Way Of Champions Podcast

If you have not yet watched In Search of Greatness, you will want to after this incredible discussion with the movie’s director Gabe Polsky. We dive deep into his time with some of the greatest athletes of our time, including Wayne Gretzky, Pelé, & Jerry Rice. The film also features Muhammad Ali, Einstein, David Bowie, Serena Williams, Michael Jordan among others.     During our conversation, Gabe shares his insights about the film and his own observations about the status of youth sports and the journey some people go on to to becoming the greatest of all time.        Highlights from the Podcast: Gabe explains the inspiration for the film How did Gabe select which athletes to interview? What comes first, happiness or winning? How does a guy like Wayne Gretzky not get filtered out of the system? What are some characteristics of the greatest athletes of all time? Gabe share his ideas for coaches on how to create an environment for greatness What should a coach study to be a great coach?    

In 2019, Kevin Kirk was voted PGA Coach of the Year. Kevin Kirk is one of the top golf coaches in the world. He is a deep thinker, culture creator, and ll-around great guy. We talk bout how to incorporate mental training to golfers, talking with parents, preparing for the national stage as an athlete…you do not want to miss this one!       Highlights from the Podcast: Kevin talks about the idea of “Kaizen” and how it effects his coaching How important is it for a coach to know the story of each of their athletes?  What role does “trust” play in a coach-athlete relationship? Keven remembers his first Way of Champions Conference  How does a coach in an individual sport create a great culture? Kevin offers some insight on how Tiger has been so successful over the years  Changing the word “fear” to “excitement” to help an athlete manage energy levels  Kevin explains why coaching is really teaching awareness  How important is playing golf in the business world? How can we intentionally create

How do you get buy-in from athletes? Why is it important to not try and fit players into a system? How can being a creative thinker make you a better coach? Join us as we answer these questions and much more of Gary Gait, considered by many as the greatest lacrosse player of all-time.      Gary is currently the head coach of the women's lacrosse team at Syracuse University. Gary has won championships as a collegiate and professional coach. When Gary was playing, he was a 4-time All-American at Syracuse and has been inducted into the United States Lacrosse National Hall of Fame, as well as the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame.       Highlights from the Podcast: Gary tells the story of how him and Jerry met Growing up in British Columbia and finding Lacrosse How can a coach create buy-in for learning sports psychology techniques? Gary talks about the lessons learned by losing 4-consecutive championships The idea of “never stand still” as a coach Why is it important to help players be great prob

We are super excited to have USMNT Legend and current SD Loyal Head Coach Landon Donovan on the podcast, joined by his assistant coach Carrie Taylor.  Many of you know Donovan, the all time leading scorer for US Soccer, 6x MLS Champion, and the namesake of the Major League Soccer MVP award. Taylor is the only woman currently coaching professional soccer in the US, and is highly experienced on all levels of the game. In this great podcast, we cover a variety of topics.  Highlights from the Podcast: How to create a positive environment for a productive tryout Why do some athletically gifted athletes succeed and others do not? How does a coach prepare themself to coach at the highest level? Landon describes what it is going to feel like to be part of this team. Carrie shares with what they look for in an athlete  Landon describes how to show up mentally prepared to perform at a high level How and why to be vulnerable and authentic with coaching staff and players How did Landon’s parents help him

From the football field, to the stage, to becoming a best-selling, author Bo Eason joins us on the Way of Champions Podcast to discuss peaking in youth sports, competing against difficult opponents, and the mentality it takes to be the best in the world.     Highlights from the Podcast: Bo shares a defining moment in his life when he was told he was too small to play football Why most people are lousy at selecting future talent in young athletes Why don’t most high school stars go on to be professionals? What happens when NBA players reach their peak at 15-years-old and why is this happening? How important is it for young athletes to compete against difficult opponents? At what point should an athlete peak? What do you say to a child who’s friends are “playing small” and look at wanting to be a success as being conceited? What did Bo learn the most from being in the NFL? What was it like competing against one of the fastest men in the world? How important is it to be a “5-Star” athlete?

