Way of Champions Podcast

Dan Abrahams is a sport psychologist who works alongside individuals, teams, coaches and organizations globally. He is known for his passion to de-mystify sport psychology and for creating simple to use performance techniques. A former professional golfer and PGA qualified, Dan has a First Class Honors degree in Psychology and a Masters degree in Sport Psychology. Dan is the author of several sport psychology books as well as the host of The Sports Psych Podcast, one of our personal favorites .Dan is a returning guest to the show (see episode #003) and it was again an incredible conversation. We discuss ways an athlete can establish a mental framework for success, how much of our performance we control, and we have a debate on whether attitude, energy and effort are in the control of the athlete. Highlights from the Discussion: Dan talks about the different strategies he uses to help athletes perform at their best What do stomping “ANTS” and focusing on “Controllables” have to do with performance? How much of our performance do we control? What does a mental framework look like for a typical athlete? Dan explains the importance of self-talk for any athlete How to manage pain by taking control of the inner dialogue with the self Understanding the psycho-social model of learning for athletes How do we help coaches write sessions plans that increase learning? Why Dan believes Attitude, Energy, and Effort are not controllable How a small turn of language can help an athlete better understand how to improve their behavior What has Dan learned by having his own podcast The Sport Psych Show Resources: The Sport Psych Show, podcast by Dan Abrahams #003 Way of Champions Podcast with EPL Sport Psych Dan Abrahams Click here for Dan Abraham Books on Amazon Connect with Dan Abrahams: Twitter:  @DanAbrahams77 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danabrahamssoccer/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwm6s7NBEddS_QtdnEn6-WQ Website: https://danabrahams.com ATTENTION: ONE DAY WAY OF CHAMPIONS LIVE EVENT JUNE 4, 2022: Dr Jerry Lynch and John O’Sullivan will be holding our only live event of the year a one day Way of Champions Crash Course on Saturday, June 4 from 9am-5pm at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy Utah. We are so excited to get back in front of people and talk about culture, leadership, and winning the relationship game. Thanks to some amazing sponsors this event is very cost effective so check it out and sign up today before it sells out. Click here to register.  ANNOUNCING THE 2022 WAY OF CHAMPIONS VIRTUAL CONFERENCE, JUNE 25-26: Yes, we are going virtual again in 2022, and we have already amassed an incredible lineup of guests that we are ready to announce, with more to come. Joining us this year are: Steve Kerr: Golden State Warriors and Team USA Head Coach Acacia Walker: Head Coach of Boston College Women’s Lacrosse, 2021 NCAA Champions Dave Aranda, Head Coach, Baylor University Football, 2021 Big 12 Champions and Sugar Bowl Champions Sandy Barbour: Athletic Director and VP of Intercollegiate Athletics, Penn State University Ron Adams: Golden State Warriors Asst. Coach Trevor Ragan: Podcast Host and Founder of The Learner Lab Betsy Butterick, “The Coaches’ Coach” and Communication Specialist Dave Dickerson, Head Coach, University of South Carolina Upstate Men’s Basketball If you register soon, we will throw in the videos from the 2021 Way of Champions Virtual Conference as well, a $349 value! Learn more and register at www.ChangingTheGameProject.com and click Way of Champions Conference on main menu! This week’s podcast is brought to you by our friends at Sprocket Sports.  Sprocket Sports is a new software platform for youth sports clubs.  Yeah, there are a lot of these systems out there, but Sprocket provides the full enchilada. They give you all the cool front-end stuff to make your club look good– like websites and marketing tools – AND all the back-end transactions and services to run your business better so you can focus on what really matters – your players and your teams.  Sprocket is built for those clubs looking to thrive, not just survive, in the competitive world of youth sports clubs.  So if you’ve been looking for a true business partner – not just another app – check them out today at sprocketsports.com. Become a Podcast Champion! This weeks podcast is also sponsored by our Patreon Podcast Champions. Help Support the Podcast and get FREE access to our most popular online courses, a $300 value. If you love the podcast, we would love for you to become a Podcast Champion, (https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions) for as little as a cup of coffee per month (OK, its a Venti Mocha), to help us up the ante and provide even better interviews, better sound, and an overall enhanced experience. Plus, as a $10 per month Podcast Super-Champion, you will have access to never before released and bonus material, including: Downloadable transcripts of our best podcasts, so you don’t have to crash your car trying to take notes! A code to get free access to our online course called “Coaching Mastery,” usually a $97 course, plus four other courses worth over $100, all yours for free for becoming a patron. Other special bonus opportunities that come up time to time Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences. Thank you for all your support these past four years, and a special big thank you to all of you who become part of our inner circle, our patrons, who will enable us to take our podcast to the next level. https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions

Jonah Oliver, a leading performance psychologist, discusses taking positive action, embracing pressure, finding motivation, and normalizing human emotions. He emphasizes the importance of intrinsic motivation, building psychological resilience, and enhancing performance through psychological strategies.

