• Subscribe to site feed

  

• Get the latest posts by email

  Enter your email address:

  Get fresh posts sent straight to your email inbox. We will never share or spam your email address.

• Categories

  • Announcements
  • Beijing Blast
  • Case Studies
  • Coaching Tips
  • Hot Topics
  • Performance Psychology
  • Performance Science
  • Recovery
  • Skills Development
  • Sport and Parenting
  • Teams Development
  • Training

• Sports

  • AFL
  • American Football
  • Athletics
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Beijing Olympic Games
  • Boxing
  • Coaching
  • Coaching Tips
  • Cricket
  • Cycling
  • Diving
  • Equestrian
  • Football
  • Football (Soccer)
  • Gymnastics
  • Hockey
  • Judo
  • Netball
  • Olympic Games
  • Olympics
  • Performance Science
  • Rowing
  • Rugby
  • Rugby League
  • Rugby Union
  • Sailing
  • Soccer
  • Softball
  • Swimming
  • Tennis
  • Track and Field
  • Training
  • Triathlon
  • Wrestling

Coaching Tips

The Rugby Union and Rugby League Guaranteed to Succeed Game Plan

Is it just me or does it seem like every coach involved in rugby league and rugby union has the same game plan?

With all the money spent on coaching, analysis, technology, video, training programs, performance enhancement, player development, facilities, equipment, ball technology, strength training, conditioning, wrestling, leadership development, boots, nutrition, psychology, protein supplments etc etc you would think that rugby league and rugby union would be havens for innovation, creativity and genius.

So why does it seem like every team, every coach and every player is reading from the same play book when it comes to game plans?

Read more

Reverse Coaching - Coaching in Reverse.

Coaching is one thing.

But Reverse coaching?

What the heck is Reverse Coaching? Has this Sports Coaching Brain guy gone completely mental?

Read more

What is High Performance?

One of the most commonly asked questions in this business is, “What Exactly is High Performance?”

People talk about, write about, think about sports science, sports medicine, exercise physiology, talent identification, performance psychology, biomechanics, skill acquisition, elite coach development, recovery, sports physiotherapy, sports massage, performance analysis and all the elements and components of high performance sport, but what is it? What is this thing called High Performance?

I can summarise it all in one word………Change.

Read more

The Greatest Assistant Coaching Article Ever Written (i.e. because we think it’s the only one): 50 of the best Tips on how to be a World Class Assistant Coach.

By Lindsay Gaze, Michael Foley, Dave Claxton, Craig Tiley, Scott Johnson, Bill Sweetenham, Andrew Friend, Keith Davies, and Wayne Goldsmith

Foreword:

Leading international Rugby Coach, Head Coach of USA Rugby (and former Wallabies Assistant coach) Scott Johnson and I were exchanging emails about coaching. Scott said, “You read a lot about coaching and plenty about being a head coach, but where is there something written about being a great assistant coach”.

I accepted the challenge, contacted some coaching friends and colleagues and this is what we came up with.

Sincere thanks to Lindsay, Michael, Dave, Craig, Scott, Bill, Andrew and Keith for their ASSIST-ANCE.

WG

Read more

Ten Tips for Keeping your Relationship Healthy when you work in High Performance Sport

The term “Sporting Widow” (or widower) is almost a cliche in high performance sport as many, many relationships have fallen apart in the industry due to the demands and pressures of travel, preparation, competition, training camps etc etc.

This article is for all my coaching, sports science, sports medicine and sports management colleagues (and their long suffering partners and families) written after many years chatting over beers and lamenting the challenges of working on the road, away from loved ones trying to balance success in high performance sport with a successful relationship.

Read more

How to Develop World Class Coaches

OK. Let’s talk about how to develop world class coaches.

Grab a piece of paper. On one side of the paper, write down the characteristics of a great coach.

Does your list include any or all of the following:

• Outstanding communicator
• Visionary
• Leader
• Innovator
• Negotiator
• Conflict resolver
• Media manager
• Public relations genius
• Team developer
• People manager
• Technical / tactical / strategic skills of the highest order
• Philosopher
• Politician
• Futurist

OK - now turn the page over and write down a list of all the coach education programs which cover the above?

Is this side of the paper blank? Yes? Then we can begin.

Read more

Finding the Right Head Coach

With all the movements and changes in the NRL head coaching ranks at the moment, it is worth having a closer look at how to go about hiring the right coach.

The most important step for any club, is to first clearly understand what they want from a head coach!

Do they want a leader - an inspirational head coach?

Do they want someone who is an expert in change management - someone who can make hard decisions and radical changes to the Club’s culture and performance environment?

Do they want a technical expert - someone with great skills in one element of the game, e.g. attack?

Do they want a coach skilled with dealing with the media?

Do they want a hard nosed, disciplinarian with a strong work ethic and uncompromising nature?

Do they want someone who can build effective teams and get people working together towards a common goal?

Do they want someone with knowledge and skills in sports science and performance enhancement?

Do they want someone who has played the game at the highest level and has an understanding and empathy for the playing group?

Do they want someone who can create leaders in the player group and create a player driven culture?

Do they want an innovator? Someone who can accelerate change and implement new ideas?

The answer most clubs will give is - “all of the above”. Read more

Winning Against the Odds

Question:

How may times do you actually go out on the field with all 15 of your best players 100% fit and healthy and in the best form of their lives?

Answer:

a. Sometimes

b. Often

c. All the time

d. Never.

If you answered d. Never - give yourself a round of applause.

Read more

The Jersey is Dead: Long live the Players

The Jersey. The Strip. The Colors. The Jacket. The Jumper.

Doesn’t matter what you call it - the “jersey” is dead.

Gone are the days when a bunch of blokes could train two or three days a week, have a poor diet, skip training sessions, enjoy a few beers and then, come Saturday, suddenly get AMAZING SUPER POWERS because of the magic of putting on the “jersey”.

In those days, poorly prepared players relied on the emotion of the jersey for their performance. Putting on the old “black and green” colors - usually incorporating a “rev-up” by a former player about the “pride of the jersey” etc was enough to fire the spirit and inspire the soul.

That’s not to say that tradition is wrong or respecting and celebrating the past is a bad thing. The point is that the jersey is just that - a jersey - a piece of clothing (usually made in China) - and, as a performance enhancement tool in 2008 - it is dead. Read more

101 Coaching Tips

It takes 20 years to become an overnight success. Successful coaches have by a combination of experience, skill, education and practice, developed ways and means of getting the best out themselves and their athletes.

Here are 101 Coaching Tips to help you achieve your coaching goals. Read more

Next Page →

• 
• Search for:

• About this Blog

  Expert advice, ideas, innovation and inspiration for all sports coaches and team managers - from 'grass roots' through to elite and high performance levels. All posts are written by Wayne Goldsmith, AKA the "Sports Coaching Brain". If you have a question or comment about any post, please add it to the comments section.

• Recent Posts

  • Message to the Sporting World - Do it your own way!
  • Beijing Blast Number Five: 10 things to include in your Beijing Review
  • Athletics in Australia - Time to Say what Everyone else is Thinking.
  • Beijing Blast Number Four: Beijing 2008 is already over - and London 2012 is closer than you think.
  • Beijing Blast Number Three: Why the London 2012 Olympics will be Tougher to win than the Beijing 2008 Olympics

• Blogroll

  • Development Blog
  • Documentation
  • Plugins
  • Suggest Ideas
  • Support Forum
  • Themes
  • WordPress Planet