If the shoe fits, performance improves! That is the message our guest this week is so passionate about sharing. Dr. Bob Weil is a sports Podiatrist & host of “The Sports Doctor”, bbsradio.com/thesportsdoctor, a live weekly hour show featuring guests from all aspects of sports medicine, fitness & Wellness. We discuss      Highlights from the Podcast: How does the way a shoe fits improve performance? What three things does Dr. Bob recommend when it comes to shoes? Chose the shoe that is designed for the sport. Be fitted properly. If there are constant concerns, consult a podiatrist. What role does genetics play in foot problems? If kids need over-the-counter drugs to participate in sports, maybe we should re-evaluate the situation. What are the two best exercises to strengthen feet? How do you know when a child rally wants to play only one sport? Dr. Bob shares a checklist of things to look for with problems stemming from foot problems      Dr. Bob has treated & worked with

Dr. Jay Martin, Head Men’s Soccer Coach for Ohio Wesleyan for the past 42 years is the winningest coach in college men’s soccer history. We talk with Coach Martin about the importance of making practice fun, how kids have changed in the past 43 years of coaching, and how to use player ideas to improv practice.       Highlights from the Podcast: What brings Coach Martin back coaching after 4-+ years and two national championships? How have things changed in collegiate sports over the past 40+ years? The importance of creating an enticing practice.  How does Coach Martin handle sport/academic conflicts? How have kids changed in 43 years, and if so, how? What is the difference between a coach and a trainer? Coach Martin discusses how to engage players to improve practice  How do you prepare an athlete to sit the bench for the first or second year?   Under Martin’s guidance, Ohio Wesleyan was the winningest men’s soccer team in the NCAA — regardless of division — during the 1980s, compiling a w

What is it like to be be competing to be the best in the world at your sport? In this week’s episode, we talk with author and Olympian Annie Vernon about why sport psychology is as important to understand as building physical strength, how to build confidence and stay motivates, and what to do the you or your athlete has Raceday jitters.  Highlights from the Podcast: Annie shares how she got into rowing as a child  Does coming in second mean failure? How did Annie recover from the results at the 2008 Olympics? Annie discusses where the title of her book Mind Games came from.  Why is mental skills training looked at with a negative stigma? Annie shares ideas on specific sport psychology skills from her book What does confidence mean and how do you build it? Why do coaches have to be careful about he words they use? How to deal with Raceday jitters.  Everyone has their “one moment” in their sport…how do you feel about it now? With nearly a decade at the top of Britain’s most successful Olympic sport, Annie ha

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast, we welcome back Amanda Visek, a certified mental performance coach and associate professor at George Washington University. Dr. Visek has contributed to some of the most incredible research out there on youth sports. During our chat, we discuss why fun is looked upon so poorly in youth sport, what are the similarities between coaching boys and girls, and how kids from ages 8 and 18 define fun. Dr. Visek has been a huge inspiration for John’s new book, Every Moment Matters, out this week! Highlights from the Podcast: Dr. Visek helps us to understand her recent work with youth sports Using concept maps to help kids have fun in sports Why do coaches think some athletes want it to be fun and some want sport to be competitive? Dr. Visek explains why fun is synonymous with development What were the differences between younger and older athletes? Are team dynamics between 8-year-olds and 16-year-olds different? What are some differences between what boys and girls said was

Dan Abrahams is a sport psychologist who works alongside individuals, teams, coaches and organizations globally. He is known for his passion to de-mystify sport psychology and for creating simple to use performance techniques. Dan is a returning guest to the show (see episode #003) and it was again an incredible conversation. We discuss ways an athlete can establish a mental framework for success, how much of our performance we control, and we have a debate on whether attitude, energy and effort are in the control of the athlete.    Highlights from the Discussion: Dan talks about the different strategies he uses to help athletes perform at their best What do stomping “ANTS" and focusing on “Controllables" have to do with performance? How much of our performance do we control? What does a mental framework look like for a typical athlete? Dan explains the importance of self-talk for any athlete  How to manage pain by taking control of the inner dialogue with the self Understanding the psycho-socia

