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Should You Open Up Your Bag-Of-Coaching-Tricks?

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I’ve noticed many coaches (especially myself) have a few coaching tricks we hold on to. Honestly, I’ve tried many of the new, latest-and-greatest tricks. Especially when it comes to using the newest technology whiz-bang gizmo. But seldom do I find new ones that work as well as my current tricks, so I keep coming back […]

Your Call-To-Action Gets Things Done

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[This is part four in the series on effective persuasion for sport coaches. Click here for the other articles.] Here’s a fact—whenever your athlete leaves a meeting, a practice, or a huddle without knowing EXACTLY what to do…you’ve missed a chance at success. And you may never get that opportunity for success again. You need to […]

The Epic Coach Struggle: To Yell Or To Fascinate

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[This is part three in the series on effective persuasion for sport coaches and is updated from the 2015 version.] Melissa was a great swimmer. Extraordinary someone would say. In the straightaways she was tough to beat. But she had a fault—her flip turns. They weren’t as good as they could be. Coach knew that and […]

Here’s what I want you to do…

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[This is part two in the series on effective persuasion for sport coaches]   I would rather try to persuade a man to go along, because once I have persuaded him, he will stick. If I scare him, he will stay just as long as he is scared, and then he is gone. – Dwight D. […]

Effective Persuasion, The Secret Sauce Of Your Coaching Success

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[This is the first in the series on effective persuasion for sport coaches, and is a significant update from the original article.] You have a team meeting. “Okay team,” you say. “Here’s what I want you to do to get in shape.” Then you walk away from that meeting thinking everything’s good. You’ve told them exactly what they […]

The power of front-porch thinking

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Years ago, the president of my college came to speak at an Athletic Department staff meeting. A very sharp fellow and well spoken, he was wise about the ways of athletics in the college realm. (He had been one of the main administrators in the University of Maryland system during the Len Bias tragedy.) He […]