BUILDING THE ATHLETE FIRST—MAGNUS NORMAN ON GUIDING TENNIS PLAYERS FROM GOOD TO GREAT
In the world of youth athletics, the word “great” often describes what is, in fact, much closer to ordinary. Great job, great practice, great effort out there. As the Technical Director and co-founder of the Good to Great Tennis Academy in Stockholm, Sweden, Magnus Norman knows firsthand what separates the great…
Yes, Informed Continuity: A 3-Phase Plan for Coaching Through Cancellations
Coaching youth sports, I operate with a handful of “All the Time” principles: have fun, never quit, and do no harm. These principles apply whether I’m coaching teenage girls in a competitive soccer match or managing elementary schoolers in a recreational softball game. They apply during the most unpleasant weather, during early morning…
Schwingfest! Fusing Traditional Sport With A High Performance Model
The stadium is packed with 50,000 boisterous fans. The athletes—locked in a battle of grit, guile, and absolute strength—have competed and trained for three years just to qualify. It is a sport of sudden triumphs and centuries-old traditions; it is a sport of ruthless gamesmanship and respectful customs. It is…
IF IT AIN’T BROKE: HOW FLORIDA TRACK & FIELD INTEGRATES NEW TOOLS IN A WINNING PROGRAM
Mike Holloway isn’t going anywhere. After guiding the Florida Gators’ track teams to eight national championships and 14 SEC titles, Holloway secured a 10-year contract extension with the university that will keep the Hall of Fame coach in Gainesville until 2028. For a program that has reached such a rare…
Can the Play-Practice-Play Model Rejuvenate U.S. Soccer?
Midway through the first day of classroom work for my U.S. Soccer D License, there was a mutiny. The course instructors—a sage pair of A-Licensed coaches with decades of experience in U.S. Soccer—were whiteboarding the course curriculum and underlying methodology when, one by one, the two-dozen club coaches in the…
The Evolution of Flex (or Multisport ≠ Multiple Sports Simultaneously)
The Scene: April 2018. Del Mar, California. The first spring practice to kick off the Flex soccer team’s second competitive season, with more giggling and oh-my-goshes than quality touches as the players gathered for a pre-warm-up routine of partner juggling. Pair upon pair, each shanking balls off shins and knees due to…
BEYOND TOP SPEED—7 KEYS TO PEAK POWER WITH INDIANA FOOTBALL’S MATT RHEA
Matt Rhea is a speed guy. A PhD in fact, focusing on performance enhancements largely centered on making athletes faster on the football field. In just over a year as the Athletic Performance Coach for Indiana University’s football program—after a stint as the Head of Sport Science at the IMG…
ACCELERATION, GROUND SPEED, AND LIFTOFF WITH JUMPS COACH JACOB COHEN
“If you’ve got speed, you can figure out how to jump. It’s just not that complicated to me.” Power, velocity, and force, the connection is simple enough, and guided by Jumps and Combined Events Coach Jacob Cohen, athletes in the University of Illinois track program have been doing more than…
TOOLS OF THE MECHANIC: UNDER THE HOOD WITH HURDLE COACH BOOGIE JOHNSON
When someone tells you who they are, listen. Lawrence “Boogie” Johnson—the 2013 USA Track & Field Coach of the Year and current Head Track & Field Coach for California State University, Northridge (CSUN)—has the bona fides to call himself whatever he chooses. Even as he trains a crew of notable Olympians, including…