A Coach's Perspective

This episode consisted of the return of our Major League Baseball correspondents Don Louzader and Ethan Bryan. We also had a very special guest, and talented author, Loren Broaddus. Ethan updated us on the Kansas City Royals and their season while Don shared with us the experience of feeling the champagne fly in the St. Louis Cardinals clubhouse after celebrating the path to the playoffs. We then took an in depth look into the beautiful work of Loren’s book, Joe DiMaggio Moves Like Liquid Light. This book of baseball poetry captures some beautiful memories, stories and experiences that entertain and generate conversation. If you are interested, and you are, you can find a copy of his book at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Books-A-Million and several other entities. Check it out, it is a treasure!

In this episode we caught up with West Virginia Men’s Basketball Coach Bob Huggins about his friendship with Charlie Spoonhour. We then caught up with Coach Steve Forbes from East Tennessee State University about his vision and philosophy for ETSU. We then wrapped up our Sports Psychology series with Becky Oakes and talked about the roles of state associations, national associations and school districts in the support and access of resources for the mental health of athletes and coaches. This has been a tremendous series full of valuable insights and information. My thanks to all who made it possible and we will revisit this series again in the future!

In this episode, premier sports psychologist Dr. Patrick Cohn joins us and talks about the value of pre-game routine and preparation for maximum production. He also discussed the challenges with handling with perfectionism and playing with a fear of failure. His tips for effective coping skills were valued and are also outlined on his website peaksports.com. He also has a great podcast on Apple iTunes. We also caught up with Missouri State University softball coach, Holly Hesse as she explained the value and implementation of the DISC test and how it can make your athletes more coachable.

On this episode, we are joined by future Springfield Area Sports Hall of Famers Mark Stratton and Tim Blasi. Both of these gentlemen have accumulated many accolades over the years, but the most important ones are the influences they have had on their teammates and players. We had some tremendous guests call in and offer their heartfelt and genuine congratulations to them both. My thanks to Mark Bailey, Scott Bailes, Mark Resz, and Neil Chambers. Also, thank you to Christie Blasi and Sara Stratton Kaderly for helping arrange our special guests!

In this episode, we continue to explore the mental side of the game in our Sports Psychology Series. We are joined by Drury University’s Director of Athletics Corey Bray, standout women’s basketball player, and NCAA Division II Player of the Year, Hailey Diestelkamp, and all-MVC and standout pitcher for the Missouri State University Bears baseball team, Connor Sechlor. Insights and discussion included mental preparation, dealing with anxiety, pressure, playing perfect, and tuning out negative voices. The positive message from the panel gave advice and guidance for athletes, coaches, and other contributors of athletic programs.

In this episode, we are kicking off a series on Sports Psychology. We assembled a panel of coaches to take us through their techniques for mentally training athletes for peak performance. We discussed visualization, using the mind’s eye, goal setting, dealing with anxiety, fear of failure, and many more. They gave out some excellent techniques and advice for athletes and coaches. We even talked about coaches holding their composure (which is not easy). My thanks to the talented panel that joined us including Coach Holly Hesse with Missouri State University Softball, Coach John Schaefer with Logan-Rogersville Boys Basketball, and Track and Field legend Coach Don Keeton.

Our trusty baseball correspondents, Ethan Bryan and Don Louzader, joined us in studio to update us on the Kansas City Royals and the St. Louis Cardinals. We also congratulated Don on his Fun Acre Open Championship and Ethan for making the Grip and Rib Baseball League! Check them out on Sundays! Follow Ethan’s journey at www.ethanbryan.com. We also told some W.O.W. (WHAT or WHY?) stories, too fun! My thanks to Chris Adams for his stories that he sent in (not that I gave him a choice) and to Matt Wright for sending in his story.

In this episode, we celebrate the back to back World Team Tennis Champions, the phenomenal Springfield Lasers. General Manager Paul Nahon joined us and recapped the championship season along with Springfield Lasers producer and broadcaster Corey Riggs and Don West. we discussed how the circuit is organized, how they fill their roster and a lot of other angles involved in running this championship program.

On this episode we catch up with former Missouri State University Men’s Basketball standout, Rodney Perry. Coach Perry discusses where he has been and how he has stayed involved in the game of basketball and is currently the assistant coach at the University of Missouri - Kansas City. We also caught up with former Liberty North coach and new Head Men’s Basketball Coach at William Jewel. Chris McCabe. We discussed his vision for William Jewel’s program and also how he feels about youth sports. Then, we welcomed Drury University’s new Director of Athletics Corey Bray and talked about his vision for Drury and how his path and experience has prepared him so well for his new post here in Springfield.

"I wanna be like Mike!" None of these players said that, but they should have! Michael Jordan was the BEST. These athletes are on the trail to greatness. Already having multiple Division I offers and some a Junior NBA World Championship they know what it takes to crawl up to the top. Listen to how they got their start in basketball, what they love about it, what they are looking for in a school and how they stay humble. Interviews include Aminu Mohammed, Grady Dick, Sam Thompson, Taj Manning, Max Wisner, and Luke Kasubky. We caught up with them at the Midwest Showcase in Kansas City ran by six state associations and hosted by the Missouri State High School Activities Association and the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association.