Any athletic program needs a solid foundation in relationships. Relationships between athletes and coaches, as well as between the school and the community. Relationships are about getting to know each other and spending time together. Relationships are about caring for each other beyond what we can get out of the other person. In this episode, Coach Ruben Garcia offers down-to-earth advice for coaches about relationships, teaching athletes and assistant coaches to be leaders, and sticking to yo...
Dec 04, 2020•25 min
Relationships are built on trust. If our athletes don't trust us, then we won't be able to build strong relationships with them. Without strong relationships, we can't help them become the best young men and women they can be. We can't just tell our athletes that they can trust us because trust is built slowly over time by both our words and our actions. In this episode, Coach Brandon Hankins tells us how to show athletes that they can trust us so that we can help them reach their full potential...
Nov 23, 2020•21 min
Being a coach isn't about you. It's not about your success; it's about the students' success. How our your athletes successful? How are you helping them to be ever more successful? Ensuring the success of others is what coaching is all about. In this episode, Coach Seth Stinton reminds us that coaching is never about us. Instead, it's about the kids and the journey we get to take them on. Key Takeaways: -Be positive and support others. -Loyalty is doing what's in the best interest of others. -It...
Nov 16, 2020•25 min
This week, Mackey talks with retiring US Army Lieutenant Colonel Ingebrigt A.L. “Andy” Riise. Andy is a Mental Performance Coach, Consultant, Speaker, and Author who passionate is helping individuals, leaders, and teams get better at what they do. A West Point graduate and former Army Football player, he had a decorated 20 year career, leading soldiers in a variety of austere missions highlighted by three combat deployments, strategic missions on four continents, and five years in two elite Spec...
Nov 09, 2020•40 min
Most students dislike tests. But tests are valuable and even necessary because they allow us to see where we stand. When we know where we are, then we can figure out how to get where we want to be. In this episode, Mackey explains the value of testing our athletes so they (and we) know where they are--not to judge or label, but to help them move forward to reach their full potential. Key Takeaways -The value of a test is that we see where we are. -When we see where we are, we can see the path fo...
Nov 02, 2020•9 min
Does winning in sports really matter? Yes, it does. But perhaps not for the reasons that we immediately think of. The value of winning isn't in beating another person, and it's not in the accolades that come from a win. The true value of winning is in how it pushes us to prepare and compete to our greatest ability. In this way, winning in sports teaches us to win in life. In this episode, Mackey breaks down the value of winning and why the most successful people learn how to win well. Key Takeaw...
Oct 26, 2020•9 min
The main reason given for not establishing character development as a routine part of an athletic program is lack of time. But here's the truth about time: We make time for what we value. If we "don't have time" for character development, it's because we don't value it enough. In this episode, Mackey explains that we have to take control of making time for the things that we value. We are responsible for making things like character development a priority and organizing our time accordingly. Key...
Oct 19, 2020•16 min
The most dangerous racism is implicit racism, the kind that we think we've already dealt with when we haven't. We can't fight racism like this in the world until we deal with that racism in ourselves. That means we have to call right, right and wrong, wrong. We've got to prepare to face racism, to protect each other from its effects, to protest until peace is found, and to press on to the end. Those are the 4 Ps of racism, and in this episode of Coach360, Mackey dives in on how we can use each o...
Oct 05, 2020•20 min
Coaches are important figures in the lives of young adults everywhere. To be a great coach requires passion. It requires an eagerness for more truth, more knowledge, and ever greater improvement. Being a coach is a tough but rewarding job, and we could all use additional resources to help us become the best coaches that we can be. In this episode, Coach360 speaks with Dr. John Thornton of the Coaching Academy at Texas A&M University, which is built for the prospective coach or current coach,...
Sep 30, 2020•20 min
You don't have to get sick to be affected by the pandemic. Everyone is experiencing loss due to COVID-19, whether that's loss of a season, loss of experiences, or loss of loved ones. Going through this difficult time is naturally going to bring up a lot of emotions, and it's not uncommon to feel like you're on an emotional roller coaster. In this episode, Mackey explains that it's okay to grieve, but it's not okay to stay in that grief for too long. At some point, you've got to go from grief to ...