Daniel Coyle (@DanileCoyle) is the New York Times bestselling author of The Culture Code, The Talent Code, The Little Book of Talent, The Secret Race, Lance Armstrong’s War, and Hardball: A Season in the Projects. Coyle works as an advisor to the Cleveland Guardians of MLB, as well as numerous teams in sports, business and the military throughout the globe. We had Dan on the podcast back in May 2018 when he released his book The Culture Code, and we are excited to have him back on this week to discuss his newest book The Culture Playbook, a practical guide for learning and implementing the principles that drive great teams.  In our chat today, we discuss the three components of a great culture, how to start changing your culture in your teams, the four most important words a leader can say, and so much more. You can learn more about Dan at www.DanielCoyle.com or grab his book anywhere books are sold.  ATTENTION: ONE DAY WAY OF CHAMPIONS LIVE EVENT JUNE 4, 2022: Dr Jerry Lynch and John O'Sullivan will be holding our only live event of the year a one day Way of Champions Crash Course on Saturday, June 4 from 9am-5pm at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy Utah. We are so excited to get back in front of people and talk about culture, leadership, and winning the relationship game. Thanks to some amazing sponsors this event is very cost effective so check it out and sign up today before it sells out. Click here to register.  ANNOUNCING THE 2022 WAY OF CHAMPIONS VIRTUAL CONFERENCE, JUNE 25-26: Yes, we are going virtual again in 2022, and we have already amassed an incredible lineup of guests that we are ready to announce, with more to come. Joining us this year are: Steve Kerr: Golden State Warriors and Team USA Head Coach Acacia Walker: Head Coach of Boston College Women’s Lacrosse, 2021 NCAA Champions Dave Aranda, Head Coach, Baylor University Football, 2021 Big 12 Champions and Sugar Bowl Champions Sandy Barbour: Athletic Director and VP of Intercollegiate Athletics, Penn State University Ron Adams: Golden State Warriors Asst. Coach Trevor Ragan: Podcast Host and Founder of The Learner Lab Betsy Butterick, “The Coaches’ Coach” and Communication Specialist Dave Dickerson, Head Coach, University of South Carolina Upstate Men’s Basketball If you register soon, we will throw in the videos from the 2021 Way of Champions Virtual Conference as well, a $349 value! Learn more and register at www.ChangingTheGameProject.com and click Way of Champions Conference on main menu! This week’s podcast is brought to you by our friends at Sprocket Sports.  Sprocket Sports is a new software platform for youth sports clubs.  Yeah, there are a lot of these systems out there, but Sprocket provides the full enchilada. They give you all the cool front-end stuff to make your club look good– like websites and marketing tools – AND all the back-end transactions and services to run your business better so you can focus on what really matters – your players and your teams.  Sprocket is built for those clubs looking to thrive, not just survive, in the competitive world of youth sports clubs.  So if you’ve been looking for a true business partner – not just another app – check them out today at sprocketsports.com. Become a Podcast Champion! This weeks podcast is also sponsored by our Patreon Podcast Champions. Help Support the Podcast and get FREE access to our most popular online courses, a $300 value. If you love the podcast, we would love for you to become a Podcast Champion, (https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions) for as little as a cup of coffee per month (OK, its a Venti Mocha), to help us up the ante and provide even better interviews, better sound, and an overall enhanced experience. Plus, as a $10 per month Podcast Super-Champion, you will have access to never before released and bonus material, including: Downloadable transcripts of our best podcasts, so you don’t have to crash your car trying to take notes! A code to get free access to our online course called “Coaching Mastery,” usually a $97 course, plus four other courses worth over $100, all yours for free for becoming a patron. Other special bonus opportunities that come up time to time Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences. Thank you for all your support these past four years, and a special big thank you to all of you who become part of our inner circle, our patrons, who will enable us to take our podcast to the next level. https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions

