#103 How to Build a Model Youth Sports Organization w/ John Luetkemeyer

Join us as we talk to John Luetkemeyer about how a youth sports organization went from a local disaster to national recognition based on volunteers changing how we trained players! It is an incredible conversation filled with nuggets of wisdom. John has spent 25 years as a youth hockey coach working with players from mini-mite to high
Read more
No Comments

#102 “Is there a difference between Coaching Girls and Coaching Boys?” with Dr. Kristen Dieffenbach

Kristen Dieffenbach is an associate professor of Athletic Coaching Education and the director of the Center for Applied Coaching and Sport Science at West Virginia University. She earned her PhD in exercise and sport science with an emphasis in sport and exercise psychology and is an Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) certified mental skills
Read more
1 Comment

#101 How to Create a Season to Remember with former MLB player Jack Perconte

John Patrick “Jack” Perconte (born August 31, 1954) is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1980 to 1986. In addition to his Major League baseball career, Perconte has authored three books: “Creating a Season to Remember: The New Youth Sports Coaching Leadership Handbook “The Making of a Hitter- A Proven and Practical Step-by-Step Baseball Guide” “Raising
Read more
No Comments

#100 “Every Child is One Relationship Away from a Successful Life:” A Lesson on Transformational Coaching from Joe Ehrmann and Jody Redman of the InSideOut Initiative

This podcast would not exist, the Changing the Game Project would not exist, if it were not for Joe Ehrmann. Many years ago, I read his incredible book InsideOut Coaching, and it changed my life forever. It validated for me that there was more to coaching than Xs and Os, and that I wanted to
Read more
No Comments

#99 How to Help your Teams Overcome Fear in Must Win Games: A Fireside Chat with John and Jerry

Do your athletes struggle with the right frame of mind for the “big game”? Does the pressure of a “must-win” have an effect on their pre-game mindset? Tune in to hear about some strategies for keeping a cool head win it is all “on the line”. Enjoy the Show Getting in Touch: Jerry: wayofchampions@gmail.com John:
Read more
No Comments

#98 MLS All Star and US National Team Forward Brian Ching discusses his Journey from Hawaii to the World Cup

He was not always the best player in the group, he didn’t play soccer year-round, and he didn’t have access to see the game being played by the best. He did work harder than anyone else and always kept the mindset there was room to be better. Because he chose work ethic as his guide,
Read more
No Comments

#97 “Nobody Becomes a Champion by Accident” with Dana Cavalea, Former NY Yankees Strength and Conditioning Coach

You can take courses, read a bunch of books, listen to a thousand podcasts on what you should be doing to be a champion. Dana Cavalea has been there too, but he had a front-row seat to Champion Habits as the Strength and Conditioning Coach of the New York Yankees, and he knows exactly what
Read more
No Comments

#96 “Success is Not an Accident; Success is a Choice” with Alan Stein Jr., author of Raise Your Game: High-Performance Secrets from the Best of the Best

It’s not what the greatest performers do in the moment of competition that makes them the greatest. It is what they did in the “unseen” moments long before they take to the arena that matter. Success never happens in the moment. It is honed, crafted, practiced painstakingly in days, months, years prior. Choose to be
Read more
1 Comment

#95 5 Tools to Help You Win without Talking About Winning with longtime HS Basketball Coach Greg Garrison

We present a lot of theory on the Way of Champions podcast, but putting that theory into practice is what matters most. In this episode, we talk with veteran basketball coach, Greg Garrison, about 5 practical methods you can use with any team, in any sport, to begin a culture of winning tomorrow. Enjoy the
Read more
No Comments

#94 Can We Promote and Teach Creativity with James Vaughan from the Player Development Project

We all want our players to be creative. We structure the way they train to promote creativity. We talk to them about embracing creativity. However, because we structure it, are we prohibiting the potential for creativity to arise? Is the macro-culture of youth sports holding back creativity? James Vaughan, who did a PhD in studying
Read more
No Comments