Aug 31, 2020•32 min
Starting in a new career is tough. Whether you've been in the job market for a while before taking up coaching or whether coaching is your first job, there's a lot to learn. But perhaps the most important lesson is: Never stop learning. There's a lot of good stuff in this episode for all coaches, but especially for beginners, so don't forget to take notes and learn as much as you can! Key Takeaways: -Continually grow your coaching toolbox. -Take notes and learn as much as you can. -Don't just be...
Aug 17, 2020•4 min
Bad days happen to everyone. But not everyone has the character and preparation to respond to bad days in a way that turns those bad days to growth. The good news is that everyone can develop the character and learn how to prepare to do this. There is nothing wrong with having bad days; they are just part of being human. But if you can turn those bad days into growth days, if you can be the kind of person who handles failure and setbacks with a growth mindset, then you can accomplish anything yo...
Aug 10, 2020•6 min
We tend to think of the expectations we set for our athletes as minimums, but in reality, those expectations are generally ceilings. In other words, coaches and athletes are going to rise to the expectations that are set, and go no farther unless we adjust the expectations to a higher standard each time they reach it. In this episode, Coach Tony Daniels reminds us that coaches set the expectations for their athletes, so when our athletes reach those expectations, we've got to move the bar just a...
Aug 03, 2020•19 min
Success isn't final, and failure isn't fatal. Success will always be interrupted by failure at some point, and failure is necessary for finding success. You can't have one without the other because failure and success go hand in hand. It is only through failure that we learn and grow in the ways necessary for us to find success. In this episode, Coach Bill Blankenship talks about failure, correction, and what both of those things mean for our athletes, Key Takeaways: -Failing is a huge component...
Jul 27, 2020•22 min
Culture is crucial to success. It's true in business, it's true in the family, and it's definitely true in the locker room. Culture is the soundbite encapsulating what the athletic program or team is really like to be a part of. It's what athletes say about their team to their non-athletic friends or their family. In this episode, we talk with Coach Kevin Flanigan, who explains that a program's culture is determined by it's leadership. If you want to have a great team culture, you've got to be a...
Jul 20, 2020•21 min
Servant leadership means serving first. A servant leader understands that he or she must serve others to find success in life. A servant leader also becomes closer to his or her team through their service to their teammates and the wider community. When a team serves together, it brings them closer together. In this episode, Coach Tony Benedetto gives us advice for how coaches can build servant leaders in their locker rooms. Key Takeaways: -When athletes serve others together, they become more o...
Jul 13, 2020•26 min
Sports teach us many lessons that will be useful for the rest of our lives. We are trying to reach students through athletics to teach them the skills and values that will help them find success beyond the game. Sports people have a lot of wisdom to share from their time on the field or court. So in this episode, we are speaking with Jeff Traylor, Head Football Coach at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and he gives us some pearls of wisdom about using our gifts and talents for the good of...
Jul 10, 2020•21 min
Life is not all about sports, but sports is all about life. The things that our student-athletes learn in practice and during games will help them well beyond the field, so long as we are intentional about passing on the most important lessons. For example, one of the core values we can teach our athletes is that regardless of what life throws at us or how many setbacks we encounter, it is always possible to win the day by giving our best in everything that we do. In this episode, Coach JD Berna...
Jul 06, 2020•20 min
We have an influence on our student-athletes' lives. Our words to them matter, so we have to be careful what we say to these young people. They are dealing with middle and high school, the two places where everyone's self-identity is tested over and over again. Our athletes will become what they think they are, so we have to be sure that our words convey their worth, both as members of the team and as individuals. In this episode, Coach Kenneth Loyd reminds us that everything speaks to something...
Jun 29, 2020•25 min
There are a lot of reasons for finishing strong, such as showing your integrity by finishing through instead of at the line and pushing yourself to your limits so you can reach your goals. But perhaps one of the most important reasons to finish strong is this: Your finish line today will be your starting line tomorrow. In this episode, Mackey explains why and how to finish strong in everything that we do. Key Takeaways: -Your finish line today will be your starting line tomorrow. -You start wher...
