The Winning Youth Coaching Podcast: Youth Sports | Coaching | Parenting | Family Resources

Colonel (Retired) Michael Kasales recently retired from the U.S. Army after 28 years of active-duty service, and now volunteers as an assistant women’s lacrosse coach and assistant strength and conditioning coach.

Coach Kasales is an adjunct professor for the University of Denver’s Master of Arts in Sport Coaching program (online), and is pursuing his Ph.D. with a focus on student-athlete leadership development. He recently completed his second graduate degree, a Master of Arts in Sport Coaching from the University of Denver. He received a Master’s degree from Webster University in 2001, and received his undergraduate degree from DePauw University in 1987.

LinkedIn: /michaelkasales

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Quote

'We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit' - Aristotle

What can coaches learn from the military?

The military isn't about yelling and screaming. It's about building teams and achieving peak performance.

Team warm-ups

A little bit of static stretching is OK, but focus is warming up the muscles through dynamic stretches.

Foam rollers are inexpensive and a great tool

Teaching Skills

Constant blocked practices vs. random variable drills

The memory and skill sticks better when allowing the athlete freedom to think during a drill vs. predetermining for them exactly what they should do

Fun Games to teach skills

HORSE - They play horse-like game, but use letters LAX. First player makes shot, then everyone follows.

Mental toughness

Mental toughness cannot be turned on/off. Weave it into your practice plan. Every task/drill need to incorporate it. How do you relax? How do use imagery? Have deliberate discussions throughout practice.

If 50 to 80% of the game is mental - are you practicing it?

Culture

Have a written coaching philosophy

Core values will keep you from bouncing from hot topic to hot topic and a flavor of the day

Establish team standards and team goals

From me you can expect... From you here is what I expect...

Be careful to not give false praise - if they don't deserve it, don't falsely praise them, it will make your words mean less

Copy of Mike's philosophies

Connecting with and impacting kids

Mike worked with an athlete who gained a great deal of self-confidence, mostly through Mike just taking an interest in him

The one that got away

Mike saw a young athlete not giving her all and he didn't say anything about it - she ended up getting hurt, he regrets not mentioning it

Favorite book/quote

Book: The Mentor Leader by Tony Dungy

Book: Inside Out Coaching by Joe Ehrmann

Quote: 'We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit' - Aristotle

Parting Advice

Don't say 'my team' or 'my athletes' - it's 'our team'

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Casey Jacox is a former collegiate QB at Central Washington University and has been coaching his kids for many years. Casey is passionate about ensuring they continue down a positive path, and sports is a big part of that journey.

LinkedIn: /caseyjacox/

Blog: winningtherelationship.com

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Quote

'There are three types of people in life: Those who watch things happen, those who make things happen, and those who wonder what happened.' - Tommy Lasorda

Coaching your own kids

Works best if you have an assistant coach, and you coach each other's kids

Cringe moment

Early on, Casey was too focused on winning

Teaching Skills

Drills need a clear:

Purpose

Process

Payoff

Be ridiculously organized.

Make everything competitive. Time everything.

Small groups and lots of stations

Games

Girls get to take 2 free throws at end of practice - If they make 1, they get to run 1 lap. If they make 2 they get to pick someone to run with them (including parents on the sideline.) If they miss both, they have to dribble around with their off hand until drill is over. Then take the girls who make both free throws and put the pressure on them, say 'there is 2 seconds left, you need to make 2 free throws to win the game.'

They only get to do this if the girls gave great effort during practice

Mental toughness

It comes down to believing in the kids you coach, and making sure they understand you believe in them

Culture

Everyone needs to do their role. Coaches coach. Players play. Parents cheer. Umpires make the calls. When everyone stays in their role, everything works well. Step out of your role, and trouble starts.

Captains and leadership

Captains lead stretching and conversation

Teach them to be organized and communicate well

Rewards and recognition

Words of the week - keep the focus on the importance of everyone's role - Then give an award at the end of the week on who best embodied that characteristic

Connecting with and impacting kids

Kevin worked with a young man who was struggling to throw, and 2 years later watching his progress is really exciting.

The one that got away

Casey played on a team, and they came out flat, and lost. You must be prepared for every game.