#93 Super Bowl Champion and All-Pro Lineman Matt Birk and the Case for Late Specialization in Sports

He didn’t specialize early. In fact, he didn’t play until late in his childhood and scouts were not lining up to sign him for college football. Still, Matt Birk forged a great career and became one of the best Lineman in the NFL. Do you really need to focus on one sport early in your
Read more
No Comments

#92 A Fireside Chat on the Future of Coaching with Mark Bennett, Stuart Armstrong, Juan Gonzales Mendia, and John O’Sullivan

Become a fly on the wall and listen in as the experts behind the Future Coaching Conference plan out the sessions, discuss what it means to be a great coach, differentiate between resilience, grit, and mental toughness, and much more. Stuart Armstrong hosts from his car while driving the M6, and John, Mark, and Juan
Read more
No Comments

#91 A Conversation with World Cup and Olympic Sports Psychologist Bill Beswick

It is important the people coaching our children have all the qualities and skills necessary to develop success beyond the game. Who “coaches” our children’s coaches? This week, we continue with this theme of coach development to discuss how vital it is to have someone “coaching the coaches”. Bill Beswick is widely considered one of
Read more
No Comments

#90 How a Coaching Mentor Can Change Your Life with Alan Keane, England u18 Basketball Head Coach

We often talk on this podcast about theory and research, but this week we are talking about application. We have mentioned many times about the importance of getting a coaching mentor or at least a group of coaches to bounce ideas off of, get advice from, and help us raise our game. What does that feel
Read more
No Comments

#89 A Commitment to Changing the Culture of Coaching with Lynn Berling-Manuel, CEO of United Soccer Coaches

To make real change we need those in a position of influence to support and advance the cause. United Soccer Coaches is the largest coaching membership organization in the world and they have recently committed to changing the coaching culture. Listen to this conversation with Lynn Berling-Manuel. Enjoy the Show! Show Notes 5:15 The single
Read more
No Comments

#88 How to start a coaching mentorship group in your community with Ryan Krzykowski, Founder of Community for Coaches

What group has the most influential position and platform to impact the lives of our children? Coaches. What are we doing to ensure that group is prepared to coach with purpose and change lives for the better? This week’s guest has an answer for that. Enjoy the Show Show Notes 1:45 Ryan’s own journey 8:00
Read more
No Comments

#87 Becoming a Coaching Wizard with Russel Earnshaw and John Fletcher of The Magic Academy

Instead of coaching athletes for today’s outcomes, why not coach them in a way that prepares them to succeed in future seasons too? Teach them what they need to evolve as the game does too.  Join Russel Earnshaw and John Fletcher of the Magic Academy to hear more. Enjoy the Show Show Notes 4:15 When
Read more
No Comments

#86 Building faster, stronger athletes at every age with Olympic and World Champion strength coach Mike Boyle

Does weight lifting stunt growth? At what age should my kid start lifting? Mike Boyle is one of the pioneers in strength training and has worked at all ages and stages of sports. He answers these questions and more in this week’s episode. Enjoy the Show! Show Notes 7:00 One of the original strength coaches
Read more
No Comments

#85 How to Transform the Culture of Your Youth Sports Program with Nate Baldwin, Appleton Parks and Recreation Sports Coordinator

Across the board, youth sports participation rates are dropping and coach retention is extremely low, yet Appleton recreation is seeing an average of 60% increase in participation across its four biggest sports and coach retention is 90%. What are they doing differently? Enjoy the Show! Show Notes 1:00 Nate’s backstory 12:30 If we are in
Read more
1 Comment

#84 How to Build Great Habits and Break Bad Ones with Internationally Known Author and Blogger James Clear

Have you ever tried to break a bad habit or create a good one and struggled to get the results to stick? James Clear has solved the problem and shares some of the science behind habits in this podcast and his new book. Listen in now.   Enjoy the Show Show Notes 8:40 How James
Read more
1 Comment

#83 Children Become the Messages They Hear the Most with Dr. Jim Taylor, Sports Psychologist and author of Raising Young Athletes

