Can you describe your coaching style in five words or less? The key to consistency in your coaching is knowing how you coach. You have to have a clear picture of what you want to accomplish with your athletic program, so that you can pass that message on to your coaching staff. Once the coaching staff gets it, that vision will trickle down to your athletes. In this episode of the Coach 360 podcast, Colton talks to Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Ricklan Holmes of Tyler High School abou...
Feb 03, 2020•21 min
Athletes perform better when they are confident in themselves and trust in their coaches. So how do we, as coaches, help our athletes get to that point of confidence and trust, so our athletes can go on to reach their full potential in sports and life? During this interview with Head Volleyball Coach and Girls' Athletic Director Clark Oberle of Decatur High School, Colton and Coach Oberle discuss how to build confidence in our athletes. Some of the suggestions you will hear about include: making...
Jan 27, 2020•20 min
When your program is founded on the vision, standards, and values that you live by, you give the athletes in your care an opportunity to learn how to be great men and women. It's not just the big ideas like: Be better than you were yesterday, Don't settle for good enough, and Treat others with respect. Those ideas are communicated through sports, but it's not the big ideas that actually hit home; instead, it's the daily repetition and living of those ideas that makes the difference in your athle...
Jan 20, 2020•23 min
Many coaches will not stay with one school or district for their entire career. Circumstances with the school or your family, as well as your own ambitions, can all lead you away from your current athletic program and athletes. It's a natural progression, and there may come a point where you have to make the hard decision to leave the student-athletes that you have poured so much into. When that time comes, remember that kids are kids, and they all need a good coach to pour valuable lessons into...
Jan 13, 2020•20 min
Being an athlete is a major commitment. You don't get time off from it. Even if you are injured, you support your team from the bench and you uphold the team values off the pitch. Our student-athletes need to understand that whether or not they're wearing the jersey, once they join our team, they are an athlete, and there are expectations for that - Expectations that they put character first, learn from their mistakes, and demonstrate self-discipline. During this interview with Coach Ged Kates o...
Jan 06, 2020•25 min
Coaches and athletes are motivated by a scoreboard. Sometimes that scoreboard reflects the game results, but sometimes it reflects an A/B honor roll percentage. The difference is in the focus of the athletic program. Are we in it just for the on-field wins and trophies? Or, do we understand that there is something more important than sports going on here? In this interview with Coach Ray Zepeda, District Athletic Director of Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Coach Zepeda explains why the focus should be on...
Dec 16, 2019•19 min
Coaches aren't successful unless their athletes are successful. That's why we push our athletes so hard in practice and off-season. That's why we yell and assign burpies. We want to see them grow and succeed. But, as Coach Rod Blount of Navarro ISD reminds us during this interview, there's more to helping our athletes become their best selves than just yelling. We've also got to love them. If we love our athletes well, they will run through a brick wall for us. Love is how we make the greatest i...
Dec 09, 2019•20 min
If we expect our athletes to keep returning day after day, game after game, and year after year, they need to want to be here. Coach Gerald Brence of Plano ISD asks coaches to remember that our athletes want encouragement, fairness, and organization. If we can give them that, we can make athletics the highlight of their day. During this interview, Coach Brence also discusses the four traits that he believes the best coaches possess. Key Takeaways: - Athletes need to want to play. - Athletes desi...
Dec 02, 2019•23 min
Trust has to be built before you can make any major changes after you transition to a new-to-you athletics program. See, the program is new to you, but it’s already been established by others. If you try to bring in a wrecking ball on day one, it’s going to ruffle feathers. Sometimes feather-ruffling is necessary, but you won’t know until you observe the status quo. In this interview with Coach Zack Hudson, head football coach of Mabank High School, Coach discusses how to get a feel for a new at...
Nov 25, 2019•24 min
How you weekend has a direct impact on how you perform during the week. It’s not separate from the rest of the week or from your personal identity. When you weekend poorly (i.e. wasting time, doing things you shouldn’t), it’s a symptom of a deeper issue with the balance in your life. Leaders rise above the TGIF mentality. They recognize that although the things you do might be different on the weekend, how you do things shouldn’t be any different from the weekly hustle. In this episode, Mackey b...