FA National Women's Coach Developer, Amy Price shares her unique approach to player development as she shares how coaches can use the principles of video game design to engage in their development, setting challenges, designing tasks and encouraging problem-solving.    Highlights from the Discussion: How to gain trust of a new team Assessing what a team needs from a coach  How does video game design mirror great practice strategies  Can we create a ‘flow-zone” for multiple players at one time? How can we make players pleasantly unpleasant? Finding the balance between hard and fun What are the elements of video games that are applicable to sports practice? The 5 video game strategies that can be used with athletes  Connect with Amy Price: Twitter: https://twitter.com/amyprice_10 Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Amy_Price9     Support the Podcast! Become a Podcast Champion! …and get FREE access to ALL of our online courses. We are now offering you the ability to contribute a

Tony DiCicco was the former Head Coach of the US Women’s National and Olympic Soccer Teams, as well as the US U20 Women’s National Team.  He coached the US National Team to their famous victory in the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup Championship, the largest women’s sporting event in history. Unfortunately, Tony passed away in June of 2017.    In 1996, he coached the US Women’s Olympic Team to the first ever Gold Medal in Women’s Soccer. In 2008, in his return to international soccer, he coached the US to the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup Championship in Chile. Tony DiCicco is not only the most successful US National Team Coach of all time, but he is a person who understands a thing or two about building culture, team dynamics, and leadership. Highlights from the Discussion: How (and when) Tony got into coaching Tony explains how to get athlete buy-in What really makes Mia Hamm so special Can you cut a player and help her career? What must the US do to produce high-quality players Winning does not equal

"Can you turn the skill into a game?” That is the challenge from this week on the Way of Champions Podcast. Join us as we talk with Dr. Ian Renshaw, Senior Lecturer at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. We discuss the fundamental ideas behind teaching children, how we as coaches inhibit earning by prioritizing a good looking practice drill over developing the athlete, and how meet the individual needs of a large practice squad.    Highlights from the Discussion: Why aren’t kids taught how to learn in sport? How do you meet the needs of all the kids in a class of 30? What are some fundamental ideas behind teaching kids? Are we being realistic about what we teach and the age of the athlete? Are we limiting our gameplay by having drills in practice too strict? Representative Learning Design, explained How do we as coaches prevent athlete development through practice strategies that are out of date? Coaching is about developing awareness, so we should be putting our kids i

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast, John talks with Jay Dicharry, one of America's leading physical therapists and a board-certified Sports Clinical Specialist. The conversation explores many great topics, including how we shouldn't be teaching running to young children, why cutting volume short but keeping intensity high is a more effective practice strategy, and the importance of understanding how delaying sport-specialization will create greater skill as an athlete.  Highlights from the Discussion: Where have we gone wrong with teaching movement? Something to consider as a coach, “Am I teaching kids to move well?" How should we be teaching running to young children? What typically causes injuries while running?   The importance of adding single leg exercises to strength programs What makes Jay want to pull over when he sees someone running along the road? Why cutting volume short but keeping intensity high is a more effective practice strategy Using analogies for running posture: marinate puppet vs

iTunes  -  Spotify  -  Stitcher This week on the Way of Champions Podcast, John talks with Sport Sociologist Jay Coakley, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. The conversation is full of great topics, including why we should punish our kids with conditioning, the three models of youth sports, and the emergence of alternative sports. Highlights from the Discussion: Youth development over highly structured practices mimicking professional organizations Setting expectations for kids without helping them understand the value of reaching those expectations Why we shouldn't punish our kids with conditioning Jay discusses the 13th edition of his textbook "Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies" The three models of youth sports: Skills and Excellence; Physical Literacy and Lifelong Participation; & Growth and Development. Is sport fundamentally positive? Do sports really teach character? What is missing from coach education? What happens when athletes are s

