Talking With Coaches

Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. Those were Lou Gehrig's words, but I feel the same way. This platform has been a wonderful way for me to convey a lifetime of learning, and I hope it has helped all of you immensely. For now, I must move on, but I'll be back with more life lessons and funny stories before you know it. Until then, enjoy your time with your children, because it's the one thing you can never get back later.

This is my first, and hopefully last re-run. In the last several months, I have recommended people listen back to Episode 3 more than any other episode, because it speaks to the essence of effective coaching and communication, in general. No two people are alike, and the more you tailor your coaching to the individual, the more successful you will be. Enjoy one of my all time favorites, and my most useful episode to date. I'll be back with another new one next week.

Many have emailed the show asking for more information about Positive Coaching Alliance, so in this episode Coach Charlie gives you a sneak peek into one of their workshops. You'll also learn about what advice Coach Charlie would have given his teenage self if he had a time machine [beyond Carpe Diem].

Yes, I'm talking about baseball, as usual.  In this episode, Coach Charlie interviews Dan Clouser, author of The Beauty of Diamond, Through the Eyes of a Coach.  Dan tells us stories of how he ran a massive baseball league for players of all ages and genders.  Dan also finds out why it would have been a bad idea to have Coach Charlie in his men's league.  Enjoy! 

It's that time of year. At this point, you're either riding high with a winning team, or losing sleep worrying about how you'll have anything nice to say about your Little League team at the awards banquet. All is not lost! In this episode, Coach Charlie walks you back off the ledge with some quick fixes for some of the most common problems. Wins aren't guaranteed, but these tips are guaranteed to make sure everyone starts having fun again.

Want to get in the best shape of your life at a nationally respected univertsity ... for free? Maybe you should consider playing sports for a Military Academy. In this episode, Coach Charlie gets the inside info on military academy athletics from Karl Darden, a Naval Academy graduate and host of Navy Sports Central. Especially with the uncertainty of the portal and NIL money, military academies provide the safest bets for playing time and scholarships. Find out if it's right for you!

In this episode, Coach Charlie interviews Jared Zeidman about his new book, Nail the Recruiting Process.  Jared has unique advice for the new college landscape, including what to do differently in the wake of the portal and NIL deals.  Then I get to find out how those changes might have changed my college experience decades ago.  [I sure could have used that NIL money.]

Many of us -- myself included -- had to give up on a career in sports because of the supply/demand problem ... everyone wants to do it, and there's not enough jobs. But if you are creative, like my guest Anthony MacNeil, you can figure out a way to make your passion into your profession. Hopefully this episode will guide you along that journey.

Comparison is the thief of joy ... Theodore Roosevelt said that, and it's just as true today as it was in his time. Join Coach Charlie as he explores the dangers of comparison with his guest, Marc Paisant, an elite college goalie who grew up in the shadow of his twin brother. Learn how he coped with his feelings of inferiority and adapted his personal lessons into his coaching and parenting philosophy.

A friend once told me: it's not all about the X's and O's ... it's about the Jimmies and the Joes. While sport-specific training is necessary, we should never overlook the importance of training our kids to be overall great athletes with sports performace training for skills that translate to every sport. In this episode, Coach Charlie interviews Greg Walls, a former professional football player who learned the value of this training and now conducts in-person and online training for this unique field. Coach Charlie also reveals his most embarrassing training story [and that's a high bar].

In this episode Coach Charlie interviews Antwaun Thompson (aka Coach T) to discuss the role that coaches can and should have in players' lives. Coach T brings 38 years of coaching to the table to give you all the best ways to help your preteen and teen kids have success in sports an beyond.

This one is for all you parents who were roped into coach as assistants, or perhaps just on an interim basis. Every minute of every practice is critical time that kids need to build their skills, and the coach needs a structured practice plan. But if you've never made a practice plan, where do you start? Coach Charlie walks you through all the necessary components of a practice plan, so you can adapt one to your sport and athlete skill level.

Whether you want your child to get a scholarship or not, playing sports in college pays huge dividends in their overall collegiate experience.  To maximize your child's chances, look outside the mainstream to niche sports, and try out a bunch of different sports when they're young.  In this episode Coach Charlie walks you through the odds, both good and bad, of becoming a college athlete in these often overlooked sports.

Inspired by a 30 for 30 film, as he often is, Coach Charlie delves into the gray area of religion in sports, and especially youth sports. Then he spirals out of control, sounding off about players who sat out bowl games. Did he go too far? You'll have to listen to find out.

Coach Charlie enjoys interviewing sports coaches and parents whenever possible, but how will he fare when the questions are aimed at him?  Find out yourself in this special episode where Coach Charlie gets interviewed by Sasha Graham of the Sports Will Save Us All podcast.

Coach Charlie talks about the importance of preparation in sports and in life.  There is no substitute for proper preparation, but it can be overdone.  Kids can easily stress themselves out if they over-prepare, so this episode will help you moderate those efforts to get the best possible performance out of them.

