People have this misperception that when they do art, they are doing things like painting a picture, but there is more to art than the arts. For everything you do is art, for art is an expression of oneself, and in whatever one undertakes, one expresses themselves in doing that. So as a coach, to…
The more you begin to delve into understanding the core skills and techniques, you begin to realise how valuable they are and how much stems from them and ultimately the importance of them. And even though the number of core skills and techniques maybe small, numbering only as many as 7 or 8 of them,…
When you truly sit down and look at the sporting skills of anything that’s done, you can begin to group the types of sporting skills into four areas, with 3 of these groupings being very pertinent in becoming a master coach. And the four types of sporting skills are simply these: Generic Skills Platform Skills…
Whenever you get into maths and specifically physics, you always learn about pivot points and levers and with the right length of lever on the appropriate pivot point then any object becomes easier to shift. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTa2EFd3JF0 It’s the same with sport, both coaching and playing have their own pivot points and levers and when applied,…
If I was to say that we all had the potential to become a master coach at the sport that we coach in, most would probably say, get out of here, but in reality, it’s true. For first it helps to identify what a master coach is and secondarily is the steps you take to…
There is a need to understand needy people, for the more that I’m writing about it, the more people are tuning in. And this is for a very good reason, Needy people are at the hub of destroying teams And up until now they have flown under the radar because of the great sporting fallacy,…
When one begins coaching, and this includes starting with new teams, there are some decisions that need to be made which turn out to be crucial for the coaching process. The decisions to be made are simply this: What ground rules to set to keep needy people in check What processes to put in place…
Tactics are what one does in order to win games and also includes any playing structure involved when playing a team sport. Therefore tactics can include: Whether to start fast or slow Which way to go at the start of a game Which players to start a game Subbing players on and off the field…
What it takes to be a successful coach has changed. A coach will always be measured on the trophies and competitions won and their win lose record, though a new dynamic is entering the scene as well. The new dynamic has always been there, but it’s never been paid much attention to, though as time…
In learning about people one doesn’t have to delve in too deep, though you do have to dip your toes in occasionally. To understand people better one only has to start looking at the spectrum that makes up the population of people and that spectrum stretches from autism to psychopaths. For coaching sport, that spectrum…
I came across this fascinating talk by Wayne Bennett. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwjcJ94iy3E He talks about leadership at the start and creating an environment for learning and tells a story about two wolves, though it’s the end which is the best, and here is the transcript for that part. “One of the great myths that is getting thrown…
I came across this 2004 interview with Wayne Bennett, one of the most successful coaches of the NRL in Australia. http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/sportsfactor/the-philosophy-and-philosophers-of-coaching/3426586 Click on the show button to read the transcript of the interview Though short, all aspects of the succeeding mind in Wayne come through in the answers that he gives. “Worrying is like sitting…
As I’m coming across talks and interviews with the very top coaches, what you notice is the similarities in what they are saying. Here is a list of some of the commonalities that crop up: They talk philosophy They have a way of putting all the complicated stuff into simple terms and in a way…
Have came across this Alex Ferguson interview from the Charley Rose show not long after he retired and he covered such diverse topics such as: Praise, Youth Development, Courage, Respect, Character, Challenges and much more. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bjkk411Mpc The following is some of the transcript from the interview, with the times for viewing. 2.50 – 3.10 “There is…
The following comments are by Dick Tonks, one of the coaches responsible for taking NZ rowing to be a dominating force in the world. The words are taken from the book Winning Ways by Joseph Romanos, a prominent sport journalist who has written many a book about sport in New Zealand. “When you’re coaching, you…
The following are some words of wisdom about character from master coach Arthur Lydiard taken from his book Run To The Top written in 1962, though over 50 years old, the wisdom the words contain are timeless. I was very lucky to pick the book up in book sale one day, and it’s one of…
Today entry is a slightly longer because I’ve put together the best from Glen Mills, Usain Bolts coach, from the 2009 Interview, entitled sustained success. “The mind is crucial. I’m philosophical in my makeup. I looked at the body and my philosophy is that the mind is the most powerful instrument, and if the mind…
The following is a further excerpt taken from the Sustained Success talk by Glen Mills in 2009. “I’m constantly revolutionizing whatever I do, researching, putting together different combinations, etc. I’m never satisfied and therefore I’m always hungry for new knowledge and I’m always willing to experiment and to do things” “I have certain philosophy; I’m…
I’ve continued with the Glen Mills theme because there is so much valuable information to be gleaned from his 2009 talk Sustained Success talk. “My motivation is constant, is dynamic. When I started out, I wanted to be a good coach. When I thought I had achieved that then I wanted to be the best…
The following excerpt is taking from the Sustained Success talk by Glen Mills in 2009. “The mind is crucial. I’m philosophical in my makeup. I looked at the body and my philosophy is that the mind is the most powerful instrument, and if the mind is not mastered and functioning in the proper direction, then…
