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

Craig Haworth: Youth Sports Coaching Strategist and Podcaster
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Craig Haworth from winningyouthcoaching.com shares his interviews with successful youth sports coaches from around the globe to help the mom or dad youth coach be organized, effective, and win. Discover what tools, resources, books, and strategies the winning youth coaches use, and enjoy many fun stories along the way. Learn from the candid stories of both successes and failures, and implement the insightful recommendations on how to have an awesome experience with your youth sports team this season. Whether you are a fan of football, basketball, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, gymnastics, volleyball, or any other team sport - keep listening to ESPN, but take a few minutes each week to learn from the awesome youth sports coaches so you can get practical tools to make you a Winning Youth Coach.

  1. 08/15/2019

    WYC 170 – NBA exec – Pat Williams – Character Carved in Stone

    Pat Williams, senior vice president of the Orlando Magic, shares personal stories from his time as a parent with youth sports as well as what he teaches regarding developing leaders through sports. Pat's new book, CHARACTER CARVED IN STONE is about his discovery of the leadership virtues taught at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Duke University’s Coach K (a West Point grad) wrote the foreword. Book: Character Carved in Stone   Listen Now: Listen on iTunes: iTunes link Listen on Stitcher: Stitcher link Listen on Google Play Music: Google Play link- - -- Reviews are the lifeblood of the podcast!- If you like the podcast- please take 2 minutes to write a review! Click here - Ready to be an Awesome Youth Coach? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter: SaveSave

    30 min

  2. 06/23/2019

    WYC 169 – 700+ Collegiate Soccer Wins – Dr. Jay Martin – The Art of Coaching

    Dr. Jay Martin is the Ohio Wesleyan University Soccer coach and one of the nation’s winningest soccer coaches ever. He has written one of the books in the series for United Soccer Coaches titled, The Best of Soccer Journal: The Art of Coaching. It is seen as one of the best soccer books in their book store. Jay is an author of several books approved by the United Soccer Coaches national office and advises them on their Coaches education curriculum. Book: The Art of Coaching   Listen Now: Listen on iTunes: iTunes link Listen on Stitcher: Stitcher link Listen on Google Play Music: Google Play link- - -- Reviews are the lifeblood of the podcast!- If you like the podcast- please take 2 minutes to write a review! Click here - Ready to be an Awesome Youth Coach? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter: SaveSave

    38 min

  3. 05/24/2019

    WYC 168 – Youth Wrestling – Chris Mance – Helping sports families

    Chris Mance is a family coach who helps sports families pursue difficult goals while maximizing their happiness on their journey. Chris has a unique story from playing at football at West Point to becoming an entrepreneur, husband, and eventually a father of two young wrestlers. Through his experiences in leadership, Chris has been able to work with families to plan and execute their strategic plans. Chris’s Website: chrismance.com Chris' Twitter: @chrismance Chris’s Instagram: @chairmance2   Listen Now: Listen on iTunes: iTunes link Listen on Stitcher: Stitcher link Listen on Google Play Music: Google Play link- - Coaching Your Own Kids Chris was really hard on his first son from an early age. He has gone 180, with him now and with his younger son, he stays focused on being proud of them and just giving them a hug afterwards and de-emphasizing the winning/losing. Cringe moment At youth dual meets, early on in Chris' coaching, he was too focused on the scoreboard with the newer athletes instead of just working on technique and focusing on improvement. Teaching skills & Keeping it fun Reward kids for working hard with a fun game - sumo wrestling is fun. King of the hill - start with smallest kid, whoever takes down other wins, and keep going working way up Culture Parents are a big part of it - keep them tied in and on board Doing something like fantasy sports with the kids is a really fun way to build some comraderie within the players of the team Travel sports The biggest problem is the season never ends. In a perfect world, kids would only play a sport during its primary season, and then be able to enjoy other sports in the offseasons. The one that got away Chris' final wrestling match - he got beat someone who probably wasn't as good as him - but he had taken it for granted and not trained well that week. Best stolen idea Sports is a chess match. You always need to be 2 steps ahead, especially mentally. Favorite books/quote: Quote: 'Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard' Book: Wooden (by John Wooden) Parting Advice Have a system, plan and prepare -- Reviews are the lifeblood of the podcast!- If you like the podcast- please take 2 minutes to write a review! Click here - Ready to be an Awesome Youth Coach? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter: SaveSave

