#73 Jerry Lynch and John O’Sullivan discuss how we use the R.I.V.E.R. effect to Connect with our Athletes, and you can too

Some coaches may win a few games or even a championship using bullying tactics without creating any kind of connection or caring environment with the players. If they’d followed the R.I.V.E.R. effect could they have won more? Could they have impacted lives beyond the game? John and Jerry discuss the acronym RIVER and its vital
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#72 Mark Wilson, former Manchester United, Middlesborough, and FC Dallas Player, on great coaches, superstar teammates, and how falling back in love with the game saved his career

What was Sir Alex Ferguson like as a person when the cameras weren’t on him? What was it like to be a part of one of the world’s most famous youth academies and win a Treble of Championships with one of the most storied and powerful sports brands? Listen to this episode with former Manchester
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WOC #71 Kirk Anderson, Former US Tennis Association Coaching Director, on how to put the needs of Players First in Youth Sports

There is a sport out there that has grown 17% every year for the last 6 years. In addition, 54% of participants say it helps them connect with their friends, 67% of parents get to play it with their children, and 71% of parents say it has had a positive influence. Those statistics sound fantastic.
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#70 How to Minimize Injury and Maximize Performance of Young Athletes with author Dr. Tommy John

“We are too busy looking for the silver bullet–the single finger to put in the dam regarding the injury epidemics happening in youth sports today–that we are missing the fact the dam is overflowing.“ Join Dr. Tommy John in this eye-opening, and frightening discussion about the youth sports injury epidemic and his mission to stop
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#69 Why more Physical Education and recess are the keys to better students in schools, with Paul Zientarski, TED Speaker and 40-year veteran Physical Education teacher

What if there was a simple solution to getting better academic performance, reducing discipline problems, and greater engagement of our children at school? There is a simple solution, and instead of adding more of it, we’ve been eliminating it from schools altogether! Paul Zientarski shares how he has transformed school districts by simply adding more
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#68 How to take US Soccer to the next level with Coaching Director for US Youth Soccer, Sam Snow.

What will it take for US Soccer to become a World Soccer Power?  How can we continue to grow the game at the youth levels while helping to improve at the highest too? This episode, we sit down with Sam Snow to talk about his role with US Youth Soccer and the plan for getting
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WOC #67 Coaching Child Soldiers, Empowering Young Girls, and Changing the World Through Sport with Nick Gates, Founder of Coaches Across Continents

What if youth sports had a much greater purpose than winning, fitness, socialization, or development? What if sports could break down barriers, change societal obstructions, create opportunities for the better, and even save lives? In this dually heart-warming and heart-breaking episode Nick Gates, Founder of Coaches Across Continents, shares how his company has been serving
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WOC #66 How to Grow and Improve Your Sport with US Lacrosse Technical Director for Athlete Development TJ Buchanan

The majority of youth sports are suffering from catastrophic attrition rates and we are scrambling to keep kids in the game. US Lacrosse is growing. What is their secret? Listen to the full podcast to hear about how they do it.   Enjoy the show!   Show Notes 7:45 The “Pracademic” of youth sports 12:15
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WOC #65 The Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance with Alex Hutchinson, former elite runner and author of the bestselling book Endure

How much of our human performance limits is physical and how much is “in our heads”? According to Alex Hutchinson, the human brain is the next frontier in breaking barriers in performance. We know more about the brain in the last 50 years than we did in the last 500 years combined. Is he right
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WOC #64 “I’m just a kid playing a game”: Overcoming adversity, managing disappointment, and building an athlete warrior ethos with USA Volleyball Player Cassidy Lichtman

Imagine playing your entire career with unimaginable pain or working your hardest for four years to fall one spot short of making a lifelong dream come true. Now imagine the kind of warrior ethos required to say “my pain will not control my life and my disappointments will not define me”. This is the amazing
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WOC #63 How Chasing Your Dream Can Change Your Life with Paul Kapsalis, author and former Indiana University Men’s Soccer Player