Mirelle van Rijbroek has been US Soccer's Director of Talent Identification for the Girls Program since 2017. van Rijbroek is a UEFA A Licensed coach, and began her coaching career in her native Netherlands working for clubs and the KNVB, as well as the head of Talent Identification, Talent Development, and Elite Performance for the Youth National Teams. Her role with US Soccer consists of identifying and monitoring the development of potential US Youth National Team Players, scouting, scout education, and developing coaching education content for coaching courses and clubs. She manages three Talent ID Managers and over 90 youth national team scouts across the country. In our talk today, we discuss the six components of talent that US Soccer seeks to identify and develop, and well as explore the following ideas: Talent and Talent Identification Performance /Potential Player Development and developmental Psychology – Player wellbeing. Game Evolution – Future Player/Future Game Soccer Landscape: Player Pathway and Player Journey  If you have not yet listened to episode #269 with Lee Hancock on Talent Zones, it is a wonderful companion to this talk.  ANNOUNCING THE 2022 WAY OF CHAMPIONS VIRTUAL CONFERENCE, JUNE 25-26: Yes, we are going virtual again in 2022, and we have already amassed an incredible lineup of guests that we are ready to announce, with more to come. Joining us this year are: Steve Kerr: Golden State Warriors and Team USA Head Coach Acacia Walker: Head Coach of Boston College Women’s Lacrosse, 2021 NCAA Champions Dave Aranda, Head Coach, Baylor University Football, 2021 Big 12 Champions and Sugar Bowl Champions Sandy Barbour: Athletic Director and VP of Intercollegiate Athletics, Penn State University Ron Adams: Golden State Warriors Asst. Coach Trevor Ragan: Podcast Host and Founder of The Learner Lab Betsy Butterick, “The Coaches’ Coach” and Communication Specialist Dave Dickerson, Head Coach, University of South Carolina Upstate Men’s Basketball If you register soon, we will throw in the videos from the 2021 Way of Champions Virtual Conference as well, a $349 value! Learn more and register at www.ChangingTheGameProject.com and click Way of Champions Conference on main menu! This week’s podcast is brought to you by our friends at Sprocket Sports.  Sprocket Sports is a new software platform for youth sports clubs.  Yeah, there are a lot of these systems out there, but Sprocket provides the full enchilada. They give you all the cool front-end stuff to make your club look good– like websites and marketing tools – AND all the back-end transactions and services to run your business better so you can focus on what really matters – your players and your teams.  Sprocket is built for those clubs looking to thrive, not just survive, in the competitive world of youth sports clubs.  So if you’ve been looking for a true business partner – not just another app – check them out today at sprocketsports.com. Become a Podcast Champion! This weeks podcast is also sponsored by our Patreon Podcast Champions. Help Support the Podcast and get FREE access to our most popular online courses, a $300 value. If you love the podcast, we would love for you to become a Podcast Champion, (https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions) for as little as a cup of coffee per month (OK, its a Venti Mocha), to help us up the ante and provide even better interviews, better sound, and an overall enhanced experience. Plus, as a $10 per month Podcast Super-Champion, you will have access to never before released and bonus material, including: Downloadable transcripts of our best podcasts, so you don’t have to crash your car trying to take notes! A code to get free access to our online course called “Coaching Mastery,” usually a $97 course, plus four other courses worth over $100, all yours for free for becoming a patron. Other special bonus opportunities that come up time to time Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences. Thank you for all your support these past four years, and a special big thank you to all of you who become part of our inner circle, our patrons, who will enable us to take our podcast to the next level. https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions

