137 (Replay) Jenny Levy, Two-Time National Lacrosse Champion and Coach of the Year, on why it’s not the winning, it’s the atmosphere that matters most

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
Read more
No Comments

#136 Steve Kerr, 8x NBA Champion player and coach, on developing your culture and being a great coach

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
Read more
No Comments

#135 Chris Ritter of Ritter Sports Performance talks strength training, building culture, and the multi-sport athlete

iTunes  –  Spotify  –  Stitcher 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
Read more
No Comments

Do Sports Actually Teach Character?

Head to any sports field this afternoon, and you will hear whistles blaring and coaches urging on their players to work harder and compete more. You will see exhausted athletes with their hands on their knees being implored to do one more set, or a coach shout “do it again” when a rep is not
Read more
No Comments

#134 – Eastern Philosophy Meets Western Athlete Performance: A Discussion with Chungliang Al Huang

iTunes  –  Spotify  –  Stitcher 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
Read more
No Comments

The Highlight Episode: John and James break down the most interesting topics raised in recent interviews

iTunes  –  Spotify  –  Stitcher 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
Read more
No Comments

#132 Professional Soccer Player Chris Wondolowski on building a Warrior Culture and becoming the all time leading scorer in MLS history

iTunes  –  Spotify  –  Stitcher This week on the Way of Champions Podcast, John and Jerry talk with San Jose Earthquakes’ Chris Wondolowski on building a warrior culture and becoming the all time leading scorer in MLS history. It is a great episode you are not going to want to miss! Highlights from the Discussion: Jerry
Read more
No Comments

#131 Terry Steiner, Team USA Women’s Wrestling Head Coach “You could be the last person with a chance to reach that kid!”

iTunes  –  Spotify  –  Stitcher “What is the difference between an artist and a coach? At the end of the day, an artist can throw their work away, but a coach cannot.” You do not want to miss this interview with Women’s National Wrestling Team Head Coach Terry Steiner. We discuss the difference between coaching
Read more
No Comments

#130 What are your coaching “non-negotiables?” A discussion with Sport Consultant JP Nerbun

iTunes  –  Spotify  –  Stitcher This week’s podcast guest is J.P. Nerbun, mentor, writer, coach, and sports consultant. We dive into the difference between transformational coaching and transactional coaching, why labeling an athlete as “uncoachable” is more of a reflection on the coach than the athlete, and why every coach should be intentional about their “non-negotiables.” JP has
Read more
No Comments

#129 Win the Day with sport psychologist and Way of Champions founder Dr. Jerry Lynch

Tunes  –  Spotify  –  Stitcher How does picking values make us better coaches? What are ways coaches can increase influence? How do we find life balance as a coach? All this and so much more as we welcome back sports psychologist Dr. Jerry Lynch fresh from the 4th annual Way of Champions conference. Jerry has
Read more
No Comments

#128 Can We Stop the Officials Shortage by Shaming Parents and Coaches? A Conversation with Referee Brian Barlow

iTunes  –  Spotify  –  Stitcher This week’s podcast guest is Brian Barlow, Oklahoma father and soccer referee Brian Barlow. On his facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/youreoffside/, Barlow calls out parents who are caught on tape displaying poor sportsmanship and offers $100 to people who submit the videos to bring attention to the pervasive problem of parents acting badly
Read more
No Comments

#127 Mark Pulisic, Father of USMNT Star Christian Pulisic, on Coaching and Raising Highly Motivated Athletes

This weekend, US men’s national team star Christian Pulisic began his EPL career with Chelsea after his $73 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund to London. In today’s podcast, we speak with his father Mark, a former collegiate and professional player and coach, about a variety of topics, including what it was like to raise Christian,
Read more
No Comments

#126 “The Only Thing That Will Prevent You From Getting Better is Thinking That You Know it All” 59 High-Performance Lessons from the Best of the Best with Fergus Connolly

Click here for apple Podcast Link In this week’s podcast we welcome Dr. Fergus Connolly, one of the world’s foremost human performance thought leaders and influencers. Dr. Connolly has applied performance science with leading sports, military, and business teams. He is the only coach to have full times roles in every major sport, including soccer (Liverpool, Bolton
Read more
No Comments

#125 Champions Act Like Champions Before they Become Champions: How to Find Your Hidden Talent with Author and Coach Travis Daugherty

In this week’s podcast we welcome Travis Daugherty, a coach, teacher, speaker, and author of Hidden Talent: Uncovering What Really Makes a Champion a Champion.We discuss how sports should bring families together, the importance of knowing your “why” as a coach, and why it is crucial to know the difference between talent and ability. Other Highlights from the
Read more
No Comments

#124 “It’s difficult to be a great teammate if you are still focused on yourself” with Dr. Peter Scales, author of Mental and Emotional Training for Tennis

 “It’s difficult to be a great teammate if you are still focused on yourself,” says Dr. Peter Scales, author of Mental and Emotional Training for Tennis. For more than 45 years, Dr. Peter Scales has been a developmental psychologist, researcher, author, and speaker, internationally recognized as one of the world’s foremost authorities on the
Read more
No Comments

#123 Coaches of the Future Need to be Evidence Based Coaches with Dr. Ron Quinn

 Coaches of the future need to be evidence based coaches, according to Dr. Ronald Quinn, our recent guest on the Way of Champions Podcast. Join us as we discuss many topics, including why he chose to focus on youth sports and not coaching professionals, teaching “positions” versus “positioning”, and the importance of having a
Read more
No Comments

When You Attend a Youth Sports Event, Know Your Role!

