Chris Mance II - Mental Skills Coach

One of my favorite books on coaching comes from the great Pete Carroll. In his book Win Forever he provides a simple philosophical prescription to help coaches go from good to great. Good coaches are good with game planning, great coaches are great with philosophical planning.

Carrol gives Coach John Wooden credit for inspiring this thinking. He states:

Coach Wooden’s real breakthrough came the moment he had developed his philosophy in a full, complete, and systematic way…

…Wooden had figured out how to not just win a game or have one great season but Win Forever.

Carrol also explains about Coach Wooden:

He had figured out absolutely everything about his program–his belief system, his philosophy, his delivery, and a million other details that made that first championship possible. He had figured it out so completely that he could re-create it year after year. Even more important, he had done more than just become aware of all those details inside his own mind. He had refined them to the point that he could explain them to the people around him. I think a great part of his genius was that he was able to explain his beliefs and tie them back into a clear vision that brought it all together into a single team effort.

To make this simple, I sum up Pete Carroll’s takeaways from John Wooden into two overriding principles.

1) Great Coaches Teach Systems Not Just Techniques

First, great coaches don’t just teach techniques, they teach systems. Of course, they’re really good at teaching techniques, but they don’t just teach techniques in isolation. Rather, each technique is part of a bigger picture, and the coach starts with that big picture.

This bigger picture not only explains why the technique works, but also explains when the technique will work and when it won’t. In addition, this bigger picture also explains how opponents will likely react to a technique and what techniques to use to respond to that reaction.

2) Great Coaches Support the Whole Athlete

Second, great coaches don’t just teach sport specific techniques. On the contrary, great coaches know that success is defined by more than just what is done on the field, court, or mat. Therefore, they approach their role as coach as being a mentor as well.

This means educating their athletes on preventing injuries, nutrition, character, and prioritizing rest and recovery so they can be in it for the long haul. What’s more, great coaches are also willing and able to provide counsel, resources, and connections to support non-sport specific situations.