Favorite book/quote

Book: The Matheny Manifesto

Great resource - Proactive Coaching

Quote: 'There are three types of people in life: Those who watch things happen, those who make things happen, and those who wonder what happened.' - Tommy Lasorda

Book: The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni

Craig recommendation: The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale

Best borrowed/stolen idea

EDD's - Everyday drills

The power of goal setting. You write it down. Then you tell someone. Now it is goal not a wish.

Positive environments and never taking a play off.

Parting Advice

Know the purpose in everything you do. Be organized, make it fun.

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In The Captain Class, Walker profiles the greatest teams in history and identifies the counterintuitive leadership qualities of the unconventional men and women who drove them to succeed.

He began by setting out to answer one of the most hotly debated questions in sports: What are the greatest teams of all time? He devised a formula, then applied it to thousands of teams from leagues all over the world, from the NBA to the English Premier League to Olympic field hockey. When he was done, he had a list of the sixteen most dominant teams in history.

With the list in hand, Walker became obsessed with another, more complicated question: What did these freak teams have in common? As Walker dug into their stories, a distinct pattern emerged: Each team had the same type of captain—a singular leader with an unconventional skill set who drove it to achieve sustained, historic greatness.

Website/book: bysamwalker.com

Twitter: @SamWalkers

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Quote

The secret to winning is not what you think it is.

It’s not the coach. It’s not the star.

It’s not money. It’s not a strategy.

It’s something else entirely. – Sam Walker – The Captain Class

Inspiration for the book

Sam's little league team went undefeated, and he didn't realize it but that was the last team he would be the last time he would experience a sports championship, and it led him to being curious about sports championships.

The 2004 Boston Red Sox was a group of crazy players, they were struggling mid-season, then they turned it on and went on to break the 100+ year curse and win a championship. This got Sam to wondering what the make-up of great teams really is.

Coaches - Develop your leaders

The commonality found in the world's most dominant dynasties was the characteristics of their captains

The captain needs autonomy, to act as a middle-manager between the players and the coach

On gameday - stop over-functioning, back off and let the captains run the show

Youth coaches - Key characteristics to Develop

Carrying the water - They shouldn't want to be the superstar, they should want to serve the team first.

Relentlessness - Players who have one gear, no matter what the score is

Communication amongst teammates - A rah-rah speech is not what works, you want a leader that has one-on-one interactions with their teammates, is intense, uses body-language, uses humor. Charismatic connectors. Introverts are often the best leaders!

Choosing captains

It often makes sense to not make the star player the captain. Being the star is burden enough. The person needs to be the coach's right-hand and, therefore it usually makes the most sense for a coach to pick the captain vs. the team voting.

Remember when nominating them - you want someone who will stand up to you and not be afraid to express a dissenting opinion.

Do you need captains on a team?

Sam says absolutely yes. Just remember - it doesn't need to be the star. It needs to be the water carrier.

Sportsmanship - The Cuban National Volleyball team

Two types of Aggression:

Hostile Aggression - Driven by hatred or a desire to hurt somebody - This is negative.

Instrumental Aggression - Looks similar, but the motive is to win.

Dr. David Geier is an orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist who provides education and commentary on sports and exercise injuries for athletes and active people to help you stay healthy and perform your best.

He started writing articles on his website – DrDavidGeier.com – in August 2010 as a hobby. His goal at the time was simple – to share sports medicine and wellness information in easy-to-understand language for athletes, parents, coaches and other healthcare providers.

What he never expected to find back in 2010 was a passion for communicating this information. Despite long hours in clinic and surgery, he is still excited to open his laptop and write. He now writes a regular column for the daily Charleston newspaper, The Post and Courier. He records videos every week answering questions from his audience, and he produces a weekly sports medicine podcast. He also created a networking and educational site for healthcare professionals who work with athletes and active people – Sports Medicine University. As of this writing, over 200,000 unique visitors come to his website every month.