Dr. Lee Hancock (@DrLeeHancock) is a professor, performance psychology coach, and program creator who works with students, athletes, coaches, educators, parents, organizations, and other high-level performers. Dr. Hancock earned his Master’s and Ph.D. from Arizona State University and is a tenured professor in kinesiology at California State University Dominguez Hills. He has had a private practice for more than 20 years, where he has worked with athletes from youth to professional and with classroom teachers, students, and parents of awesome kids. Dr. Hancock is also an internationally recognized speaker and author. Most importantly, he is a dad of three high-energy, competitive, caring boys. Each time he engages with a person or a group, his goal is always the same: to help them be more prepared to perform their best—when it counts! He lives in Los Angeles, California. In today's episode Lee and John discuss his new book Talent Zones: 10 Tools to Help Kids Develop Their Talents. It is a great read, and outlines topics such as embracing failure as an opportunity, providing opportunities for deep practice, building realistic optimism, managing pressure and developing grit among the areas we can help kids fulfill their potential.  The book relies on the latest research in psychology, sport science, and  more to give you tools to help develop your young athletes. You can grab the book here. ANNOUNCING THE 2022 WAY OF CHAMPIONS VIRTUAL CONFERENCE, JUNE 25-26: Yes, we are going virtual again in 2022, and we have already amassed an incredible lineup of guests that we are ready to announce, with more to come. Joining us this year are: Steve Kerr: Golden State Warriors and Team USA Head Coach Acacia Walker: Head Coach of Boston College Women’s Lacrosse, 2021 NCAA Champions Dave Aranda, Head Coach, Baylor University Football, 2021 Big 12 Champions and Sugar Bowl Champions Sandy Barbour: Athletic Director and VP of Intercollegiate Athletics, Penn State University Ron Adams: Golden State Warriors Asst. Coach Trevor Ragan: Podcast Host and Founder of The Learner Lab Betsy Butterick, “The Coaches’ Coach” and Communication Specialist Dave Dickerson, Head Coach, University of South Carolina Upstate Men’s Basketball If you register soon, we will throw in the videos from the 2021 Way of Champions Virtual Conference as well, a $349 value! Learn more and register at www.ChangingTheGameProject.com and click Way of Champions Conference on main menu! This week’s podcast is brought to you by our friends at Sprocket Sports.  Sprocket Sports is a new software platform for youth sports clubs.  Yeah, there are a lot of these systems out there, but Sprocket provides the full enchilada. They give you all the cool front-end stuff to make your club look good– like websites and marketing tools – AND all the back-end transactions and services to run your business better so you can focus on what really matters – your players and your teams.  Sprocket is built for those clubs looking to thrive, not just survive, in the competitive world of youth sports clubs.  So if you’ve been looking for a true business partner – not just another app – check them out today at sprocketsports.com. Become a Podcast Champion! This weeks podcast is also sponsored by our Patreon Podcast Champions. Help Support the Podcast and get FREE access to our most popular online courses, a $300 value. If you love the podcast, we would love for you to become a Podcast Champion, (https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions) for as little as a cup of coffee per month (OK, its a Venti Mocha), to help us up the ante and provide even better interviews, better sound, and an overall enhanced experience. Plus, as a $10 per month Podcast Super-Champion, you will have access to never before released and bonus material, including: Downloadable transcripts of our best podcasts, so you don’t have to crash your car trying to take notes! A code to get free access to our online course called “Coaching Mastery,” usually a $97 course, plus four other courses worth over $100, all yours for free for becoming a patron. Other special bonus opportunities that come up time to time Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences. Thank you for all your support these past four years, and a special big thank you to all of you who become part of our inner circle, our patrons, who will enable us to take our podcast to the next level. https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions

In Part II of our Masterclass with Mark Bennett, founder of Performance Development Systems, we build upon last week's session and cover how to implement the PDS needs centered approach, how to avoid common mistakes, and how to engage fellow coaches and parents in the process. If you have come here first, we highly recommend starting with episode 267 or some of what we speak about will not make much sense.  Mark Bennett (@PDScoach) has been one of our most popular guests over the years, and has been training, coaching & mentoring individuals and teams since the early 90s, including world and Olympic champions, professional rugby teams, the Cleveland Indians of MLB, and Oklahoma Thunder of the NBA. He joined the British Army in 1983 and passed the world famous Commando course in 1990, and while serving with 29 Commando Regiment as the senior instructor, running the Commando Training Wing, Mark was the first person to initiate structural change to the way soldiers were trained for the commando course. His work in this field culminated in the design of the Performance Development Systems; a holistic and robust approach to maximize real world performance for organizations, coaches and athletes. Following several years of running, designing and quality controlling “train the trainer” courses for the Military, Mark turned down promotion in order to leave the forces to commit to working on PDS full time. He has spent over 30 years researching and developing effective learning and adherence systems to help coaches and trainers maximize the performance of the individuals and teams they are working with. In 2006 Mark was awarded the Member of the British Empire (MBE) by her Majesty the Queen for his work in developing the system. In Episode 267, we discussed the foundations of PDS, including the Rule of 3, developing non negotiables, UAE’s, and the importance of self awareness and state for both coaches and athletes. Mark has recently launched a super deep dive online course which you can get 25% off by entering Champion25 at this link. It is a great course that I have recently gone through and cannot recommend it highly enough. https://bit.ly/37riGVE ANNOUNCING THE 2022 WAY OF CHAMPIONS VIRTUAL CONFERENCE, JUNE 25-26: Yes, we are going virtual again in 2022, and we have already amassed an incredible lineup of guests that we are ready to announce, with more to come. Joining us this year are: Steve Kerr: Golden State Warriors and Team USA Head Coach Acacia Walker: Head Coach of Boston College Women’s Lacrosse, 2021 NCAA Champions Dave Aranda, Head Coach, Baylor University Football, 2021 Big 12 Champions and Sugar Bowl Champions Sandy Barbour: Athletic Director and VP of Intercollegiate Athletics, Penn State University Ron Adams: Golden State Warriors Asst. Coach Trevor Ragan: Podcast Host and Founder of The Learner Lab Betsy Butterick, “The Coaches’ Coach” and Communication Specialist Dave Dickerson, Head Coach, University of South Carolina Upstate Men’s Basketball If you register soon, we will throw in the videos from the 2021 Way of Champions Virtual Conference as well, a $349 value! Learn more and register at www.ChangingTheGameProject.com and click Way of Champions Conference on main menu! This week’s podcast is brought to you by our friends at Sprocket Sports.  Sprocket Sports is a new software platform for youth sports clubs.  Yeah, there are a lot of these systems out there, but Sprocket provides the full enchilada. They give you all the cool front-end stuff to make your club look good– like websites and marketing tools – AND all the back-end transactions and services to run your business better so you can focus on what really matters – your players and your teams.  Sprocket is built for those clubs looking to thrive, not just survive, in the competitive world of youth sports clubs.  So if you’ve been looking for a true business partner – not just another app – check them out today at sprocketsports.com. Become a Podcast Champion! This weeks podcast is also sponsored by our Patreon Podcast Champions. Help Support the Podcast and get FREE access to our most popular online courses, a $300 value. If you love the podcast, we would love for you to become a Podcast Champion, (https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions) for as little as a cup of coffee per month (OK, its a Venti Mocha), to help us up the ante and provide even better interviews, better sound, and an overall enhanced experience. Plus, as a $10 per month Podcast Super-Champion, you will have access to