    52 min

  4. 04/25/2019

    WYC 167 – Youth Soccer – Gad Espinosa – Coaching the Mental Game

    Gad Espinosa is a Certified High-Performance Mental Game Coach, and speaker who has been interviewed in numerous newspapers and radio shows. He has been privileged to train and mentor athletes at all levels, from those just starting their athletic careers to others who have gone on to represent their country and succeed at World Championships and Olympic games. As a former professional athlete, who has represented his country internationally, he knows first hand the psychological and emotional challenges a young athlete faces. As a parent of two former competitive athletes he knows the difficulty of raising athletes and as a varsity head coach, he sympathizes with coaches and their responsibilities. Gad is passionate about helping young athletes discover mental strength breakthroughs that allow them to maximize their development so they can take their game to another level and fulfill their athletic potential. Website: coachgad.com Instagram: @coach_gad Twitter: @coachgad Facebook: /Coach-Gad   Listen Now: Listen on iTunes: iTunes link Listen on Stitcher: Stitcher link Listen on Google Play Music: Google Play link- - Coaching Your Own Kids It's a balance between smothering them and still coaching them and enjoying being a parent with them Coaching a sport you didn't play 2 requirements: Enthusiasm and a passion to learn more A-ha moment Gad, as a player, rarely had coaches discuss the mental side of the game - so he has emphasized this as a coach Concussion recovery Time is the biggest key. Take the time to let your mind recover and don't rush it. Mental toughness It starts with letting your athletes know it's ok to fail. It's a very important part of the learning process. Having a clear goal in mind helps build grit to keep working even if things don't do the way you want. Teaching skills Tag - they put a pinnie on each hip, and they run around and try to grab as many pinnies as possible from their teammates Keep away - in a circle, 2 kids in the middle, try to keep ball away from the kids in the middle Culture and captains Leaders emerge amongst teams 'How do I Improve my Kid's Athletic Potential?' Book on website: coachgad.com WYC guest enter promo code 'WYC' and get 50% off book! A mental program for coaches and athletes The one that got away Gad had specifically reminded the team about a specific thing to look for in the game, and 1 minute into the game this situation happened, and a player didn't do what they just had talked about. Gad regrets that he immediately took the player out of the game and didn't play him much more that game. Best stolen idea Preparedness Favorite books/quote: Quote: 'If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes.' - John Wooden Parting Advice Take a step back and remember how you wish you were coached when you were younger -- Reviews are the lifeblood of the podcast!- If you like the podcast- please take 2 minutes to write a review! Click here - Ready to be an Awesome Youth Coach? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter: SaveSave

    44 min

  5. 04/05/2019

    WYC 166 – Invisible Differences – Susan Stout – Bring out the best in athletes with ADHD, learning differences, and/or anxiety

    Susan Stout educates coaches specifically about working with kids who have ADHD, learning differences and/or anxiety. As a former swim coach and now a mom to an avid young athlete with ADHD and dyslexia, Susan wishes she had known when she was coaching what she knows now about how to recognize the differently wired kids, manage the challenges and bring out the best in these athletes. Website: ownbeatathlete.com Twitter: @SusanStoutOBA   Listen Now: Listen on iTunes: iTunes link Listen on Stitcher: Stitcher link Listen on Google Play Music: Google Play link- - Finding invisible differences It all starts with just getting to know each kid Some symptoms to look for: Can't sit still Talk back Interrupt Can't remember what you just said, especially with multi-step directions Inconsistent in their performance Poor sense of time (can be late) Poor emotional control Practical tips to coach kids with invisible differences Don't talk for long periods of time(no diatribes!) Routines help Give them a responsibility to keep them engaged Let them fidget and move Try to be patient - give them a minute to cool off Own Beat Athlete Website: ownbeatathlete.com Blogs, profiles of successful players and coaches with ADHD, letters from players Tools for coaches and facts to know about kids with invisible differences Cringe moment When Susan was first coaching, they lost a meet because the backstroke flags were the wrong distance. Susan was worried about over-coaching girls who had previously been her teammates. She learned she needed to be the coach first and not worry about trying to impress them or be their buddy. Keeping training fun Relay races are always a great way to compete and have fun while conditioning Achieving peak performance under pressure They start meets with cheering and getting energy up. Then she would have the athletes come and check in with her before their events to chat one-on-one. The coaching is finished at this point - instead reinforce them and tell them - 'you've done it, the work is done, now go have fun and show what you can do' The one that got away As a swimmer, for 3 years Susan was trying to break 36 seconds. 3 times she got 36.00. She still had a great time, just wishes she could have got a 35.99. :) Best stolen idea Building a culture of being a family. Favorite books/quote: Quote: 'A common mistake amongst those working in sports is to spend a disproportionate amount of time on X's and O's as compared to time spent learning about people.' - Coach K Quote: 'When I was a young coach, I used to say treat everybody alike. Instead- treat everybody fairly.' - Bear Bryant Book: Getting to Us by Seth Davis Parting Advice Build relationships. Get to know the kids, what do they dream about, what excites them, what do they like doing outside of sports. -- Reviews are the lifeblood of the podcast!- If you like the podcast- please take 2 minutes to write a review! Click here - Ready to be an Awesome Youth Coach? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter: SaveSave

