Timeout for Better Coaching Martin Davis

Mat Pistole of Bureau Valley High School has been in coaching for more than a decade, and never endured the kind of losing streak he is now enduring. Rather than get discouraged, he has drawn important lessons about coaching and the meaning of sport from his struggles. A twitter post about this went viral. Now, Mat joins Time Out for Better Coaching to talk about the lessons he has learned, and the important lessons that other coaches can take from his experience. 

Mark O'Keefe has spent a life in journalism. What does that have to do with coaching? Well, as a high school athlete he learned about the power of coaching from one of the legendary Cross Country coaches in his home state of Wisconsin. At Marquette University, he broke stories about the basketball team and its head coach. And in Virginia, he covered some of the better high school coaches in the state. In this wide-ranging interview, Mark talks about his own upbringing, the relationship between coaches and reporters and how to improve them, and his newest venture aimed at helping people get fired up about life and work after the age of 50.

5:00 Minutes - Mark talks about running for legendary cross country coach Donn Behnke, who took a moribund team and turned it into a state powerhouse, touching the lives of thousands of students in the process.

13:00 Minutes – Mark talks about his time spent in sports journalism, including breaking the news about the Green Bay Packers firing Bart Starr, and his story exposing advantages given to men's basketball players at Marquette University. 

19:00 Minutes – Mark provides guidelines for how to deal with local sports reporters. High school coaches will learn the importance of honesty, transparency, and developing a relationship. They'll also learn more about the journalist's proper role, and what to do when things go awry.

29:00 Minutes – Mark's new venture if Fired Up After 50. He provides insights on how to manage your life and career in the latter stages of life and how to thrive.

One could write a book about what Lauren Gaudette has been through, but she'd rather talk about today. Right now. And her passion for coaching high school athletics. In this interview, Lauren - who has enduring multiple major medical procedures, and been proving people wrong her entire life - talks about how she approaches coaching. Her passion for high school sports. What she gives to her student-athletes. And what they teach her. 

Follow Lauren on Twitter at @CoachLLGaudette

Want to know more? Watch this piece about her on the New Hampshire Chronicle. 

Neil Duffy is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, a highly decorated lacrosse coach, and the assistant boys' lacrosse coach and head girls' basketball coach at Norfolk Academy in Virginia. In this episode he digs into the importance of culture, the power of a "feedback loop" with former players, and the creation of the Someone Special Night program. 

5:42 - Coach Duffy talks about the ways his former teammates and players are woven into his day-to-day coaching. This includes how he learns from his players have moved on to college ball and what their experiences do to enhance his program. His favorite question to these plyers? "What's your coach's thing?"

12:00 - The power of coaching in Sound bytes.

15:00 - How attending your players' weddings reshaped the way that Duffy approaches coaching.

20:00 - The importance of adopting the culture of the school that you're at. 

25:00 - The Someone Special Night program at Norfolk Academy.

 

Melanie Redd is a performance trainer from Dayton, Ohio, who specializes in working with high school coaches and athletes to reduce injuries and become better performers. In addition to everything you would expect to hear a trainer talk about (weight-lifting, audits, certifications, etc), she talks about things you don't expect to hear - like how to build a culture in your program. She'll also talk about how to help you identify quality people to work with. When you're done, check out her site at mrperformancetraining. You can also find her on Twitter @coach_mel_redd and on Facebook.

Keith Chattin (On Twitter as @ChattinKeith) lives and coaches in West Palm Beach, Florida. Raised in South Georgia, Keith has developed a grass-roots movement calling attention to racial inequality and organizing conversations with coaches across the country. In this 17-minute interview, Keith talks about the importance of embracing those hard conversations with fellow coaches and players, educating yourself about the issues facing African-Americans, the role of the Equal Justice Initiative in helping him understand the problems minorities in this country face, and how his group Coaching for Changing is growing its reach.