtado shares coaching stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth coach.

Kevin is a Girls weight training coach and P.E. teacher at Upson Lee High School in Thomaston, Georgia. He is the Head Coach of Upson Lee’s Varsity Girls Basketball team. He has been coaching basketball for over 24 years. Kevin grew up in San Jose California and played football, basketball, and baseball growing up.

Twitter: @kevinfurtado

Website: coachfurtado.com

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

 

Coaching/Leadership Quote

▪   ‘Winning is a process driven by character’ – Brett Ledbetter

click to tweet!

Coaching your own Kid

  • Kevin recalls several stories of his Dad’s coaching style – how inclusion of all kids was a priority ; and how his Dad pushed him to be a better team player

My ‘Cringe’ Moment

▪   ‘My first few years of coaching I focused on winning more than development. I don’t remember the wins as much as I remember the kids that have gone on to be better players’

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

  • ‘The Intensity of Winning’ – This is measured by hard work. Hard work is a skill that can be developed. We are going to commit to dominating our opponent through hard work.
  • #1 skill is footwork – Balance, pivoting. Get a low chair stance. Ripping the ball, sweeping the ball. 4-Line Pivot drill – they do it every day at practice.
  • Lots of small-sided games. You get more touches with the ball if you are 3 on 3 vs. 5 on 5.
  • Fun game: Passing tag – have to pass the ball and ‘tag’ someone. Stop, catch, pivot, then tag. Timed drill –team with the lowest time wins. Can do it with more than 5 per team.
  • Every kid must have a ball! If you have 12 kids on the team you better have 12 balls!

Best Stolen Idea

  • Gene Durdin – Girls basketball coach at Buford H.S. in Georgia – taught Kevin:

o  The Breakfast Club. Ball-handling and shooting drills they do at 6 a.m. during the summer.

o  HUGE IDEA #1 – Pre-game warm-up – ‘How you warm-up is how you play the game.’ They start with high-intensity pass-catch drill. Then 4-corner pivot drill. Fast-paced, 6 or 7 drills. Everything together (take warm-ups off together.) Part of development is players learning how to prepare to win.

Coaching Resources

▪   I-practice builder – App that lets you build practice plan, and you can have video library.

▪   Coaches Eye – Can break down video in slow-motion. Be careful to show positive things when doing it as a team, then if you want to improve a specific skill with an individual

▪   94 50 Smart Sensor basketball – Basketball that analyzes your shot

▪   Beyondthehardwood.com – Developed by Matt Kramer and Randy Montgomery – great system for developing a program

Discipline

▪   Discipline starts with being prepared as a coach

▪   Coaches – speak/teach in quick short phrases:

HUGE IDEA #2: 30 second/ 10 second time-outs – In the middle of a drill – call 30 second time-out – to teach a new concept

  • The biggest discipline is to have them sit out something they enjoy

Reward and Recognition

▪   ‘Practice-player of the day’; ‘Best communicator of the day’ – talk your action’; ‘Charge-card award’

▪   Circle of Giving – After games(particularly a loss) is not the time to rip into your team. Kevin has each player share something they saw the person on their right do well in the game.

Coaching Girls

  • Coach them as athletes just the same as boys. But social interactions are usually more important with girls than boys so make sure you take time to develop relationships

The One that Got Away

  • Coach Furtado shares a story where he didn’t handle a loss well – he learned poise

Coaching/Leadership Motivation

▪   Quote: ‘Winning is a process driven by character’ – Brett Ledbetter

▪   Book: ‘Competitive Drills for Winning Basketball’ by Jan Lahodny

▪   Book: ‘The Best-Laid Plans of a High School Basketball CEO’ – Randy Montgomery and Matt Kramer

▪   Favorite Podcasts:

▪      Winning Youth Coaching 🙂

▪      Hardwood Hustle – Alan Stein/Adam Bradley

▪      Athlete by Design – Jeremy Boone

▪      Whistle and a Clipboard – Jason Oates

▪      Who are You Sports – Rob Elwood

Parting Advice

▪   Focus on long-term athletic development

Interview Links / Promotional Partners

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October 8, 2014

WYC 021 Youth Baseball – Jason Larocque from ‘Winwithinbaseball.com’ – talks Culture, and Avoiding the Worst Case Scenario

jason pic 2What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Jason Larocque shares coaching stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth coach.