This is a replay of episode 023. It is so good, we wanted to share it again! What if one of the best basketball coaches in the world told you that doing what you think is best for the culture and the program is more important than winning an NCAA title? Would you be willing to let go of the fallacy of winning for creating a culture that matters? This is exactly what Roy Williams told Jenny Levy in 2012. Jenny took what Roy told her to heart and changed her focus from chasing championships to a culture of connection. Two NCAA Championships later, Jenny my have discovered the real “Way of Champions”. Who is Jenny Levi? Entering her 24th season as the North Carolina head coach, Jenny Levy is among the best coaches in women’s lacrosse history. Levy ranks third in NCAA Division I history in career wins, is a two-time national champion and a two-time National Coach of the Year. She was named the head coach of the United States National Team in November of 2017. Highlights from the Discussion: Jen’s Journey began

We have a treat for you this week!!! This week on the Way of Champions Podcast, John and Jerry have a discussion with 8x NBA Champion player and coach, Steve Kerr. What makes a great coach? How do you build a championship culture? Why should a coach ask their team, “How can I be better for you?” These questions and so many more are answered in this fantastic episode with one of the best coaches in the world. Highlights from the Discussion: How an NFL Football Coach helped Coach Kerr develop a coaching philosophy How to get players to buy in to core values of a coach What do effective coaches have in common? Authority and Humanity What percentage of coaching is strategic? “Never let a player rot at the end of a bench." Why has Coach Kerr let his players run the time outs? What is the role of “Love” in coaching? What are the ingredients needed for a great culture? Cultural Architects vs Cultural Assassins How do you build a culture when there is high turnover? Having the confidence and the

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast, John talks with Chris Ritter of Ritter Sports Performance. The conversation is full of great topics, including how to effectively motivate young athletes, bully coaching, and how a coach evolves over time.    Chris Ritter has been coaching and inspiring others for over a decade. RITTER Sports Performance was created out of his desire to empower others to realize their true potential. With his experience as both a strength coach and swim coach, Chris has helped clients of all abilities and backgrounds achieve success, including Olympic Gold Medalists to grandmothers. His energy is focused on growing the team and reach of RITTER to help empower even more athletes and coaches worldwide. Highlights from the Discussion: How to talk to an 8-year-old athlete How John came to create Changing the Game Project What do John and Chris miss about coaching full-time? Why do parents let some coaches bully athletes? The evolution of a coach and the prep that goes into the

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast, John and Jerry talk with Al Huang about how Eastern philosophy meets Western psychology and how it relates to athlete performance. All shares stories about going to work with professional coaches and sports teams, bringing this this message of athleticism and movement and balance. Al and Jerry have written multiple books together, including Thinking Body, Dancing Mind, Spirit of the Dancing Warrior, and The Way of the Champion.   We hope you enjoy this episode with Chungliang Al Huang, as we talk about everything from Tai Chi, to movement to philosophy, to East meets West.  Highlights from the Discussion: How Jerry and Al connected  Combining Eastern thought and athletic performance  The story of Thinking Body, Dancing Mind How can you say “Yes and No” at the same time The importance of “dancing” as an athlete How Thi Chi experience helps an athlete perform at a high level  Al shares story about working with Jacksonville Jaguars and other professional t

In this week’s episode we are changing it up a little bit. John and James go back a few episodes and discuss some of the major points from each interview. Some of the topics they dive into include what drives kids out of sports, if shaming bd sideline behavior is appropriate, and how to be a great parent/coach. Highlights from the Discussion: How making mistakes and showing vulnerability are valuable to coaches John shares a story about driving a child out of sport James shares a story about teaching a skill before demanding to see it during a game Why it is important to share with parents what the kids are learning and what to look for during a game Parents saying no to coaches and setting boundaries around family Does shaming parents and coaches for bad behavior the best way to curb the insanity that happens on the sidelines? John shares with things he has learned from Dr. Jerry Lynch How do activities during practice help an athlete be a better performer and create positive culture? Some