Website/Podcast: drdavidgeier.com

Book: tghbook.com

Twitter: @drdavidgeier

Facebook: /DrDavidGeier/

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Quote

'Everything is impossible until someone does it' - from Relentless by Tim Grover

Practice Design

3 to 5 minutes - Slow warm-up - jogging, get the heart going

3 to 5 minutes - Gentle stretching

End of practice - 3 to 5 minutes - Stretch again, can be static stretching

'That's gotta hurt' book

13 of the most impactful injuries that have occurred in sports - How it impacted the sports and new methods to prevent these injuries

Youth injury prevention

Sport specialization - 1/2 of sports injuries are overuse injuries - they need time off

The US women's national soccer team that won the world cup - not a single player only specialized in soccer, they all played multiple sports

ACL injury prevention - Teach proper landing mechanics while doing warm-ups. The PEP program - best if you bring in a physical therapist to teach the correct form. smsmf.org/smsf-programs/pep-program

Concussions

Repetitive blows to the head are a big concern, not just single concussive events.

Young kids with brains still developing - tackle football could be a concern if the coach has them doing repetitive hits that involve the head. - Good youth football link: winningyouthfootball.com

Favorite Book/Quote

Book - Relentless by Tim Grover - About Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade's trainer, and how to become the best ever. Quote from book: 'Everything is impossible until someone does it'

TedX Talk

HEALTHY Game plan - Youth sports - Tips you can do as a parent and coach on how to keep youth sports fun and keep kids involved - TEDx talk link

Parting Advice

Sports are important to kids - make it fun and keep them healthy

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Meagan Frank is the author of the Choosing to Grow series, a national speaker, writer, teacher, coach, and mother of three. She is a regular contributor to the online magazine Books Make a Difference and she is working on four separate books, including Choosing to Grow for the Sport of It: Because All Kids Matter –Five years of research to justify the choices her family has made with regard to youth sports.

Website: meaganfrank.com

Twitter: @choosingtogrow

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Quote

'Individual commitment to a group effort, that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.' - Vince Lombardi

Coaching your own kids

Each kid and age level has different needs, you have to adapt to the situation

Meagan wore a hat when coaching, so it was clear when she had her hat on, she was coach; when she took the hat off, she was mom

Cringe moments

Don't necessarily emulate who coached you - 'Yelling never works'

Coaching girls

Different drills are needed for each type of girl. Some will respond to game-like competition, others will respond to more cooperative drills.

Teaching skills

Start and end each practice with something fun/positive

Good energy-builders

Blob tag - If you touch them they become part of the blob. You can bring in the parents too

Player Choice practices

Occasionally let the players choose their favorite games, then pick them out of the hat, and that's all you do for practice

Peak performance

Teach kids to flush mistakes

'Tell me one good thing you achieved today'

Have players share shout-outs for each other at the end of practice

The coaches' body language, especially after a mistake, is critical - kids will watch you and emulate your body language

Building Culture

They create a hashtag to reinforce their core value. i.e. #CloseTheGap

Best team building activity

Scavenger hunts - can include conditioning (2 mile run with stops with clues)

Travel sports choices

You have to prioritize your time - don't just blindly sign up for sport after sport.

The one that got away

Meagan's team was struggling, and they were on the verge of winning a game, and she subbed all her players in, and they lost the game.

Best stolen/borrowed idea

Communication - everyone is in the loop. Players, Coaches, parents. They all know philosophy and goals of the program

Favorite Book/Quote

Book - John Wooden's They Call me Coach

Quote - Vince Lombardi: 'Individual commitment to a group effort, that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.'

Parting Advice

Smile. Have fun. It is contagious.

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Jamy Bechler is a professional speaker, leadership trainer and executive business coach who is based out of Atlanta, Georgia.  Before going into full-time leadership work, Jamy served for 20 years as a college basketball coach, professor and administrator. When he hung up the whistle, he didn’t stop coaching. Jamy just moved from the locker-room into the boardroom. He now travels the country motivating people and “coaching” organizations on how they can build championship teams and cultures.

Website: jamybechler.com

Book: theleadershipplaybook.com

Twitter: @CoachBechler

Facebook: /JamyBechlerLeadership

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Quote

'Fish like worms. I don't like worms, but if I want to catch fish, I need to use worms' - Dale Carnegie in How to Win Friends and Influence People (paraphrased)

Cringe Moment

'You'll be dead right' - Wisdom is choosing your battles, don't always need to be right

Teaching skills

Everything in practice needs to have a point. Scrimmages are often not effective.

