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Choosing the Hard Right in Youth Sports

Wednesday, 20 January 2021 by John O'Sullivan
As many long time listeners and readers know, I am a graduate of Fordham University in New York City. This past Monday, on the occasion of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, one of my former teachers and current university president Father Joseph McShane sent a letter to alumni about courage. I thought it was worth
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  • Published in Coaching, Parenting
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Approaching 2021 with Grace, Patience and Kindness

Monday, 04 January 2021 by John O'Sullivan
As we wind down the year 2020, a year in which Dictionary.com named the word “unprecedented” as its word of the year, I have been using some holiday downtime to think about 2021, and how to improve upon the challenges of the past 9 months. And the word I keep coming upon is “grace.” I
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  • Published in Coaching, Motivation, Sports Parenting
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Two Magic Words

Tuesday, 20 October 2020 by John O'Sullivan
“What were you doing out there?” screamed an angry dad. “I told you to shoot!” yelled the coach to the shell shocked young boy who just passed to his teammate instead of fulfilling the coaches wishes. “He doesn’t know what he is doing” says a third parent, shaking his head as the attack falters and
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  • Published in Coaching, Parenting
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Great Coaches are Both Firm AND Flexible

Monday, 27 July 2020 by John O'Sullivan
I was reading through some of the comments on some old blog posts recently, as they are often enlightening. I came across a few comments, such as: “Are we supposed to be a competitive club, or have fun?” one coach asked. “Are we teaching these kids and demanding excellence, or giving everyone a trophy?” another
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  • Published in Coaching
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Why Volunteer Coaches Need to be More Like Volunteer Firefighters

Tuesday, 09 June 2020 by John O'Sullivan
If you are a longtime reader of this blog, you may know that my father was a firefighter on the New York Fire Department many years ago. His father was a firefighter. My brother was a firefighter. But what you may not know is that after seven years on the job, my father was badly
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  • Published in Coaching
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Another Great Coach Bites the Dust. How Sad!

Wednesday, 05 February 2020 by John O'Sullivan
Yesterday was a tough day. It was a tough day because I had a conversation with another coaching friend who had lost his job. He was not fired for doing anything illegal. He was not fired for anything inappropriate. He was not fired for bullying or demeaning behavior. He was complimented for his integrity and
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  • Published in Coaching, High School Sports, Problems in Youth Sports
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Are Sports Fundamentally Good?

Thursday, 26 December 2019 by John O'Sullivan
I recently came across a great quote from the poet TS Elliot, who says “Nothing pleases people more than to go on thinking what they have always thought, and at the same time imagine that they are thinking something new and daring: it combines the advantage of security with the delight of adventure.” The quote
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  • Published in Coaching, Parenting, Problems in Youth Sports
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Why Do I Coach? An Excerpt from EVERY MOMENT MATTERS

Tuesday, 10 December 2019 by John O'Sullivan
People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe. —Simon Sinek We spend the vast majority of our time in traditional coaching education learning the tools to run a great practice and coach in the competition. Intuitively, this seems to make sense. Yet
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  • Published in Coaching
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#129 Win the Day with sport psychologist and Way of Champions founder Dr. Jerry Lynch

Sunday, 25 August 2019 by John O'Sullivan
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
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  • Published in Coaching, Podcast
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A Coach’s Words Can Change a Life

Tuesday, 28 May 2019 by John O'Sullivan
(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
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  • Published in Coaching, Uncategorized
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Don’t Steal the Reps from Your Athletes

Wednesday, 01 May 2019 by John O'Sullivan
Imagine you went to your child’s algebra class and got to be a fly on the wall. Imagine the teacher was being assessed on your child’s test results in two days. Now imagine that instead of teaching your child how to problem solve, and the concepts behind doing algebra problems, she just took out the
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  • Published in Coaching, Parenting
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Why is Abusive Coaching Tolerated in Sports?