never before released and bonus material, including: Downloadable transcripts of our best podcasts, so you don’t have to crash your car trying to take notes! A code to get free access to our online course called “Coaching Mastery,” usually a $97 course, plus four other courses worth over $100, all yours for free for becoming a patron. Other special bonus opportunities that come up time to time Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences. Thank you for all your support these past four years, and a special big thank you to all of you who become part of our inner circle, our patrons, who will enable us to take our podcast to the next level. https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions

This week we bring you Part I of a two episode masterclass with Mark Bennett (@PDScoach). Mark has been one of our most popular guests over the years, and has been training, coaching & mentoring individuals and teams since the early 90s, including world and Olympic champions, professional rugby teams, the Cleveland Indians of MLB, and Oklahoma Thunder of the NBA. He joined the British Army in 1983 and passed the world famous Commando course in 1990, and while serving with 29 Commando Regiment as the senior instructor, running the Commando Training Wing, Mark was the first person to initiate structural change to the way soldiers were trained for the commando course. His work in this field culminated in the design of the Performance Development Systems; a holistic and robust approach to maximize real world performance for organizations, coaches and athletes. Following several years of running, designing and quality controlling “train the trainer” courses for the Military, Mark turned down promotion in order to leave the forces to commit to working on PDS full time. He has spent over 30 years researching and developing effective learning and adherence systems to help coaches and trainers maximize the performance of the individuals and teams they are working with. In 2006 Mark was awarded the Member of the British Empire (MBE) by her Majesty the Queen for his work in developing the system. In part I of our talk, we discuss the foundations of PDS, including the Rule of 3, developing non negotiables, UAE's, and the importance of self awareness and state for both coaches and athletes. Mark has recently launched a super deep dive online course which you can get 25% off by entering Champion25 at this link. It is a great course that I have recently gone through and cannot recommend it highly enough. https://bit.ly/37riGVE ANNOUNCING THE 2022 WAY OF CHAMPIONS VIRTUAL CONFERENCE, JUNE 25-26: Yes, we are going virtual again in 2022, and we have already amassed an incredible lineup of guests that we are ready to announce, with more to come. Joining us this year are: Steve Kerr: Golden State Warriors and Team USA Head Coach Acacia Walker: Head Coach of Boston College Women’s Lacrosse, 2021 NCAA Champions Dave Aranda, Head Coach, Baylor University Football, 2021 Big 12 Champions and Sugar Bowl Champions Sandy Barbour: Athletic Director and VP of Intercollegiate Athletics, Penn State University Ron Adams: Golden State Warriors Asst. Coach Trevor Ragan: Podcast Host and Founder of The Learner Lab Betsy Butterick, “The Coaches’ Coach” and Communication Specialist Dave Dickerson, Head Coach, University of South Carolina Upstate Men’s Basketball If you register soon, we will throw in the videos from the 2021 Way of Champions Virtual Conference as well, a $349 value! Learn more and register at www.ChangingTheGameProject.com and click Way of Champions Conference on main menu! This week’s podcast is brought to you by our friends at Sprocket Sports.  Sprocket Sports is a new software platform for youth sports clubs.  Yeah, there are a lot of these systems out there, but Sprocket provides the full enchilada. They give you all the cool front-end stuff to make your club look good– like websites and marketing tools – AND all the back-end transactions and services to run your business better so you can focus on what really matters – your players and your teams.  Sprocket is built for those clubs looking to thrive, not just survive, in the competitive world of youth sports clubs.  