Jason is a Middle School Director at St. Johns Prep in Massachusetts. Jason is a lifetime baseball player, including 4 years at Harvard, where he was captain his Senior year. He has also been actively involved in training and coaching youth through Winwithinbaseball.com. He is married and to a wife who coaches Division 1 Field Hockey.

Twitter: @CoachWonk

Website: winwithinbaseball.com

Listen NOW:


Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

 

Coaching/Leadership Quote

▪   ‘It’s hard to make policy in the middle of the season.’

click to tweet!

My ‘Cringe’ Moment

▪   ‘My first year I thought I had to fix everybody’ – Sometimes you just need to encourage players and let them struggle a little bit before you offer advice. Also often times kids have unique motions and you need to evaluate whether it’s a problem that needs fixed

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

▪   Be relaxed – Avoid phrases like ‘Try harder’ or ‘Run faster’ – these commands often tighten up a player’s muscles and stiffens them instead of loosening them up
▪   Teach the kids to watch what great looks like. Go to a high school game and show them what to watch for in the good players
▪   To keep a fast-paced practice – use a throw-back – can have 5 kids on each side so they are practicing throwing, fielding, then have a net for them to throw into
▪   If you don’t have parents available to help coach – talk to the high school and see if you can get 1 or 2 varsity players to help you coach.

Best Stolen Idea

▪   HUGE IDEA #1 The Worst Case Scenario – Have a few unbreakable rules – so the kids are clear on what is never allowed
▪   Bill Bellichick – Put 6 hours of preparation into a 1 hour practice

Coaching Resources

▪   Gamechanger.io – App that does baseball scoring and stats. Parents can watch game on gametracker

▪   Coaches’ Choice – DVDs to show skills

Discipline

▪   HUGE IDEA #2 Before you talk about discipline – you have to set up the culture- and you cannot bend on what you set up as the culture. Players’ shirts always tucked in; hats always worn forward; equipment always carried by kids not parents; kids always thank parents when dropped off,etc. ‘It’s hard to make policy in the middle of the season.’

▪   Have a discussion with the team before disciplining the whole team for an infraction. Visually show them your expectation.

Reward and Recognition

▪   Don’t keep stats at the youth level! Most of the time keeping stats will teach the wrong behavior.

▪   Idea: Print T-Shirts: Print shirts and number them – Win 1, Win 2, etc – and whoever was the best teammate during the game/week – earns the shirt after a win.

▪   Instead of coach giving recap after a game- have the kids commend their teammates

Inspiring Story

▪   You have to show your players you care about them beyond their ‘use’ as an athlete. Sometimes call a player at home if they had a rough game.

The One that Got Away

▪   In championship game against rival – 2x in 2 innings – his star pitcher balked with runner on 3rd. Sometimes that stuff just happens.

▪   Other team had gimmicky play to fake out his team and get 3rd out. It’s bad coaching – but prepare your team for other coaches to do it.

Coaching/Leadership Motivation

▪   Book: ‘Drive’ by Daniel Pink – how to motivate people

▪   Book: ‘Talent is Over-rated’ by Geoffrey Colvin

▪   Book: ‘The Talent Code’ by Daniel Coyle

Parting Advice

▪   Don’t try to re-invent the wheel, but you have to inflate the tires.

▪   Be prepared- take the time to be ready for practice. Then relax and enjoy the time with the kids.

Interview Links / Promotional Partners

Better Basketball

 

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October 2, 2014

WYC 020 Youth Baseball – Dave Westwood from ‘New and Noteworthy Podcast’ – talks Leadership and Having a Plan

dave-westwoodnew-and-noteworthy-logoWhat does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Dave Westwood shares coaching stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth coach.

Dave is a business consultant from Pennsylvania. He recently launched a podcast called the New and Noteworthy Podcast. He played baseball and football growing up. He has coached youth baseball over the last 20 years. He is married and has 1 child – an 8 year-old son.

Website: newandnoteworthy.net

New and Noteworthy Podcast: iTunes ; Stitcher

Twitter: @QWestwood

Facebook: /newandnoteworthy

Listen NOW:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

 

Coaching/Leadership Quote

▪   ‘A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say ‘we did it ourselves’’

click to tweet!

Coaching your own Kid

▪   It’s hard to not be harder on your own kid

My ‘Cringe’ Moment

▪   Dave shared story of confronting umpire in a quiet, non-threatening way. The umpire flipped out and caused a big scene. Dave doesn’t regret the way he confronted him, just regrets that the kids had to witness this umpire behaving this way. Tweet your thoughts: Should Dave have done something differently?

