Way of Champions Podcast #150 How to Develop Thinking Players with 10x NCAA Champ and Lacrosse Legend Gary Gait
Jan 19, 2020
01:13:55
How do you get buy-in from athletes? Why is it important to not try and fit players into a system? How can being a creative thinker make you a better coach? Join us as we answer these questions and much more of Gary Gait, considered by many as the greatest lacrosse player of all-time.
Gary is currently the head coach of the women's lacrosse team at Syracuse University. Gary has won championships as a collegiate and professional coach. When Gary was playing, he was a 4-time All-American at Syracuse and has been inducted into the United States Lacrosse National Hall of Fame, as well as the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame.
Highlights from the Podcast:
- Gary tells the story of how him and Jerry met
- Growing up in British Columbia and finding Lacrosse
- How can a coach create buy-in for learning sports psychology techniques?
- Gary talks about the lessons learned by losing 4-consecutive championships
- The idea of "never stand still" as a coach
- Why is it important to help players be great problem solvers?
- Howdy you balance being a parent and a coach?
- What are some important qualities for an assistant coach?
- What are some differences between coaching women and men?
- Gary describes characteristics of great coaches
Gary Gait was a four-time All-American for the Syracuse Orange men's lacrosse team from 1987-90 (including first-team honors from 1988 to 1990), and was on three NCAA championship-winning teams. He twice won the Lt. Raymond Enners Award, given to the most outstanding college lacrosse player, in 1988 and 1990. Gait holds the Syracuse career goals record at 192 and the single-season goals record at 70, an NCAA record until 2008. In 1997, the NCAA Lacrosse Committee named Gait, along with his twin brother and Syracuse teammate, Paul, to the 25th Anniversary Lacrosse team.
Resources mentioned:
- "Air Gait" video of Gary jumping over the net to score
- Championship Productions Becoming A Champion Lacrosse Player with Gary Gait: Shooting Techniques and Drills DVD
- Thinking Body, Dancing Mind: Taosports for Extraordinary Performance in Athletics, Business, and Life, by Jerry Lynch
- Every Moment Matters, by John O'Sullivan
- Twitter: @garygait
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