Wednesday, 15 August 2018 by John O'Sullivan
On May 29, 2018, University of Maryland lineman Jordan McNair ran the last sprint of his life. After a series of 110 yd runs, during which he became disoriented and had trouble standing, McNair collapsed and died of heat stroke. He had a body temperature of 106 degrees in the hospital. He was only 19.
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  • Published in Coaching
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Parenting and Coaching The Perfectionist Athlete

Tuesday, 08 May 2018 by John O'Sullivan
Last week, we received a question that we get often, so we thought it would make a great blog: “I was wondering if you could provide some advice. My son is 8 years old and plays on a travel baseball team. [He is ] blessed with athleticism. He’s fast and has great hand-eye coordination. The
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  • Published in Coaching, Parenting
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How to Make Coaching a True Profession

Wednesday, 21 March 2018 by John O'Sullivan
“It ain’t what you know that gets you in trouble. It’s what you know that just ain’t true.” – Mark Twain “What makes you a professional?” That was the question Dr. Richard Bailey, Head of Research at the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education, posed to me and 250 PGA instructors in Orlando
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  • Published in Coaching
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The One Question All Coaches Should Ask Their Athletes

Wednesday, 08 November 2017 by John O'Sullivan
Coaches, imagine if there was a way to gain insight, understanding, and connection with your athletes by asking a simple question? There is. let me explain how. A few years back, I coached a talented, yet underperforming sixteen-year-old girl I will call Maddy. She was incredibly inconsistent in her play and often looked very depressed.
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  • Published in Coaching
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WOC #34 Best Selling Author, Dan Heath, on How Coaches can Create Extraordinary Moments for their Athletes

Sunday, 05 November 2017 by John O'Sullivan
Everyone has these defining moments in their lives that they vividly recall. Some are extraordinary and some are terrible. As coaches, we do not get to choose which moments our athletes recall, but we do get to choose the moments we create in order to ensure what we leave our athletes with are exceptionally positive
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  • Published in Coaching, Podcast
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WOC #33 Best Selling Authors Wade Gilbert and Jerry Lynch Discuss What Quality Coaching Really Looks Like

Sunday, 29 October 2017 by John O'Sullivan
How do you define a quality coach? Is it number of wins? Are we expert coaches because of the amount of time we have coached the game? Wade Gilbert and Jerry Lynch have a candid conversation with John about what it really means to be a quality coach and the definition is not what we
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  • Published in Coaching, Podcast
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The “Power of Moments” in Youth Sports

Tuesday, 17 October 2017 by John O'Sullivan
The Magic Castle Hotel is one of the top three rated hotels in Los Angeles. Of its nearly 3000 reviews, 93% rate it very good or excellent, putting it above properties such as The Four Seasons and the Ritz Carlton. Yet, as you flip through the photos online, you don’t see much that makes you
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  • Published in Coaching, Parenting
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WOC #31 Mark Bennett, Founder of Performance Development Systems, How Coaches Can Shape Behavior, Influence Training Habits, and Build Accountable Teams

Sunday, 15 October 2017 by John O'Sullivan
What can sport coaches learn from a former British Commando? A better way to deliver content, ensure learning has occurred, and empower players to own their learning process. In this episode, Mark explains how coaches can more effectively shape behaviors, which will lead to better learning outcomes. Bio Mark has been training, coaching & mentoring
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  • Published in Coaching, Podcast
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Performance is a Behavior, NOT an Outcome!