Coaching AH-HA Moment

HUGE IDEA #1

You have to have:

1 – an organized system

2 – a coaching staff/support system.

‘It takes a village to raise the team’

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

▪   Get to know their personalities and embrace the craziness
▪   Teach 2 key things: fundamentals, and sportsmanship. With sportsmanship – modeling the behavior is as important as talking about it.

Best Stolen Idea

▪   Learn skills in small groups! Eliminate standing around.

Coaching Resources

▪   Ripken baseball

▪   Positive Coaching Alliance

▪   Winning Youth Coaching (thanks Dave!)

Discipline

▪   Create teachable moments

Reward and Recognition

▪   Have whole team sign baseball as keepsake at end of year

▪   Constant, positive reinforcement

Teambuilding

▪   Spend time letting them get to know their teammates – name games the first few practices

Inspiring Story

▪   Dave shares story of coach telling him ‘you made the all-star team because your teammate is going to be out-of-town’ – Ouch. Coach – what were you thinking?
▪   Dave now has kid that loves being on his team and comes up and hugs him

Winning

▪   The kids know who win or lose – so don’t hide from it. Teach the kids how to win and how to lose well.

The One that Got Away

▪   Playing another team that was breaking some rules – Dave got frustrated and blitzed 4 straight plays – on the 4th one they got burnt for a TD. HUGE IDEA #2: Don’t let emotions take over your decisions.

Coaching/Leadership Motivation

▪   Quote: ‘A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say ‘we did it ourselves’’

▪   Quote: ‘Before you’re a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others’ – Jack Welch

▪   Book: ‘Success is a Choice’ – Rick Pitino

▪   Book: ‘Team Captains Leadership Manual’ – Jeff Janssen

Parting Advice

▪   Have a plan before you walk on the field

The New and Noteworthy Podcast

▪   Dave has launched a new podcast featuring many new podcasts that are being launched – check it out at: newandnoteworthy.net. (The Winning Youth Coaching podcast was actually featured on his show– check out episode 013 at: N&N Episode 013

Interview Links / Promotional Partners

New and Noteworthy Podcast with Dave Westwood

 

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September 24, 2014

WYC 019 Youth Baseball – Rob Elwood from ‘Who are you-The Life Lessons of Sports Podcast’ – talks Effort over Results

rob-elwood picWHo are you sports - picWhat does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Rob Elwood shares coaching stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth coach.

Rob is a sports entrepreneur and hosts the podcast ‘Who are you – the Life Lessons of Sports.’ Rob started out as an intern for the Cleveland Indians, and has continued to work in sports throughout his career.  His podcast features over 130 interviews of collegiate and professional athletes, from Rick Barry of the NBA, to Jonathan Ogden from the NFL – and asks the question – ‘Who are you, and what role did sports have in forming who you are?’  He has coached youth baseball for 15 years. He is married and has two children, a 5 year-old son and a 2 ½ year-old son. They live in Annapolis, Maryland.

Website: whoareyousports.com

Twitter: @whoareyousports

Facebook: /whoareusports

Listen NOW:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

 

Coaching/Leadership Quote

▪   ‘Effort over Results’

click to tweet!

My ‘Cringe’ Moment

▪   Rob shares his early experience as a youth coach – he regrets not laying the groundwork with the parents that:

HUGE IDEA #1 – 2 things he will not take input from parents on:

1-   playing-time

2-   game strategy

AH-HA / Pivot Moment

▪   Rob had opportunity to pursue being a General Manager for Major League Baseball – but made a pivot moment based on where he wanted his life to go

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

3 things need to happen as a coach or a parent choosing a sports team:

  • Kids are having fun
  • Kids are learning
  • Kids are making new friends

▪   As far as teaching – It’s all about fundamentals, repetitions. Break everything down into small steps. For baseball fielding – break down into 3 steps – fielding the ball, getting into position to throw, then making the throw. Add positive celebrations as they improve each area.

▪   Take your team to high school game – and find teaching points to show them in the game.

Coaching Resources

▪   Football: APlayADay.com

▪   Baseball: Dr. James Andrews’ injury prevention website

▪   Baseball pitching drills: Rick Peterson’s 3P Sports website

▪   Positive Coaching Alliance

▪   UberSense – Video coaching and sports coaching app

Discipline

HUGE IDEA #2: Discipline starts with a culture:

o  It starts with gratitude: Say thank you to your parents when you get dropped off. Carry your own equipment to/from the field.

o  Be organized – all equipment has a place

o  As a coach – I then need to be organized with a plan

Inspiring Story

▪   Mr. Giggles – A young man Rob coached – always smiling and laughing, but always closed his eyes as soon as the pitcher threw a pitch. Rob and the coaches worked with him, by starting with whiffle balls and tennis balls – to help him overcome his fear.