Practice special situations for 5 to 10 minutes in every practice.

Fun activity: On your birthday - coach would put 2 $5 bills at midcourt - everyone would shoot half-court shots, if you made it - you got $5 and bday person got $5. If bday person made it, got all $10

Peak performance

'Every missed shot is a pass' - Teammates encouraging each other to shoot takes away the pressure of worrying about whether to shoot or note

Practice being a terrible referee - Players need to practice tough situations. Bad calls are going to happen - practice them.

Building Culture

Core value - developing the mind - on and off the court; Integrity; Responsibility

2 core values for his basketball teams: Toughness and rebounding

Kids pick up on the coach's consistency - you can talk all you want about what kind of culture you want, but the kids are watching and if you aren't consistent then your words will not hold up

Captains

Positional leadership - If you have 2 or 3 captains on your team, the rest of the players can use it as a crutch. Jamy did not have captains towards the end of his coaching career. They rotated game captains, but they taught that everyone was a leader. Then they engaged the upperclassmen to demonstrate leadership skills - carrying the water, etc.

More is expected out of your experienced and older players - but they don't have to technically have the title of captain. They are the role models and set the tone for your culture.

Training your leaders

theleadershipplaybook.com - Stories about different ways leaders lead

Leaders - don't need to get the whole team to do something, they need to get their closest friends to do it - The First follower theory.

The one that got away

Jamy's last game he coached - they blew a 14 point lead and it cost them getting into the national tournament. They had easily beat that team earlier in the year, and they came in a little cocky and weren't prepared.

Best stolen/borrowed idea

John Wooden's unflinching standards while connecting with his players

Favorite Book/Quote

Book - How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie - 'Fish like worms.

Dr. Charles Infurna has 10 years of coaching experience at the Division III level, he has had the great pleasure and privilege to have coached and mentored two Division III National Champion Weight Throwers, 10 All-Americans, multiple ECAC champions, and numerous SUNYAC and Empire 8 Conference Champions in the Hammer, Weight Throw, Discus, and Shot-Put. He writes a blog at forzathletics.com  Before completing his dissertation he wrote a lot about programming, workouts, overviews of meets, and even included some vlogs.  Since finishing his doctorate, he has focused more on how environment and support systems play roles in athlete successes.

Website and blog: forzathletics.com

Podcast: soundcloud.com/charles-infurna

Twitter: @CharlesInfurna; @forzathletics

Facebook: /forzathletics/

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Quote

'You never know who is going to walk through the door'

First role model

Charles' first coaching opportunity was when he was 22 years old. He didn't really know what to do - so he reached out to a head coach at a local university (who happened to be a 4x Olympian) and asked if he could come watch a practice and hang out with his coaching staff for a day, which the coach willingly did

Cringe Moment

The players Charles was coaching talked to him and addressed concerns that he didn't seem like he was as engaged - a very healthy sign that the players were comfortable enough to be honest with him

Teaching skills

Start with the basics like body awareness.

Don't try to fix everything at once. Focus on one thing at a time. It's like a puzzle - put together one piece at a time.

Long Term Athlete Development

Some of Charles' best college athletes did not play that sport in high school

Peak performance

Kids often respond best to a coach that is calm and confident.

It's usually best to not give coaching advice right before a competition - just pick up on the kid's body language whether they need you to just be quiet, or tell a joke to lighten the mood.

Building Culture

You are always representing the program

Team building and trust activities are always great

Magnet awards - they recognize each other's accomplishments on the bus ride home

Connecting with kids

Luis Rivera - Was given some bad information and was ineligible for the upcoming season. He could have easily quit and given up, but instead he worked hard and came back and went on to be one of the best track and field athletes in their college's history. He had grit.

The one that got away

It wasn't a tough loss - it was a team where Kate had let the culture get away from her

Best stolen/borrowed idea

'You never know who is going to walk through the door' - One of Charles' mentors would take in any athlete that was willing, and if they would put in the work, you never know which one could turn out to be a national champion.