Thursday, 21 September 2017 by John O'Sullivan
Last week I received the following email (edited for anonymity). We get calls and emails like this quite often from amazing, passionate coaches who are trying to make a difference. Take a read: Dear John, I’m currently a head football coach…I took over the program last January after being on staff for the previous 10
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  • Published in Coaching, Talent Development
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WOC #25 Dr. Richard Bailey, Head of Research at ICSSPE, On What We Need to Make Coaching a True Profession

Sunday, 03 September 2017 by John O'Sullivan
Is the way we coach based upon the latest science, research, and best practices of how children learn? Or is it based upon how we were coached growing up? In this fantastic interview, Dr. Richard Bailey, Head of Research at ICSSPE, separates fact from fiction and discusses some of the common mistakes that he sees
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  • Published in Coaching, Podcast
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WOC #23 – 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

Sunday, 20 August 2017 by John O'Sullivan
“…and it may mean you may never win.” 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
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  • Published in Coaching, Podcast
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WOC #22 John Kessel, USA Volleyball, Lines Teach You How, but the Game Teaches You Why

Sunday, 13 August 2017 by John O'Sullivan
Neurosurgeons say if they practiced the way they did 18 months ago, they’d be sued for malpractice. Heart surgeons believe if they practiced the way they did 5 years ago, they’d be sued for malpractice. Yet, in youth sport coaching we still practice the way we did when we were kids. John Kessel believes we
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  • Published in Coaching, Podcast
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WOC #21 Nate Sanderson, Two-Time Iowa High School State Champion Basketball Coach, On The Art of Engaging Parents in a Winning Team Culture

Sunday, 06 August 2017 by John O'Sullivan
If an athlete’s inner dialogue is made up of the voices they hear most often and most intensely in their daily lives, what are we as parents and coaches saying that can form a champion’s mind? Join us as we talk to Two-time Iowa High School State Basketball Championship winning coach, Nate Sanderson, to discuss
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  • Published in Coaching, Podcast, Sports Parenting
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WOC #20 Jim Thompson, Founder of the Positive Coaching Alliance, on How Connection Precedes Commitment in Leadership

Monday, 31 July 2017 by John O'Sullivan
What if there was a single component you could add to your coaching that would get total commitment from your players, create better relationships with your parents, and possibly help you win more games? Jim Thompson shares this component and more in the newest Way of Champions Podcast. He also discusses the knowledge, strategies, and
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  • Published in Coaching, Leadership, Podcast
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WOC #17 Lynn Kachmarik, First Female Coach of a Men’s Division I Sport, On Protecting Our Children In Sports

Monday, 10 July 2017 by John O'Sullivan
Lynn has over 45 years of experience in youth, high school, collegiate, and professional sports. Lynn was an All-American water polo player and swimmer at Slippery Rock University where she received her BS and MS Degrees in Physiology and Education. She was a 12-year member of the United States National Water Polo team, and then
coachingproblems in youth sportsyouth sports
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  • Published in Coaching, Podcast
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WOC #16 Stuart Armstrong, Head of Coaching for Sport England, “Learning Happens in the Ugly Zone” and other coaching factors

Sunday, 02 July 2017 by John O'Sullivan
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
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  • Published in Coaching, Podcast
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WOC #14 Mark Upton, International Skill Acquisition and Coaching Education Expert, on Quality Coaching

Sunday, 18 June 2017 by John O'Sullivan
As co-creator of social enterprise ‘myfastestmile’ and with a role in the UK Olympic sport system, much of Mark’s work revolves around understanding learning & expert performance in order to facilitate the development of sport participants, coaches and leaders. He is passionate about creating dynamic environments for people at all levels of sport to be
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  • Published in Coaching, Podcast
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WOC #13 Nicole LaVoi, Co-Director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport

Sunday, 11 June 2017 by John O'Sullivan
Author of Women in Sports Coaching, Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D. is a Senior Lecturer in the area of social and behavioral sciences in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota where she is also the Co-Director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, and the co-founder of the
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  • Published in Coaching, Podcast
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How Would You Spend $100 Million to Improve Your Favorite Sport? My Advice for US Soccer

Tuesday, 30 May 2017 by John O'Sullivan
What would you do with $100 million to improve the sport you love? It’s kind of a magic wand question, isn’t it? You have enough money to make a significant impact in a sport on every level, how do you spend it? Recently in the news, it has been reported that the US Soccer Federation
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  • Published in Coaching, Soccer
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