Nov 21, 2019•12 min
According to Coach Eric de los Santos of Irving High, athletes want discipline because it equals freedom. The team at 2 Words definitely agrees. Coaches expect things from their athletes that the kids might not expect of themselves, and discipline is the only way to make it a reality. Discipline gives us the space to learn and grow within boundaries that keep us safe and focused. It gives us the freedom to succeed. In this episode, Coach Eric also gives advice on working with athletic program an...
Nov 18, 2019•20 min
Lao Tzu, Oprah Winfrey, and Charles Darwin all have something in common: They get the importance of time management. Time is a precious, finite resource. Each minute that passes can’t be retrieved, and how we spend our time is a direct reflection of what our priorities are. In this episode, Mackey dissects three quotes that give us insight into how we can make the best use of our limited time. Key Takeaways: -How you spend your time is your choice. -The day will come when you run out of time. -W...
Nov 14, 2019•9 min
If you want your athletes to invest their time, energy, and effort in your program, you have to invest in your athletes. Continuously building relationships with your student-athletes allows you to speak to them on a deeper level than pep talks and plays. In this episode, Coach Chance Westmoreland of Argyle High School shares why building relationships is crucial to a sound athletic program. He also provides tips and techniques for how to build and strengthen those relationships. Key Takeaways: ...
Nov 11, 2019•19 min
When you start something new, the very novelty of it makes everything exciting. You’re curious and ready to see where this new activity can take you. But there will come a point when that stops. This is the point when motivation fades, and there’s a long slog to get through before habit makes this hard thing easy. To honor your integrity, you have to do what you said you would do, even when it’s hard or the novelty has worn off. In this episode from a ruck in Cedar Hill, Mackey explores why doin...
Nov 07, 2019•8 min
Investing in your athletes is sort of like investing in a 401k for retirement. The more you put in, the more you will get out later. That investment is particularly important when you join a new program. The athletes don’t know you yet, and they probably won’t be ready for you to drop a 50 lb. hammer on them in practice. In this episode, Colton and Head Football Coach Kurt Traylor of Lee High School in Tyler ISD discuss what it means to invest in your athletes and how the PRIDE mentality helps f...
Nov 04, 2019•26 min
No matter what season you’re in, it will come to a finish. High school ends, college ends, eventually even the pros retire. Every season will finish, but you choose how you will finish it. Will you finish strong—blowing past the finish line? Or will you have a meh finish where you reach the line, but not at full steam? How you finish is how you set yourself up for success. You’ll have to finish; there’s no choice about that. But there is a choice in how. Remember these two words: Finish Strong. ...
Oct 31, 2019•7 min
Things won’t always go our way. During tough times, our primary job as coaches is to be there to support our athletes. We can help them grow through the struggle as long as we stand firm and support each other. This inspiring message and more comes from Coach Travis Reeve, Athletic Director and Head Football Coach at Cuero High School. In this episode, Coach Reeve tells us about his team’s phrase “uncommon men win” and their four core values. Key Takeaways: -Ever person has a chance to make a di...
Oct 28, 2019•25 min
“Because I said so” isn’t just a statement of authority. It’s also a statement of dependability: Because I said so, it will be done. Dependability is all about doing what you say you are going to do. Dependability will always beat ability because no matter how much talent you have, it’s worthless if you can’t be depended upon to do what you said you would do. In this sample from the 2Words Character Development curriculum, Mackey lays out the difference between ability and dependability, and why...
Oct 24, 2019•11 min
We love talking to coaches like Head Football Coach John Fish of Bonham high school about the values of their program, their ideas about the most important skills for coaches and athletes, and good, sound advice. In this episode, Coach Fish shares his program values, including discipline, relating to peers, and responding to our emotions. He tells us why being detail-oriented is a valuable skill for coaches and players. He also gives advice such as the importance of learning a team’s identity wh...
Oct 21, 2019•26 min
It does no good to be a 5-star athlete if you have 0-star character. The same is true for any area of life. When you’re 5-star in one area and 0-star in another, it shows that you are compartmentalizing your life. The people who compartmentalize are the ones who live with the greatest disappointments. So, if you want to find success on the field and in life, stop compartmentalizing and focus on developing 5-star character. Remember: Your character drives and influences every area of your life. I...
