Coaching Project

Extreme Ownership Series continues as Dr. Gary Bowman and I welcome back, Brad Flynn, Assistant Coach Red Deer Rebels, Western Hockey League.

In this episode, we cover the following topics:

- Simple executes, less is fast, more is slow, hockey is simple, it’s just not easy.

-Effective use of language to simplify concepts

-Simplifying the game plan

-In order to simplify, you need to get “into the weeds” first

The Extreme Ownership Series is a creative pursuit to take the lessons from the book, Extreme Ownership, by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin and apply it to hockey, coaching, leadership and performance.

Please visit Dr. Gary Bowman at www.propelhp.com and TJ Manastersky at www.tjmanastersky.com

Dr. Gary Bowman and I are back with the Extreme Ownerships Series where we take the lessons from the book, Extreme Ownership by Jocko WIllink and Leif Babin and apply the concepts to hockey, coaching, and leadership.

On this episode we are excited to bring on special guest, Brad Flynn, the Assistant Coach of the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League.

In our discussion, we take a look at how "cover and move" applies to the following:

-Organizational structure and chain of command

-Teamwork for adaptive performance

-Player development

You can follow us for more here:

TJ Manastersky: www.tjmanastersky.com @tjmanastersky

Gary Bowman: www.propelhp.com @_PerformanceLab

Brad Flynn: @BMF14

I am joined by Mark Wick, a college hockey coaching veteran for over 30 years at Augsburg College, St. Scholastica, and Wisconsin Superior. As impressive as his commitment to college athletes has been in his career, what he is doing to create awareness about mental health and helping guide athletes and coaches alike to improve their mental health will be his legacy.

We embark on an open conversation that covers the following topics:

-Mark’s incredibly powerful personal story

-Mental health challenges for leaders and athletes

-Strategies to support positive mental health

Visit www.tjmanastersky.com for more content on leadership, development, recruiting, and strategy and tactics.

I am joined by Vladislav Bespomoschnov, who is the Learning and Development Coordinator at the Sport Institute of Finland in Vierumaki as well as a lecturer and researcher at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences.

Vlad wrote the article, Coaching Philosophy and Methods of Anatoly Tarasov the father of Russian Hockey. Tarasov led his team to 3 Olympic gold medals, 9 World Championships, and 18 National Championships. he was also the first European to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Together we unpack many of the lessons we can learn from Tarasov and apply it to today’s coaching environment.

The major themes we discuss include:

1. Learning from other sports

2. Mentorship

3. Process Orientation

4. Emotional Intelligence

5. Key Performance Indicators (KPI)

Bruce Crowley is a Behavioral Scientist and Executive Coach working with elite athletes, coaches, and corporate teams. Bruce has specific experience with expediting the performance of NCAA hockey teams.

In our conversation we discuss the following topics:

-Performance under pressure

-The power of language and word choice

-Connecting with athletes during isolation

-Vulnerability

-Creating conditions to motivate

www.tjmanastersky.com

Welcome to the first Curry College Hockey Coaches’ Clinic. Each alumni presenter spoke for around 15 minutes followed by open discussion with the group. Our participants ranged from current players, agents/advisors, scouts, and coaches from youth, Jr, college, and professional and coaches from other sports. We also had over 4 countries at the clinic adding to the diversity of thought.

Alumni Presenters and Topics:

0:00 Welcome and intro by Head Coach, TJ Manastersky

1:00 Communication and Building relationships - Ryan Warsofsky ‘11 Head Coach, Charlotte Checkers, AHL

35:15 Transition from College to Pro as a player - Billy McCreary ‘07 Head Coach, Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks, NAHL

56:00 Transition from Player to Coach - Lionel Mauron ‘19 Assistant Coach, Ohio University

1:28:25 Building culture - Matt Pinchevsky ‘06 Assistant Coach/Dr. Player Development, Maine Nordiques, NAHL

2:03:15 Overtime – Organic hockey talk. People didn’t want to go home!

I am back with Gary Bowman from Propel Human Performance as we tackle chapter 4, Check the Ego from the book, Extreme Ownership by Jocko WIllink and Leif Babin.

Main talking points:

-Identify when ego is good and when it is destructive

-Creating a culture of checking the ego

-Competitive edge of confidence

For more coaching, leadership, and development content visit www.tjmanastersky.com

For human performance programming visit www.propelhp.com

Gary Bowman joins me to dive into chapter 4 of Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin and we focus on the concept of "believe".

Main talking points:

-Common reasons for lack of "buy in"

-Strategies for captains and coaches to maintain a high level of trust and belief in the mission

-Use of data/statistics to drive conversations

For more coaching, leadership, and development content visit www.tjmanastersky.com

For human performance programming visit www.propelhp.com

Zach McKelvie is the Associate Head Coach with the Army West Point hockey team. After graduating from West Point as a stand out hockey player, he spent 2 years on active duty before returning to hockey, playing the AHL. In our conversation we go deeper into his story as well as the following:

-Leadership lessons from the preeminent leadership institution in the world, West Point

-Thayer Method: reverse learning as a way to prepare for upcoming games

-Commander’s Intent

-Recruiting challenges and rewards in recruiting to Army West Point

Interview when Spiros was the Head Coach of the Brampton Beast in the ECHL.

Spiros Anastas has a coaching journey that has brought him through junior, college/university, and professional levels in the NCAA D3 & D1, BCHL, AHL, USports, ECHL, and International competition.

Spiros has had a rapid rise in the coaching ranks and has tremendous experiences. He opens up and speaks honestly about the good and the bad and his authenticity comes through.

Major themes that emerge from this conversation are the importance of character, networking and relationships in coaching and the lessons learned on along the journey.

The main topics we cover include:

-From player to coach: coaching your teammates at Lebanon Valley College

-Opportunity of a lifetime at Western Michigan University: working with Jeff Blashill and Andy Murray

-Taking a chance: leaving Lethbridge University for the ECHL and getting fired

-Landing on your feet: back home with the Brampton Beast