Coaching/Leadership Motivation

▪   Quote: ‘Effort over results’

▪   Books: Tony Dungy, John Wooden

▪   Books: Malcolm Gladwell: ‘Inside the Tipping Point’ – the stickiness factor

▪   Books: Chip and Dan Heath: ‘Made to Stick’

Who are You Sports

▪   Rob wanted to share stories about who the athletes are and how they became who they are. Podcast link

▪   Project he is working on: coaching videos

Interview Links / Promotional Partners

Screen Shot 2014-08-04 at 5.36.02 PMThe Inspired Treehouse

 

New and Noteworthy Podcast with Dave Westwood

 

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September 18, 2014

WYC 018 Michael Langlois – Author of ‘Are you an Inspirational Youth Sports Coach’– talks youth baseball and Common Sense Communication

Michael Langlois picAre you Book picWhat does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Michael Langlois shares coaching stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth coach.

Michael Langlois is a communications advisor – he has a background in broadcasting, has worked with NHL coaches, and young athletes. Michael, along with his wife Mary-Louise, have co-written several books on coaching youth sports. Michael and Mary-Louise live near Toronto, Canada. They have 4 grown sons.

Websites: prospectcommunications.com and takingyoubeyondthegame.blogspot.com

Twitter:@ProspectComm and @YouthSportsTYBG (Taking You Beyond the Game)

Facebook: /Prospect-Communications

Listen NOW:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

 

Coaching/Leadership Quote

▪   ‘In youth sports you cannot play with a piano on your back’

click to tweet!

Coaching Your Own Kid/My Cringe Moment

▪   Michael shares that maybe he was too hard on one of his sons and too critical. ‘Pick it up, it’s not a grenade’ – yelled by Dad from the dugout. Michael’s self-reflection: ‘Who’s being the adult here?’

Coaching AH-HA Moment

HUGE IDEA #1 – ‘In youth sports you cannot play with a piano on your back’ – Kids can’t play with coaches hounding them about mistakes and taking away their confidence.

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

  • ‘Common sense communication’
  • ‘How do you want to be remembered in 20 years?’

Reward, Recognition, and Teambuilding

  • Draft kids with positive body language, don’t blame their teammates, are humble

The One that Got Away

  • Trying not to run up the score – other team came back and tied game

Parting Advice

HUGE IDEA #2: Coaches – 2 questions to ask your kids: ‘What do you love about playing this sport?’ and ‘What motivates you?’

Michael and Mary-Louise’s Youth Sports books

Screen Shot 2014-09-17 at 11.14.32 PM ‘A Guide to effective communication for Youth Soccer Coaches’

 

Are you Book pic

‘Are You an Inspirational Youth Sports Coach?’

 

Screen Shot 2014-09-17 at 11.12.55 PM‘You can be an Inspirational Youth Hockey Coach!’

 

Interview Links / Promotional Partners

Screen Shot 2014-09-17 at 11.21.24 PMAlan Stein’s Hardwood Hustle Podcast and Strongerteam.com

 

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September 9, 2014

WYC 017 Shane Sams – CoachXO.com – Youth Football

Screen Shot 2014-09-09 at 1.24.11 PMScreen Shot 2014-09-09 at 1.31.51 PMWhat does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Shane Sams shares coaching stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth coach.

Shane Sams is the founder of CoachXO.com, a high-school football defensive coordinator, and the co-founder with his wife of Flippedlifestyle.com. Shane brings a wealth of valuable football experience from coaching at the college and high-school levels. He hosts the podcast ‘The Coach X O Show’ and co-hosts with his wife Jocelyn ‘The Flipped Lifestyle Podcast.’ Alan lives in Kentucky with his wife and 2 kids – daughter Anna and son Isaac.

Website: CoachXO.com and Flippedlifestyle.com

Twitter:@CoachXO and @FlippedLS

Facebook: /CoachXO and /FlippedLifestyle

Youtube: /CoachXO

Listen NOW:


Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

 

Coaching/Leadership Quote

▪   ‘Don’t just tell me about problems. Tell me about some solutions’

click to tweet!

My ‘Cringe’ Moment

▪   Trying to coach high-school kids like they were college kids. Particularly emotionally.