Favorite Resources

PDF - The mundanity of excellence - Developing Olympic Swimmers by Dan Chambliss

Parting Advice

Be in the moment. Put your cell phone away. Enjoy it.

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Kate Leavell: I have been an NCAA lacrosse coach, a high school varsity lacrosse and strength coach, a youth and travel coach of many different sports, swimming instructor, NASM certified personal trainer and senior fitness specialist, board member, a national coaches education trainer for US Lacrosse, an eternal college student, a parent of youth and high school athletes, speaker, teacher, and apparently now after four years of blogging and nationally featured articles and a book…a writer. I’m drawn to all things motivational and figuring out what makes people reach and discover what seems impossible. After a recent shoulder surgery led to staring a pulmonary embolism in the face (or staring at it in the lungs?!) i had time to reevaluate what is important. I came to the realization that it’s not an interest after all that I spread motivation around, it’s in fact, a necessity. So my mission begins, one kid, one coach at a time if need be.

Website (and book coming soon): kateleavell.com

Twitter: @kateleavell

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Quote

'Invite your team to get on the bus. Get the energy vampires off the bus. You are better off without them.' - Jon Gordon

Coaching your own kids

Have assistant coaches coach teach your kid and vice versa

Stop coaching on the car ride home, leave it at the field

Cringe Moment

Putting your own self-worth based on a team's performance

'I know a lot about lacrosse, I don't know anything about building a culture'

Big moment: meeting Jon Gordon in the airport, reading The Energy Bus - changed Kate's perspective on building culture

Accelerate Deep Training

Make everything fun, make everything competitive, then quit talking and just let them do it. 'Kids hear the first sentence and last sentence you say', the middle usually just goes in one ear and out the other.

Good Icebreakers/games

The Hug game - Call out a number, then the kids have to form a group with that number of people and put arms around each other to form a circle. Whoever doesn't end up in a circle is out.

Zombie Tag - First time tagged, you lose an arm. Then you have to go out of circle, run a lap, then you're back in. Then you lose 2nd arm, then legs. So last time you have to roll out of circle b/c you have no legs.

Stop playing chess with your players, put away the 'joystick', and

Peak performance

'I'm a believer in belief' - The more the kids believe that you believe in them, the better their performance will be

Building Culture

It starts with expectations up front

3 different groups that feed into your culture:

1 - Coaches - Support one another. Do a mid-season survey to ask kids how they are doing

2 - Players - Positive self-talk

3 - Parents - Kate has an open door policy, the only restriction is that they will only talk about their kid, not other kids on the team

Communication - "Drama is heavier than bricks, it always breaks through"

Lessons from Jon Gordon

'Invite your team to get on the bus. Get the energy vampires off the bus. You are better off without them.'

Urban Meyer 10-80-10 Principle - Quit spending energy on the energy vampires, put your energy towards your high energy people

The one that got away

DeShawn Fontleroy is a sports performance coach working with athletes in the Portland, OR metro area. Currently, he works with the football team at Jefferson HS. Deshawn also hosts a podcast Sports Mastery- 'A place where we observe, examine, experiment, and explain the physical, mental, and social dynamics of the world's best athletes and coaches. My goal is to provide athletes, coaches, and parents with high level systems & strategies to achieve success.'

Website/Podcast: sportsmastery.com

Free Gifts for WYC listeners: Sportsmastery.com/winningyouth

Twitter: @sports_mastery

Facebook: /deshawn.fontleroy

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Quote

"Fears are a kind of prison that confines you within a limited range of action. The less you fear, the more power you will have and the more fully you will live.” - 50 Cent in The 50th Law

Cringe Moment

Kids are different than adults - have progressions

Keep it simple, don't have too many plays

Progressions

Using your own body weight is a better starting place than jumping straight into weightlifting

Focus on the process vs. the outcome

Overcoming Fear

Start by having the athlete list their fear on paper. Often when they put them down on paper, they realize many of them are not real.

Then list your hopes and dreams. Create a desire map where they list their challenges and limitations. Have the parents do the same thing.

Growth Mindset

Bouncing back from hardship is a key to teach athletes. It's the only way to grow.