Jun 26, 2020•8 min
Most young people look at respect as something you earn, not something that is given to you. But this thinking is completely backward. We should respect others because of who WE are, not who they are. Respect is at the core of creating a team and school culture where it's not only okay, but expected that student-athletes will stand up and say "this is not right" with regards to sexual harassment. In this episode, Jesse Mahler and Valencia Peterson discuss how coaching is a platform for preventin...
Jun 24, 2020•42 min
Ownership is one of the keys to making sure our athletes stay in the game. In other words, if we want to keep them from quitting, and if we want them to play to their highest level, we've got to help them feel that they have a stake in our athletic program. When our athletes have ownership, they have passion, and with that passion, they will find success in sports and in life. In this episode, Coach Tim Teykl explains why ownership is so important in athletics and other parts of life. Everything...
Jun 22, 2020•26 min
Your health limits how far you can go in life. When you're in poor health, it limits what you can do and the impact that you can have on others. That's not to say that illness or obesity will always prevent people from reaching their dreams or influencing their community. But it is true that the healthier you are, the further and faster you can go. Health isn't about just one thing, but to get healthy you do need to take one step in the right direction every day. In this episode, Mackey dives in...
Jun 19, 2020•9 min
Anger is a powerful emotion. It can destroy so quickly and so completely. And sometimes, what it destroys cannot be rebuilt. Anger can destroy relationships and entire lives. But the thing is, anger is also useful if it's used in the right way. When the destructive nature of anger is kept in check, it can be used for positive change. Angry indignation at the suffering or unfair treatment of others can help us create a new, more equal world. But we have to remember our Anger Rights, or that force...
Jun 17, 2020•6 min
The team belongs to the athletes as much as it does to the coaches, and the team is bigger than athletes or coaches. Everyone is working together in service of the team. And if there are people who aren't working in service to the team, people who aren't fulfilling their roles, then the team breaks down. But if everyone has a We over Me mentality, there's nothing the team cannot accomplish. In this episode, Coach Dusty Crafton tells us several ways to bring the team together for the greater We. ...
Jun 15, 2020•20 min
The only way to finish strong is to give your best to the cause or goal straight through (not to) the finish line. There will be real consequences for our world if this generation of coaches fails to finish strong. You are that generation, and you have a great responsibility to your athletes, your family, and future generations to prepare the leaders in your locker rooms for the world they will face tomorrow. Part of that preparation involves teaching tomorrow's leaders how to finish strong. In ...
Jun 12, 2020•7 min
Having a 5-star talent is not as important as having a 5-star character. Talent cannot take you very far without a solid foundation of good character. Talent can also only take you as far as your character will allow. So in that sense, character is both a foundation and ceiling. This is just one of the things that makes character so important in our lives. In this episode, Mackey breaks down why character matters. Key Takeaways: -Character is a talent amplifier. -Character is both a ceiling and ...
Jun 10, 2020•7 min
Culture is a mindset. When your mindset is that your team's culture matters and the values you talk about settle into your daily mindset as guiding principles, that mindset, that culture, becomes evident to your athletes so that they can share in it. When athletes see that the athletic program is important to their coaches, the program will become important to them, too. In this episode, Coach Billy Mathis discusses the importance of culture in building a successful athletic program. Key Takeawa...
Jun 08, 2020•21 min
Systemic racism is a topic too big for any one person to tackle. That's why a movement grew on social networking sites and turned into protests in the streets. The movement is people, black and white and everything in between, coming together to say "This is wrong and I will not remain silent." In this episode, Mackey addresses current events related to systemic racism and his perspective on why we have to keep fighting until it's gone. Key Takeaways: -We have to call right right and wrong wrong...
Jun 05, 2020•26 min
Thomas Edison is credited with saying some version of the quote: "Opportunity is missed my most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like hard work." In this episode, Mackey encourages us to look past the overalls to the opportunity underneath. Yes, there will be hard work involved. But if we do today's work today, we will reap the benefits of growth tomorrow. Key Takeaways: -If we want to get where we want to go, we have to do what we don't want to do. -Do not miss the opportunity...
Jun 03, 2020•5 min