Coaching AH-HA Moment

▪   It does not matter what I know – it only matters what the players know. Be deliberate and define clearly. ‘I stopped using football terms and used words they know’

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

HUGE IDEA #1 – SIMPLIFY! Coach Sams identifies 5 skills for each position – then those are the only skills they teach in practice for the entire year. For younger kids maybe only 3 or 4 skills. Repetitions are key – don’t keep changing things up.

  • Fun games:
    • The give-up drill – 3 blockers defending a pad vs. 1 player
    • Defend the box

Best Stolen Idea

▪   ‘Don’t just tell me about problems. Tell me about some solutions’

Great Resources

▪   CoachHuey.com – Great football x’s and o’s

▪   Football-defense.com

▪   Connect with coaching forums – CoachXO.com/forums, facebook, twitter

Discipline

▪   ‘I have no set rules. Every situation demands my research’

Reward, Recognition, and Teambuilding

  • The biggest reward is: Playing Time

Inspiring Story

  • Kid with great attitude but not very talented – scored a TD on senior night

Winning

  • You play to win – but make sure you evaluate where your team is at.
  • Set mini-goals within the game and emphasize those instead of the winning.

The One that Got Away

  • Freshman long-snapper – enough said

Coaching/Leadership Motivation

▪   Quote – ‘‘Don’t just tell me about problems. Tell me about some solutions’

▪   Book – ‘Developing a Defensive Gameplan’ – Kenny Ratledge

Parting Advice

HUGE IDEA #2 – ‘Don’t re-invent the wheel – You are not Vince Lombardi’ – go find something that works and copy it – you will put your own signature on it

Coach XO and Flippedlifestyle

▪   Coach XO- Great football info and great forums

▪   Flippedlifestyle – Blog about working from home

Interview Links / Promotional Partners

Who are You – The Life Lessons of Sports

 

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September 3, 2014

WYC 016 Alan Stein – Hardwood Hustle podcast and Strongerteam.com – Youth Basketball

Alan Stein pic Alan Stein KD picWhat does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Alan Stein shares coaching stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth coach.

Alan Stein is the owner of Stronger Team and the strength & conditioning coach for the nationally renowned, Nike elite DeMatha Catholic High School basketball program. Alan brings a wealth of valuable experience to his training arsenal from over a decade of extensive work with elite high school, college, and NBA players. He also co-hosts the podcast ‘Hardwood Hustle’ with Adam Bradley. Alan lives in Bethesda, MD with his wife Rebecca, twin sons Luke & Jack (aka ‘The Born Backcourt’), and daughter Lyla.

Website: Strongerteam.com

Twitter:@AlanStein

Facebook: /strongerteam

Youtube: /strongerteam

Podcast: Hardwood Hustle

Listen NOW:

Listen in iTunes: iTunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

 

Coaching/Leadership Quote

▪   ‘A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle’

click to tweet!

Coaching your own Kid

▪   It is important for your child to have a positive sports experience early on – and if that means you need to step up and be coach, step up and do it

My ‘Cringe’ Moment

▪   There are 100 ways to skin a cat – in Alan’s early years he wasn’t as open-minded about outside methodologies

Coaching AH-HA Moment

  • Meeting Todd Wright, Texas’ strength coach

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

  • Kids are different than adults! Physically, mentally, and emotionally
  • Start with the foundation – their body, then move to their skill, then to their brain, then to their heart.

HUGE IDEA #1 – 60 minute practice plans

  • 60 minute practice plan for 8 year-old:

o  20-25 minutes – body awareness/performance

o  30 minutes – fundamentals/skills

o  5-10 minutes – Play games: 2-on-2 or 3-on-3

  • 60 minute practice plan for High-schooler:

o  5-8 minutes – body awareness/performance

o  15-20 minutes – fundamentals/skills

o  15-20 minutes – Situational games, still lots of 3-on-3

Best Practice Warm-up

HUGE IDEA #2 – 6 primary movements to include in your warm-up:

  1. Sprinting
  2. Backpedaling
  3. Defensive sliding
  4. Pivoting
  5. Jumping/landing
  6. Lunging

Watch examples on Alan’s Youtube channel: Youtube.com/strongerteam

Best Stolen Resource

▪   When watching someone else do a drill that you are going to implement- Ask:

  1. Why are you doing it?
  2. How are you doing it?
  3. What is the end result supposed to be?

Discipline

▪   ‘You get what you bring as a coach’ – If you bring enthusiasm, and model the behavior you are preaching, and expect excellence of yourself – most of the time the players will respond in kind.