    1h 1m

  6. 03/15/2019

    WYC 165 – Youth Soccer – Sean Conlon – Founder of We Make Footballers

    Sean Conlon is the founder of We Make Footballers, a football(soccer in the U.S.) prep school to prepare athletes for playing at academies. With a background with the Chelsea club, Sean has the passion and vision to help young athletes improve their game on and off the field to reach their dreams. Website: wemakefootballers.com Twitter: @wmfootballers Instagram: @wemakefootballers   Listen Now: Listen on iTunes: iTunes link Listen on Stitcher: Stitcher link Listen on Google Play Music: Google Play link- - Learning on the playground Sean didn't play for a formal team until he was 13 years old. This has pros and cons - a lot of creativity can be developed, but mixing in a bit of coaching can help the guided discovery process. Emphasizing fun at young ages and training parents to recognize development vs. just wins and losses is key. We Make Footballers 14 franchises across England, have prepared 170+ players who have gone on to join academy teams Focus is preparing players for academies Website: wemakefootballers.com Great fun skill building games Stuck in the mud - Get in a square, everyone has their own ball, dribbling. Make one player the sticker - he runs and tries to tag the other players. When tagged, they hold their ball over their head, and if other players kick their own ball between a frozen players' head, that player is freed. Snake - In a square. 2 players have to hold hands, they are the snakes. The rest are the mice. Players don't have a ball, they just run around. As players are caught, they join the snake. The one that got away In the cup final, Sean looks back on a couple of changes he could have made earlier. Thinking clearly in high energy moments is critical. Be decisive and take action. Best stolen idea Make every practice fun, regardless of the age group. Favorite books/quote: Book: Alex Ferguson's Leading Quote: 'In football, the worst things are excuses, excuses mean you cannot grow or move forward.' - Pep Guardiola Parting Advice Utilize the internet and forums to continuously learn -- Reviews are the lifeblood of the podcast!- If you like the podcast- please take 2 minutes to write a review! Click here - Ready to be an Awesome Youth Coach? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter: SaveSave

    54 min

  7. 02/21/2019

    WYC 164 – Youth Baseball – Freddy Hilliard – Selflessness, Excellence, Energy

    Freddy Hilliard is the head coach at Malvern Prep in Pennsylvania. In 8 seasons as coach, he has surpassed the 260 win mark, collected 5 PA state titles as well as 5 national top 25 rankings and has sent 75 players on to play college ball. His former players view him as a coach, mentor, teacher and role model. Although he develops baseball skills, he is even more talented in developing better people first and foremost. Baseball as we know is a small part of life, how we conduct ourselves as humans, as husbands, as brothers, as fathers…that is what is important in life and that is how we will be remembered. Twitter: @coachhilliard16   Listen Now: Listen on iTunes: iTunes link Listen on Stitcher: Stitcher link Listen on Google Play Music: Google Play link- - Cringe Moment After a loss, on the bus ride on the way home, the kids were laughing and having a good time. Freddy couldn't understand why they were having fun and weren't mad. It was a good eye-opener, that most of these kids enjoy being on the team, but they have a lot going on beyond this team. The biggest lesson he learned was investing more in them as people and getting to know what makes them tick. Choosing to be excellent at everything means work, but don't be satisfied with being OK or mediocre. Teaching skills It all starts with the why. Teaching is much more effective if they understand what they are trying to accomplish and why it's important. Players should be free to ask questions and suggest improvements Competing is key to getting kids to focus and give their all. They have 4 yellow jerseys - they give them to the best 4 defensive players at their 4 stations. They also have a batting championship belt they award (similar to a WWE or boxing belt) each practice. Achieving Peak Performance Work with your team on breathing to calm their heart rate down Visualize success. Think about success and don't be afraid to fail. Core Values They have 3 of them: Selflessness, Excellence, Energy Connecting with and impacting kids Freddy had a player who didn't get much playing time, but had a great attitude, and stayed in touch for years to come. This speaks to Freddy and his staff valuing him as a person, not based on his talent level. The one that haunts me Freddy's team was in the state championship game, they had beaten the other team twice that season rather easily. They lost in extra innings. Freddy thinks he could have done a better job getting his team focused and not being complacent. Favorite books/quote: Quote: 'Discipline yourself and others won't have to' - John Wooden Book: John Wooden's Pyramid of Success Book: Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World by Admiral William McRaven Book: The Captain Class: The Hidden Force That Creates the World's Greatest Teams by Sam Walker Book: Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek Parting Advice Don't overthink or over-coach. Let the kids figure it out. Make it fun, you want the kids to love the game. Be authentic. -- Reviews are the lifeblood of the podcast!- If you like the podcast- please take 2 minutes to write a review! Click here - Ready to be an Awesome Youth Coach? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter: SaveSave