We often discuss what it takes to be a great leader, but the flip side is a willingness to be led. Great athletes, and even great coaches are always eager to learn and be led by others. Are you the kind of athlete willing to listen to others and put in the work? Listen to
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WOC #62“What is your team’s why?” How outcomes are both purpose and process driven with Middlebury College AD Erin Quinn

What if your team was outcome-aware, but process and purpose-driven? What kind of results would you get if there was an undeniable and shared purpose and everyone was focused on the process of being their very best every day? To hear about great outcome-aware, purpose and process-driven teams, listen to our latest podcast.   Enjoy
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WOC #61 Dan Coyle, NYT Bestselling Author of The Talent Code and The Culture Code, on The Four Most Powerful Words a Leader Can Say, and Other Secrets of Highly Successful Teams

“I screwed that up.” Imagine asking a member of the Navy Seals what makes a great leader, and that it is the answer you receive. One of the toughest people on the planet showing vulnerability, failure, and weakness. According to Daniel Coyle, this ability to find weakness is what makes great teams strong. This is
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WOC #60 “We don’t put kindergarteners in big chairs and huge desks, but we ask them to play on big fields with adult rules” with Dr. Stephen Norris, world renowned LTAD expert.

When it comes to setting up classrooms for children, we get it. Everything in the school, including the restrooms, are kid-sized, because we understand they are not adult-sized. Why do we continue to insist on full-size fields, big equipment, and adult rules when it comes to youth sports? If you agree with Dr. Norris in
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WOC #59 “I Like Recruiting Farm Kids!” How 3x NCAA Champion UConn Field Hockey Coach Nancy Stevens Builds Championship Teams

Head Coach Nancy Stevens wrote one short sentence on the locker room mirror prior to the start of UConn Field Hockey’s 2017 season. She then repeated that sentence in the locker room only moments before the team won the National Championship. One short sentence that empowered them, loosened them up, gave them confidence. What did
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#58 What Are the Most Important Leadership Traits to Teach Young Athletes and Other FAQs with Coach Reed Maltbie and John O’Sullivan

Did you ever just want to quit doing what you are doing? How do you handle someone who sabotages your work? How do you help athletes learn without lecturing all the time? What are your thoughts on coaching licenses? Coach Reed and John tackle these Frequently Asked Questions and more in our most recent podcast.
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#57 How to Become a Transformational Coach with Jean Cote, World-Renowned Expert in Youth Sports and Coach Development

If we coached robots, we could simply drill skills until the robots performed them to perfection, but we coach human beings. Way more goes into coaching people than simple drills and skills. Jean Cote shares what it means to be a Transformational Coach in our latest episode. Enjoy the show! Subscribe to the Show  
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#56 “Some parents are crazy, but most are just stressed!” Why parent engagement is key to fixing youth sports with Skye Eddy Bruce, Founder of SoccerParenting.com

Are you one of THOSE sports parents? All too often, we lump sports parents into one large category based on the behaviors of a few. Skye Eddy Bruce joins us to explain that not all parents are that way and the key to creating a better sports experience may be found with engaging parents more effectively.
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#55 Coaching John McEnroe and Other Great Tales from 17x NCAA Champion Stanford Tennis Coach, Dick Gould

What would it be like to coach some of the greatest tennis players of all time before they became the icons they are today? Tune in to our latest podcast to hear Dick Gould’s stories about these iconic players and more from over 50 years with Stanford Tennis. Subscribe to the Way of Champions Podcast
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#54 How Desirable Difficulties Help Our Children Succeed in Sports and Life with Jessica Lahey, Author of The Gift of Failure

Are we robbing our kids of valuable self-directed executive function when we solve everything for them and don’t let them make mistakes? This is a valuable life skill needed to succeed in college and beyond. Listen in as Jessica Lahey explains on the newest podcast. Subscribe to the Way of Champions Podcast on iTunes Show
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#53 The 7 Disciplines of the Winningest College Soccer Program in America with Michael Zigarelli, author of the Messiah Method

