A fundamental aspect of becoming a great coach is understanding the difference between content and intent: understanding the difference between the science of coaching and the art of coaching. So much of great coaching comes from working with athletes as human beings and inspiring them to be more than they can be without our coaching.
(Cesare Pavese)
Do you remember the moment when you were a teenager and Dad or Mom told you to “save money and think about your future”?
You didn’t listen did you.
And remember the moment when you were 18 and some relative told you to “work hard and make something of yourself”?
Ignored them didn’t you.
Life is full of these moments when people, with all good intentions, give you some advice which they think will inspire you to change your life and become all you can be.
And how many times have you told an athlete “make the most of every training session and make the most of your opportunities”?
And they didn’t listen.
So, what makes people listen to the right advice? How do you engage and inspire the hearts and minds of athletes and have them grasp every session, every minute, every moment as if it was their last?
The Magic Moment: When a Coach makes a Difference. (more…)
[powerpress] A More with Less World. We live in a world where people are looking to get a better result with less effort and with the investment of fewer resources. Sport is right in the middle of that mix – the “more with less” generation. Coaches are continually thinking, Read more…
Ten Second Leadership – A revolution in Leadership for coaches, managers and all leaders. If you’re like me, you’ve come to realize that Leadership and Leading has changed – particularly when you’re coaching and leading kids. The days of holding long meetings with your teams and calling it Leadership are Read more…
We all agree that developing mental skills is an essential part of being a successful athlete.
The ability to perform under pressure, the capacity to remain confident and resilient when competition conditions get tough, the skill to be able to relax and stay focused when feeling pain and fatigue in competition, concentration, visualization……coaches and athletes are unanimous that spending time developing mental skills is time well spent.
However, figuring out the best way to develop mental skills – particularly mental skills which can directly enhance the competition performance of athletes is another matter.
We all think working with a Sports Psychologist is a good idea but Sports Psychologists are like life partners……we know that having one is probably a good idea but it is next to impossible to find a good one. (more…)
There is no doubt that developing self-confidence is one of the hottest topics in sports coaching. Coaches universally agree that helping athletes to develop a strong sense of self-confidence: one which is resistant to the pain, pressure and fatigue of preparation and performance is at the core of what sports coaching is all about. So how do coaches help athletes to develop self-confidence? This article presents some practical ideas for helping athletes to develop a strong, real sense of self-confidence: self-confidence which is built on a solid foundation of evidence rather than on hollow rhetoric, shallow praise and cheesy motivational sayings.