    1h 5m

  8. 01/31/2019

    WYC 163 – Mental Toughness Training – Dr Rob Bell talks Hinge Moments

    Dr. Rob Bell is a mental toughness coach. He is a husband and father of two wonderful kids. An Ironman and endurance athlete, and loves to PLAY: golf, swimming, skiing, running, ping-pong and chess. He speaks & trains with teams, organizations, and coaches on mental toughness. Website: drrobbell.com Twitter: @drrobbell Facebook: /TheImportanceofmentaltoughness Instagram: /drrobbell Listen Now: Listen on iTunes: iTunes link Listen on Stitcher: Stitcher link Listen on Google Play Music: Google Play link- - Hinge moments A person, a decision, or a moment that changes the direction of your life 1 of Dr. Bell's hinge moments was when he was in college and living a party life- he walked off an 80 foot cliff. But it woke him up and changed him: "Our worst moments in life often end up becoming our best moments" Mental toughness training Mental toughness - 'It's caught more than it's taught' The most important time is when adversity hits - How, as coaches, do we respond? When they fail - teach them that 'this is an event, not a person.' "It's a bruise not a tattoo." Visualization 'To visualize success you have to have had success' - So you have to lots of competitions - then the debrief is key: What were you thinking about when taking that key shot? Were you thinking about letting down the team, or what was going through your mind? And don't just compete physically - they can compete on who gives the most high-fives or something mentally so different kids win and lose Making the kids hungry How can I find the motivations for everybody? Motivating is the hardest mental skill. It's hard. You have to train your coaches and captains to help. Then it's a unified effort to pick everyone up and keep them on board. Timing for feedback Parents - during the game is not the time to give feedback. You want them listening to the coach. The 2nd worst time to talk to your kids is on the car ride home. The best time is in non-pressure environments. Best borrowed/stolen idea Jack Nicklaus: 'People don't understand how many times you have to finish 2nd before you finish 1st' Favorite books/quote: Quote: 'Some battles aren't worth fighting even if you win. Some battles are worth fighting even if you lose.' - Gil Reyes, Andre Aggassi's coach Books by coaches who have won and lost - Dean Smith, Pat Summit, Bear Bryant, Bill Walsh Parting Advice Better people make better athletes. Focus on developing the person. -- Reviews are the lifeblood of the podcast!- If you like the podcast- please take 2 minutes to write a review! Click here - Ready to be an Awesome Youth Coach? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter: SaveSave

    38 min
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    About

    Craig Haworth from winningyouthcoaching.com shares his interviews with successful youth sports coaches from around the globe to help the mom or dad youth coach be organized, effective, and win. Discover what tools, resources, books, and strategies the winning youth coaches use, and enjoy many fun stories along the way. Learn from the candid stories of both successes and failures, and implement the insightful recommendations on how to have an awesome experience with your youth sports team this season. Whether you are a fan of football, basketball, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, gymnastics, volleyball, or any other team sport - keep listening to ESPN, but take a few minutes each week to learn from the awesome youth sports coaches so you can get practical tools to make you a Winning Youth Coach.

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