Just because the Holiday season is over, we shouldn't leave behind the spirit of being thankful for the many blessings in our lives.  If anything, that should be part of New Year's resolutions.  In this episode, Coach Charlie walks you through how to make sure your kids remain grateful for all that they have in a world where everyone is focused on what everyone else has.  Comparison with others can be useful sometimes in sports and in life, but only when used cautiously and with proper parental guidance.

Coach Charlie will be taking a break through the month of December.  Please use this time to listen (or re-listen) to the previous episodes.  Then you'll be all caught up for his triumphant return on January 2nd.

Coach Charlie explores the good, the bad, and the ugly from fictional movie coaches.  If you are going to pattern your coaching style after a fictional movie coach, it's very important to choose the right one -- or more importantly to avoid choosing the wrong one -- and this episode will walk you through that.

Coach Charlie interviews noted author and child sports psychologist, Dr. Ron Mann, about how to handle (and perhaps prevent) many common psychological issues with youth athletes.  Learn about Dr. Ron's unique methods and holistic approach that are normally only made available to professional athletes.  Take a seat on the couch, because the Doctor is in ... and he's ready to solve all your child's psychological issues [or at least put them on the right path].

When you are faced with adversity, many people believe that the only possible responses are Fight, Flight, or Freeze. In fact, there are far better F-words to guide you through those difficult times.  In this episode, Coach Charlie walks you through how to Focus and Finish, leading to far more positive outcomes in youth sports and in life.

In this episode, Coach Charlie interviews Kishan Bhatnagar, who although only a Senior in high school, has coached for several years already.  Kishan discusses how coaching has benefitted his growth as both a student and an athlete, and how his coaching style was built by what he learned from his own favorite coaches and teachers [not just Coach Charlie].

In baseball, people all want to talk about the "5-tool player," and that's all based on perceived talent ... but talent only gets you noticed.  What tools actually make you an invaluable part of a team, whether on the field or in the workplace?  Coach Charlie explores those tools in this episode, designed to help you become your team's MVP!

Meet Kai and Sadie Etheridge, the husband and wife team who coach baseball and softball at Phoenix Country Day School.  Learn about all perspectives of the coach-parent relationship from their unique experience as teachers, coaches, personal trainers, and parents.

Does your team have a culture?  Unless you can say what it is in a few words, you don't have one. Luckily Coach Charlie has plenty of ideas to help you create your own, and give your teammates, employees, or family members something to believe in!

Coach Charlie talks about the importance of shaping young minds and delivers a speech to Boys Team Charity about what to do when life closes a door on you.

Coach Charlie interviews one of his pitching heroes, Noah Peery. Learn how playing baseball, especially for the legendary ASU coach Jim Brock, shaped Noah's life as a parent, a coach, and a business owner.  

As a parent or a coach, it is easy to motivate kids when the talent of the opponent is similar. But what do you do when they feel completely over matched and have virtually no chance of winning on the scoreboard?  Coach Charlie will explain how you can still get the most out of your kids and make progress in that very challenging environment.  

After last week, Coach Charlie was too emotionally spent to answer any emails, so this will be a full episode of the best emails that have come through so far, along with Coach Charlie's answers to them.  There will be lots of great movie quotes in this one too.

What will be your legacy? When you are done playing or coaching your sport, will you be able to look back and honestly say that you left the game better than you found it?  What impact will you have had on those around you through your love of the game?  If you put enough good things out there in the world, good things will come back to find you every time.

Coach Charlie explores the subtle differences between nervousness and excitement and provides several tips and tricks to always be excited in the face of a daunting challenge, instead of nervous. He also shares a colorful pregame routine your kids are likely to find amusing.

After apologizing to Cubs fans, Coach Charlie explores the nuances of our kids' personality traits and how elite coaches teach everyone differently to get the most out of them.

Coach Charlie talks about how blaming others may temporarily help you avoid responsibility for failure or bad outcomes, but ultimately blaming others tears down important relationships in your life and prevents you from learning from your mistakes. You'll learn tips and tricks to help your kids manage adversity, and use it to get better.

Coach Charlie talks about his experience with playing and coaching baseball and all of the ways that communication can break down between parents and coaches as well as how to fix them.

As a parent of a young athlete, it can be difficult to know what your role is in your child's youth sports experience.  For several hours each week, you willingly hand over the reins of your child's development to a coach, whom you likely have never met before, and knows nothing about your child.  How can you retain some control over the situation without crossing the line and undermining the coach's authority?  It's a fragile tightrope, but it's one that we're going to walk together.  I'm Coach Charlie Williamson, and I'd like you to join me for Talking With Coaches, where we will take a swing at this fascinating and complex subject with special guests, industry insiders, parents, players, and a full lineup of dynamic personalities. We'll raise some questions, find some answers, and have a whole lot of fun each week. So step into the batter's box, and let's start Talking With Coaches, follow us now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you enjoy your shows.