Oct 17, 2019•12 min
Coach Andy Sexton, Director of Athletics for Bastrop ISD, took some time to talk with Coach 360 about the issues facing coaches today, and how the Bastrop ISD program is finding solutions. The issues and solutions discussed include: holding athletes accountable for mistakes, fighting to keep players engaged in the program, and hiring the right people. Key Takeaways: -Hold athletes accountable for mistakes so they learn how to change -Don’t lose sight of why you’re a coach: for the students -One ...
Oct 14, 2019•20 min
How much negative self-talk do our student-athletes experience everyday? Probably more than we suspect, since most of that negative self-talk is happening in their heads where we can’t hear it or correct it. We may never know how much negative self-talk our athletes are dealing with, but we can help them overcome it. This episode of Coach 360 provides tips and ideas for how to encourage our student-athletes to move beyond negative self-talk. We want to help them re-draft the narrative they tell ...
Oct 10, 2019•9 min
During this interview with Coach Jonathan Lamb of Leander ISD, Colton and Coach discuss how to build deeper relationships with athletes, coaches, and parents. The first step is being authentic because that opens the door for developing deeper relationships. Along with authenticity, we build deeper relationships with our athletes by knowing them beyond the sport. We want to know: What other activities are they into? Who are they really? When the student-athlete’s parents realize you have an authe...
Oct 07, 2019•23 min
Who are you? What motivates you? Are you motivated by success or by integrity? Are you the person that says “I’m going to set the standards that are worthy of the talents inside of me”? Do your goals require you to fail greatly? In this episode of Coach 360, Mackey is live at Champion, and he’s got these questions for you and more to help you think about your motivation in life and what that means for success. Key Takeaways: -If your goals don’t require you to fail greatly, they aren’t big enoug...
Oct 03, 2019•8 min
How do you get your athletes to go above and beyond? How do you encourage them to be successful? According to Coach Brad LaPlante of Hutto High School, you do it through living what you teach, so that you lead by example. Communication is the key to teaching new skills and encouraging character-driven behavior. But all the talking in the world is useless if your own actions as their coach fail to drive the message home. Let your actions drive the message of going above and beyond to find success...
Sep 30, 2019•29 min
You know the importance of coaching beyond the game, but what does that look like practice? For starters, coaching beyond the game means being intentional with everything that you do. It means being present for your athletes so they can see and mirror your actions. It means teaching them how to interact with other people, including giving a good handshake and expressing gratitude. In this episode, Mackey speaks about coaching beyond the game, beyond the locker room, to impact your student-athlet...
Sep 26, 2019•10 min
During an interview with Coach Tim Russell, Athletic Director and Head Football Coach for Harmony High School, Coach shared that the team is a family built on accountability and trust. The team has to love each other enough to call each other out when they are wrong - to hold each other accountable. That commitment to the truth, even when it’s tough, builds trust that strengthens the bonds of family. The family atmosphere of the team is the foundation for character building in the Harmony athlet...
Sep 23, 2019•26 min
Every person you meet is in one of three places: -Having a bad time -About to have a bad time -Recovering from a bad time It is guaranteed that you will have bad days and rough times. There may even be days when you struggle to get out of bed. Those rough times and the struggles you face can either anchor you down or be the catalyst that propels you forward. The choice is yours. Will you choose to let your struggles make you stronger? Key Takeaways: Choose to view adversity as an opportunity Own...
Sep 19, 2019•16 min
As coaches, we have to coach beyond the game to make a lasting impact on our student-athletes. A good game plan is crucial for making an impact, but the process of creating and executing a good game plan can be daunting. The good news is: You don’t have to do it alone. Your fellow coaches and 2Words Character Development are here to help. If you need help, just ask for it. Key Takeaways: We can’t stop at a scoreboard if we want to make a lasting impact The better your game plan, the better it al...
Sep 11, 2019•16 min
In our latest episode, Mackey is live from the Texas High School Coaches Association Coaching School talking about the 8 pillars of a culture of character. Key takeaways from this podcast: Athletics teach skillsets that will NEVER expire Integrity will not ONLY be learned by example. You have to MODEL and TEACH. Intentionality comes when you have a culture that values character Download Mackey’s Talk Handouts: www.2words.tv/coachingschool Bring Mackey to YOUR school: www.mackeyspeaks.com/contact...
Jul 24, 2019•51 min