What do you say to your athlete in the car ride to and from the game? What is the message during games, especially in those tense moments of high pressure? What we say to our children, becomes their inner voice. Listen in for Dr. Jim Taylor’s advice on creating successful youth athletes. Enjoy the Show!
Read more
3 Comments

#82 The Barcelona Way: Unlocking the DNA of a Winning Culture with author Damian Hughes

Great cultures abound as examples of sporting success. The key is to build your own, using the success clues left by others as your guide. In this episode, Damien Hughes outlines the clues left by Barcelona and other great sports cultures so we can begin to develop a culture of success with our teams. Enjoy
Read more
2 Comments

#81 Lessons from Kris Van Der Haegen, Mark Upton, and Mark Bennett that have made me a Better Coach

Sports are as much a learning journey as for us as it is for the athletes we coach. We MUST be willing to learn from those around us and evolve for the sake of those we lead. In this episode, John shares the three greatest lessons he has learned over the last 80 shows. Enjoy
Read more
1 Comment

#80 Eating Disorders, and How Coaches Can Help Athletes have a Healthy Relationship with Food, Exercise and Their Bodies with National Champion Cyclist and Sports Psychologist Dr. Kate Bennett

As Coach Reed says, what you say echoes as their inner voice. What are we saying and doing that can be the voice driving athletes to make dangerous decisions regarding nutrition and their bodies? What can we do to recognize and prevent these issues before it’s too late? Tune in to this difficult and important
Read more
No Comments

#79 The Power of Influence: A Fireside Chat with John and Jerry about how coaches, parents and teammates can impact their teams in a positive way

What is influence, why is it never neutral, and how can we be more intentional about positively influencing our athletes? Join the Fireside Chat with Jerry and John now to find out more! Enjoy the Show! Show Notes 11:30 Joy should be the first core value of sports 15:15 What is influence 26:00 The influence
Read more
No Comments

#78 Pause before you post – why athletes must be intentional on social media, with 2x All-American and USA Basketball Assistant Coach Scott Fitch

One post. One moment of poor judgment frozen in time on social media. That is all it takes to alter your future trajectory as a youth athlete. In this episode Scott Fitch shares stories of athletes who should have “paused before they posted” and much more. Enjoy the Show!  Show Notes 1:15 Scott’s development journey
Read more
No Comments

#77 Mindfulness, Peak Performance, and “Playing in the Space Between” with Dr. Amy Saltzman

What would it look like if all your athletes were able to acknowledge, resolve, and let go of emotions and feelings during games? If they could choose the right behaviors, even in moments of high pressure because they were able to understand and forgive their own feelings and thoughts and not get stuck in negative
Read more
2 Comments

#76 Mark Bennett Returns! The Founder of PDS Coaching on Using the Rule of 3 for Coaching Excellence and Ways to Make Your Athletes More Accountable

This is a first for WOC! Coaching Expert Mark Bennett returns to expound on his Rule of 3 and teach us how to develop independent, self-aware, and accountable athletes at all levels of the game. Queue this one up and listen on your way to work today! Enjoy the Show! Other Interviews with Mark Mark’s
Read more
1 Comment

#75 How to Incorporate Long Term Athlete Development into your practices with internationally known experts Joe Eisenmann, Tony Moreno and Rick Howard

People talk about “old school” when it comes to coaching and athlete performance. The problem is most of us have the wrong perspective. “Old school” is not strength and conditioning in a vacuum with no functional movement. “Old School” is not running laps until you puke. “Old School”, as defined by Joe, Tony, and Rick,
Read more
1 Comment

WOC #74 Anthony Latronica, US U17 Men’s National Team and US Men’s Paralympic Assistant Coach, on the Importance of Developing Players at Every Age and Stage

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to coach the likes of Christian Pulisic when he was a youngster? Have you thought about how life-changing it would be to coach War Heroes on the U.S. National Paralympic Team? Don’t miss this episode where Anthony shares the stories of his coaching legacy. Enjoy the
Read more
No Comments