Imagine the perfect summer day. The sun is out, The birds are chirping. And a bunch of 7 year old boys scurry about a baseball diamond, trying to hit, run, throw and catch, all the while smiling and giggling and doing what 7-year-old boys do. But then the game gets tense. Parents and coaches started
Read more
No Comments

#122 The Importance of Free Play in the Development of a Young Athlete with Ted Kroeten, founder of Joy of the People

 What does free play have to do with performance? Why does deliberate practice often fail to help a child reach their full potential? Let’s find out! Join John and Ted Kroeten, founder of Joy of the People, as they discuss why free play before structure is the best way to help young athletes reach
Read more
No Comments

#121 5 Olympic Medals and a Lifetime of Lessons: An Interview with UK Sport’s Dame Katherine Grainger

 How can an Olympic Silver Medal be the greatest and worst moment of your life? This week on the Way of Champions Podcast, we welcome 5x Olympian and current Chair of UK Sport: Dame Katherine Grainger. Dame Katherine is British rower and with five Olympic medals and is Great Britain’s most decorated female Olympian.
Read more
No Comments

#120 Football Starts at Home, with Tom Byer

Tom Byer is a former professional soccer player originally from New York but who is now based in Tokyo, Japan as one of the most decorated and admired grassroots soccer coaches in the Asian region. HIs official title is Tom is the Technical Consultant for the Ministry of Education School Football Campus Program”.  He was
Read more
No Comments

#119 Using Play to Enhance Player and Team Development with Richard Cheetham

Richard Cheetham MBE is Senior Fellow in Sports Coaching. He recently been awarded the 2018 UK Coaching Coach Developer of the year. Cheetham has worked at the University of Winchester since 2005, following three years spent teaching and coaching in New Zealand. He has a reputation at national and international level in coach education and development
Read more
No Comments

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, our Favorite book so far in 2019

Yes, it is summer, which means it’s time to sit back, relax and catch up on some reading. Well, you are in luck, because this has been a banner year for some new releases, plus some 2018 books I am just getting to. Let’s go! Best Book (so far) of 2019 Range: Why Generalists Triumph
Read more
No Comments

How to Learn Like a Jungle Tiger with Trevor Ragan from TrainUgly.com

Meet Trevor Ragan, the guest on this week’s Way of Champions Podcast. Trevor is the founder of Train Ugly, and the host of a fantastic podcast called The Learner Lab [link]. This one goes a little over an hour, but we promise it is worth the time! Grab a notebook and a pen, and maybe some coffee or
Read more
No Comments

Bonus Episode: John and Jerry Discuss the 4th Annual Way of Champions Conference

In this bonus episode, John and Jerry discuss the Way of Champions Conference in Denver, CO on August 2-4. Visit https://changingthegameproject.com/wocconference for more information! WOCERALYBIRD for $100 off (good until June 15, 2019) Discounts for students from 1/2 off Group discount, 1/2 off with 5 or more coaches Highlights from the Podcast: Why Jerry is learning
Read more
No Comments

Turning Confrontation into Communication, not Conflict” with Rob Miller from Proactive Coaching

Rob is a motivational speaker for “Proactive Coaching“. Along with Bruce Brown, Rob uses his speaking skills and “coaching” knowledge to promote the “Proactive Coaching” mission of helping coaches positively impact their athlete’s lives. His experience gives him an amazing view at the status of modern day coaching and parenting. Highlights from the Podcast: Teaching
Read more
No Comments

A Coach’s Words Can Change a Life

(This article was submitted by Pete Jacobson, a varsity HS coach in New York for almost 20 years. He also works with coaches of all levels through WinSmarter to help them get better at what they do, have a greater impact and go home happy.) “When you hit your leg attacks well, you can take
Read more
No Comments

#116 Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World with David Epstein, NYT bestselling author of Range and The Sports Gene

David Epstein is the author of Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, and of the New York Times bestseller The Sports Gene. He has master’s degrees in environmental science and journalism and has worked as an investigative reporter for ProPublica and a senior writer for Sports Illustrated. He lives in Washington, DC. Highlights
Read more
No Comments

#115 Former US olympic Soccer Player and National Team Coach Erik Imler on Developing a Coaching Philosophy

Our guest this week is Erik Imler. Imler, a UVA graduate, was a NCAA National Champion in 1989, 1991 and 1992 and went on to be a member of the 1992 Olympic Team and represented the United States as a player and then as a coach. As a Youth Academy Director and passionate blogger who
Read more
No Comments

#114 “Is Coaching an art or a Science?” A discussion with former Team USA Volleyball Head Coach Terry Liskevych

Terry Liskevych spent 12 years as the head coach of the USA National Women’s Volleyball Team. During his tenure with the National Team, the U.S. posted over 300 international victories and earned bronze medals at the 1992 Olympics and the 1990 World Championships. In 1995 Liskevych led his team to the gold medal at the
Read more
No Comments

#113 The Difference Between Talent and Ability, a discussion with Stuart Armstrong of The Talent Equation

Stuart Armstrong is the Head of Coaching for Sport England. Prior to Sport England, he was the Player Development Manager for the Rugby Football Union. He is one of the world’s top experts on player development pathways and skill acquisition, and has helped thousands of coaches in the UK create better learning environments and develop
Read more
No Comments