When a program, both men’s and women’s teams, wins 16 National Championships in 18 seasons, we should take notice. When those programs are also sought after by parents because they create excellent men and women in the process, there is something we can all learn from them. Find out what Professor Zigarelli discovered about the
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#52 How Belgium went from #66 to #1 in The World Rankings with Belgian FA Director of Coach Education, Kris Van Der Haegen

Has Belgium discovered the secret to International Football success? In 2009, Belgium was #66 on the FIFA World Rankings. They made a few changes and rocketed to #1 in six short years. What did they change? What is their secret? Belgian FA Director of Coach Education, Kris Van der Haegen, shares their secret on our
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#51 No One Gets There Alone with Sports Psychologist Rob Bell

Success never happens in a vacuum. There are always others who have been there with us on the journey to help. When those “helpers” appear will you be ready? Will you take advantage of the gift you are given? Dr. Rob Bell talks about Hinge Moments and those people who are there in those moments.
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#50 It’s Time for Coaching Educators to Start Teaching Coaching and Stop Teaching Sport Science with Olympic Coaching Educator Wayne Goldsmith

Ask dentists what are the 5 most important things they should be learning, and you will find those being taught in dental school. Dentists are given the most important skills to succeed in that role. Ask coaches what are the 5 most important things they should be learning and then audit a coaching education course. Are
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#49 Cindy Timchal, 8x NCAA Champion Lacrosse Coach, on How Champions ‘Win the Day’, Cultivate Leadership, and Do all the Little Things others Hate to Do.

What if, instead of worrying about winning games, we got our athletes to focus first on ‘Winning the Day’? If they focused on their very best, working for the greater good of the team, and getting better every day, what kind of transformation would occur? Bio Hall of Fame head coach Cindy Timchal was named
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#48 Dr. Mark Williams, Skill Acquisition Expert, on Why Early Engagement is Better than Early Specialization

Dr. Williams is Professor and Chair, Department of Health, Kinesiology, and Recreation at University of Utah. Dr. Williams has previously held senior leadership positions in the UK (Head of Life Sciences, Brunel University London) and Australia (Associate Dean for Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney). His research interests focus on the neural and
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#47 Bob Hansen, 7x NCAA Champion Tennis Coach, on Why Team Dynamics are Crucial to Success in Individual Sports

Do you think team dynamics and a strong culture are important in individual sports? One of the most successful coach in NCAA Tennis history tells us what he thinks about it. Bio Hansen is now in his seventh season as the head coach of the Middlebury men’s tennis team. He came to Middlebury from the
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#46 How to Run Better Practices with Best Selling Author Doug Lemov

Bio Doug Lemov is the author of the international bestseller Teach Like a Champion, and Teach Like a Champion 2..0. He is the coauthor with TLAC team colleagues of Practice Perfect, Reading Reconsidered: A Practical Guide to Rigorous Literacy Instruction, and Teach Like a Champion Field Guide 2.0. In addition to his work studying teachers he is the front man in the nation’s
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#45 How a tiny Vermont town quietly became a Cradle of Olympians with Karen Crouse

A small town in Vermont, with only 3,000 full-time inhabitants has put at least one athlete in every Olympic games since 1984, including the highest ever finisher in the ski jump from the US. What are they doing to create such elite athletes? The answer has little to do with sports… Bio Karen Crouse is a
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#44: 22x NCAA and World Cup Champion Coach Anson Dorrance Discusses the Difference Between Coaching Men and Women, Building the Competitive Cauldron, and the Keys To Building a Winning Culture with UNC Women’s Soccer

Want to be a fly on the wall for a conversation between a 36-time NCAA Champion Sport Psychology Consultant and one of the greatest coaches of all time? This is a show you cannot miss! Dr. Jerry Lynch and Anson Dorrance join John this week to talk Dean Smith, John Wooden, Alonzo Stagg, and what
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