▪   Positive Peer Pressure – the team all is disciplined together

Reward, Recognition, and Teambuilding

  • ‘Coaching at its most fundamental level is about connecting’

Inspiring Story

  • Kevin Durant – When he was in high school – he was very intraverted and quiet – yet Alan connected with him and appreciated Alan’s passion for making him better

Coaching/Leadership Motivation

▪   Podcast – Andy Stanley’s ‘Your Move’ – the non-negotiables are Dishonesty, Disobedience, and Disrespect

▪   Quote – ‘Do the things others don’t do, and you’ll have the things others don’t have’- also very powerful if you replace the word ‘won’t’ for the ‘don’t’

▪   Book – Coack K – ‘Leading with the Heart’

The One that Got Away

  • ‘Play present’ – You have to focus on the next play- nothing in the past, nothing too far in the future
  • Alan shares a story of a player at Dematha who barely missed setting an incredible record and what he did afterwards that was so impressive

Parting Advice

▪   Always, always, always – do what is in the best interest of the player

Stronger Team/Hardwood Hustle Podcast

▪   Alan co-hosts the Hardwood Hustle podcast with Adam Bradley – Great podcast for people of all ages- Have your junior-high/high-school kids listen!

Interview Links / Promotional Partners

New and Noteworthy Podcast with Dave Westwood

 

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August 28, 2014

WYC 015 Youth Baseball – Brian Beaman – Baseball Boys and Bad Words

Screen Shot 2014-08-28 at 11.32.38 AMWhat does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Brian Beaman shares coaching stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth coach.

Brian is a sales consultant. He played high school football, basketball, track, and baseball and also played college basketball for 4 years. He has coached competitive youth sports for over 20 years. He is married and has 3 children – all boys: ages 16, 12, and 9.

Twitter: @Beaman07

Facebook: facebook.com//brian.beaman.509

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

 

Coaching/Leadership Quote

▪   ‘I’m not trying to raise great kids, I’m trying to raise great adults’

click to tweet!

Coaching your own Kid

▪   Having a great assistant coach is key- so you can coach each other’s kids and fairly evaluate talent levels

My ‘Cringe’ Moment

▪   Brian’s team had a large lead in a game so he decided to have his team work on their bunts – the other coach thought it was bad sportsmanship – GOOD DEBATE: Are coaches too sensitive to ‘showing the other team up’ – when is it crossing the line?

Coaching AH-HA Moment

  • No kid should be standing around and watching – keep them ALL involved

Best Stolen Idea

  • Great baseball drill used by Vanderbilt and Belmont –lots of defensive situational reps so kids know what to do in games and it is natural to them

Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun

  • Be consistent. Let the kids set goals on what they want to improve.
  • When doing drills – break the kids into small teams and turn it into a game with points

Coaching Resources

▪   WEBSITES: Paul Reddick Baseball and Ripken baseball

Discipline

HUGE IDEA #1:

▪   3 Things the kid can control:

  1. Hustle
  2. Have a good attitude
  3. Have Fun

▪   ‘No Matter Whats’ – We won’t throw our helmet, glove, or bat; we won’t argue with umpires

Reward, Recognition, and Teambuilding

▪   Recognize accomplishments immediately

▪   Brian had the Dad who kept the scorebook put little notes in the book when a kid made a great play

HUGE IDEA #2: Basketball recognition: Have 2 mini-basketballs: one says ‘Hustle’ and the other says ‘Breakthrough’ – give to 2 kids after each week and they get to keep it for the week and write their name on it

Teambuilding with Parents

▪   Communication is key – ask the parents to deal with any concerns directly with me – don’t just complain to the other parents

Inspiring Story

  • Quote: ‘I’m not trying to raise great kids, I’m trying to raise great adults’
  • Brian coached who a kid who was not a very good dribbler – but loved to play point guard – so Brian tried to find situations to get him in at point guard – and it meant the world to the kid

Coaching/Leadership Motivation

▪   Book: Proverbs – there are 31 books, read one per day

▪   Book: Andy Andrews – The Travelers Gift, and Baseball Boys and Bad Words

▪   Quote: The Golden Rule – ‘Treat others as you want to be treated’– This included the umpires – learn their name and ask them if you can call them by their name

Parting Advice

▪   Don’t take it too seriously

▪   Have fun

▪   Be prepared and organized

▪   My goal: for the kids to love the sport

Interview Links / Promotional Partners

Upward Sports

 

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