Tacticians

Michael Dardanes
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Listen to Michael profile history's greatest sports coaches through their biographies and autobiographies.

Episodes

  1. JAN 22

    Arthur Lydiard, Running's Rebel - Part 2

    Arthur Lydiard wasn’t just refining training in Part Two — he was fighting a system that didn’t yet understand what he had uncovered. In this episode, we follow Lydiard as his methods collide with sporting authorities, medical orthodoxy, and coaching traditions built on shortcuts and intensity. What began as personal experimentation had now produced world-class athletes, Olympic medals, and an undeniable truth: aerobic development is the foundation of all endurance performance. Through controversy, exile, and eventual global recognition, Lydiard held firm to a philosophy centered on patience, periodization, and respect for human adaptation. His insistence on base training, timing, and restraint reshaped how athletes peak — and exposed the long-term cost of rushing results. Part Two captures the moment when Lydiard’s ideas moved from local rebellion to global blueprint, influencing generations of coaches and permanently altering how the world understands training, performance, and longevity, in sport and beyond. Buy the books: Arthur Lydiard, Master Coach by Garth Gilmour: https://amzn.to/3Z9EhJR Running with Lydiard by Arthur Lydiard and Garth Gilmour: https://amzn.to/4qrfEEO

    49 min

  2. JAN 13

    Arthur Lydiard, Running's Rebel, the birth of Nike, and founder of the jogging movement - Part 1

    Arthur Lydiard wasn’t just a great coach — he was a quiet revolutionary who rewrote the logic of human endurance. In Part One of this episode, we explore Lydiard’s early life, his own running experiments, and the radical ideas that emerged from necessity rather than theory. Working outside universities, labs, and elite institutions, Lydiard built a system rooted in aerobic mastery, restraint, and respect for the body’s natural adaptation cycles. Through long miles, careful progression, and his now-famous principle — “train, don’t strain” — Lydiard showed that sustainable greatness comes from patience, not punishment. His ideas challenged the prevailing culture of overtraining and brute effort, laying the foundation for modern endurance sports and influencing generations of Olympic champions. This episode traces the origins of a philosophy that proves enduring excellence is built slowly, intelligently, and with deep trust in the process. Buy the books: Arthur Lydiard, Master Coach by Garth Gilmour: https://amzn.to/3Z9EhJR Running with Lydiard by Arthur Lydiard and Garth Gilmour: https://amzn.to/4qrfEEO

    59 min

  3. 12/21/2025

    Bill Walsh, Football's Gamechanger

    How a meticulous outsider rebuilt a broken NFL franchise by obsessing over details and changed leadership forever. Bill Walsh wasn’t just a Super Bowl winning coach, he was a systems thinker who believed greatness was engineered long before the game began. In this episode, we explore The Score Takes Care of Itself and trace Walsh’s journey from an overlooked assistant to the architect of the San Francisco 49ers dynasty. Through discipline, precision, humility, and an uncompromising Standard of Performance, Walsh showed how culture, process, and clarity create sustained excellence in sport, leadership, and life. Purchase the book here: https://amzn.to/4j5Umtf

    1h 5m

  4. 12/10/2025

    Johan Cruyff, Football's (Soccer) Philosopher King

    How a skinny street kid from Amsterdam reimagined the logic of football and became the mind that shaped modern sport. Johan Cruyff wasn’t just a great footballer — he was the architect of an entirely new way of seeing the game. In this episode, we explore his autobiography, My Turn, and trace Cruyff’s evolution from the streets of Amsterdam to the genius who reshaped Ajax, Barcelona, and the global language of football. Through improvisation, clarity, rebellion, and radical simplicity, Cruyff created a framework for creativity that still defines the sport today. Purchase the book here: https://amzn.to/44Xqzgq

    1h 19m

  5. 12/02/2025

    Phil Jackson, A Quest for Awareness

    Phil Jackson wasn't just a coach — he was a philosopher disguised as a basketball mind. In this episode, we explore Sacred Hoops and the spiritual, psychological, and cultural pillars that shaped one of the most influential leaders in sports history. From Zen and Native American teachings to ego management, team chemistry, and the quiet discipline behind six Chicago Bulls championships, we uncover how Jackson built a dynasty by first building the inner lives of his players. Purchase the book here: https://amzn.to/3KODD0Y

    1h 46m
  • 5 Episodes

About

Listen to Michael profile history's greatest sports coaches through their biographies and autobiographies.

Information

  • Creator
    Michael Dardanes
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Michael Dardanes
  • Show Website
    Tacticians