After a setback, go back and watch your performance, then use positive visualization to picture what doing it right looks like

Accelerate Deep Training

It's a process - the key is the quality of your reps

Know where your athlete is at - if they are working on a strength - put them against higher level competition. If they are working on a weakness - put them against some weaker competition.

Building Culture

Communication between coaches and athletes is key. Assistant coaches need to be listened to and empowered

Immediate feedback, both good and bad - often works best

Rewards and Recognition

When athletes do something off the field - in the classroom, in the community - you can use social media to highlight their accomplishments

Connecting with and impacting kids

DeShawn is coaching a kid with ADHD, it has challenged him and made him a better coach by working with a kid who has different needs and challenges

The one that got away

DeShawn's team lost to their rival last year because of some poor coaching, they have evaluated what went wrong and analyzed how to make sure that it won't happen again

Best books

Good to Great - Jim Collins

The 50th Law - 50 Cent and Robert Green

Free gifts:

- PDF of The Desire Map

- PDF of How to Succeed

- Free 1/2 hour consulting

Go to Sportsmastery.com/winningyouth to take advantage of this great offer!

Parting Advice

Train and practice more - don't overdo it with travel sports

Play multiple sports

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Jennifer Duval has been a Class A member with the LPGA T&CP Division for over 10 years. During that time, she has continued to evolve as an instructor. She was among the first to acquire her Master certification as a Level 3 Golf Fitness Professional; and most recently, became a Level 2 Junior Certified Coach with Titleist Performance Institute. She has a passion for learning and is a regular attendee at the World Golf Fitness Summit. She believes firmly in coaching not only the technical skills of the game; but, also the physical requirements demanded by the sport, the mental skillsets needed and the emotional resilience necessary to play 'consistent' golf.

Website: mytpi.com

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Quote

'The first thing I learned was to hit it hard nevermind where it went' - Jack Nicklaus

Coaching your own kid

Instead of advising them, do an 'experiment' to coach them without being too direct

Remember modeling is a key point at the younger age

 Cringe Moment

Spewing too much technical info early on

Different is OK - there isn't a cookie-cutter swing

Be patient - learning is frustrating, don't rush it

Long Term Athlete Development

Develop the athlete as a whole vs. just specific to your sport

MYTPI.com - Titleist program

Kids under 18 have significant changes and development going on - Teach them correct body movements

One-sided sports (golf, baseball) - bodies need a break and to develop different muscles

Mental toughness 

Develop a performance routine: (taken from Vision 54 at vision54.com/html/mygame-thinkbox.html)

A think box - when you are thinking through what you are going to do

A play box - Stop thinking and start acting. If visual - stare at a dimple on the ball. If you're auditory - listen to a plane overhead. If you're kinesthetic - focus on your grip pressure, make it a 3 on a scale of 1 to 5.

2 outcomes to every shot: 1 - Where did the ball go (often can't control); 2 - Did I stay focused on what I was focused on (I can control)

Body language and self-talk: Do a funny skit with some of the other coaches, exemplifying different mental approaches. Have the kids then practice: Hit 10 shots where think negative thoughts after each. Then hit 10 where you are neutral. Then hit 10 where you think of a positive thought after each.

Each kid keep a notebook/recipe book. Write something after each practice and round about what they learn.

Windows of Opportunity

Sensitive periods (learn more at canadaiansportsforlife.ca):

Boys 6-9 then 13-16; Girls 4-7 then 11-13: When you are growing fast, train fast

When in growth spurt, there body is awkward. Speed training and mobility is key.

Boys 9-12 then 14-18; Girls 7-10 then 12-16: Growth rest periods: better time to develop skills.

'The first thing I learned was to hit it hard never mind where it went' - Jack Nicklaus

Great drills for re-developing movement patterns

Milo Bryan - No Bull Fit - Awesome drills

Connecting with and impacting kids

Jennifer taught a class of kindergartners and started out asking: 'Who here is an athlete?' - a lot of the kids didn't raise their hand. She told them 'Today you are going to be an athlete' and when she asked the same question in the next class, a bunch of the kids who hadn't raised their hands initially were now raising their hands.