So if you’ve been looking for a true business partner – not just another app – check them out today at sprocketsports.com. Become a Podcast Champion! This weeks podcast is also sponsored by our Patreon Podcast Champions. Help Support the Podcast and get FREE access to our most popular online courses, a $300 value. If you love the podcast, we would love for you to become a Podcast Champion, (https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions) for as little as a cup of coffee per month (OK, its a Venti Mocha), to help us up the ante and provide even better interviews, better sound, and an overall enhanced experience. Plus, as a $10 per month Podcast Super-Champion, you will have access to never before released and bonus material, including: Downloadable transcripts of our best podcasts, so you don’t have to crash your car trying to take notes! A code to get free access to our online course called “Coaching Mastery,” usually a $97 course, plus four other courses worth over $100, all yours for free for becoming a patron. Other special bonus opportunities that come up time to time Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences. Thank you for all your support these past four years, and a special big thank you to all of you who become part of our inner circle, our patrons, who will enable us to take our podcast to the next level. https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast, we dive into the archives from episode 162 and welcome Chris Armas, currently the assistant coach at Manchester United in the English Premier league. Previously Chris has been the Head coach of Major League Soccer clubs Toronto FC and New York Red Bulls, winning the MLS Supporters Shield with the Red Bulls in 2018. As a player, Armas made 66 appearances with the US National Team,  and was US Soccer’s Player of the Year in 2000. He was named to 6 MLS All Star games and five times was named MLS Best XI. He won the 1998 MLS Championship and 4 US Open Cups with the Chicago Fire. He played 14 professional seasons. John and Chris have known each other nearly 40 years, so this conversation is an invitation to sit in on a dinner between two long-time friends as they talk about dealing with major disappointment, developing athletes that can solve problems, and building a strong culture. Chris shares some incredible stories of coming back from injury and what he admires about coaches from his playing days. You will want to make sure you have a notepad and something to write with because this episode is packed with a lot of great stuff, and we look forward to getting Chris back on the podcast to discuss his newest coaching experiences soon! Highlights from the Podcast: How is Chris keeping his team prepared and motivated? Can you be your best when things get hard? What was it like to miss two world cups and the Olympic Games due to injury? Chris discusses why it is so important to be an authentic coach Former teammates and how they shaped Chris’s playing and coaching philosophy What is our job as a coach? Chris shares a story of when three 9-year-olds quit the team What is the first thing Chris will do with practice after COVID-19? How do you get a team to buy-in to the coach’s vision? Chris shares the best qualities of previous coaches he has had ANNOUNCING THE 2022 WAY OF CHAMPIONS VIRTUAL CONFERENCE, JUNE 25-26: Yes, we are going virtual again in 2022, and we have already amassed an incredible lineup of guests that we are ready to announce, with more to come. Joining us this year are: Steve Kerr: Golden State Warriors and Team USA Head Coach Acacia Walker: Head Coach of Boston College Women’s Lacrosse, 2021 NCAA Champions Dave Aranda, Head Coach, Baylor University Football, 2021 Big 12 Champions and Sugar Bowl Champions Sandy Barbour: Athletic Director and VP of Intercollegiate Athletics, Penn State University Ron Adams: Golden State Warriors Asst. Coach Trevor Ragan: Podcast Host and Founder of The Learner Lab Betsy Butterick, “The Coaches’ Coach” and Communication Specialist Dave Dickerson, Head Coach, University of South Carolina Upstate Men’s Basketball If you register soon, we will throw in the videos from the 2021 Way of Champions Virtual Conference as well, a $349 value! Learn more and register at www.ChangingTheGameProject.com and click Way of Champions Conference on main menu! This week’s podcast is brought to you by our friends at Sprocket Sports.  Sprocket Sports is a new software platform for youth sports clubs.  Yeah, there are a lot of these systems out there, but Sprocket provides the full enchilada. They give you all the cool front-end stuff to make your club look good– like websites and marketing tools – AND all the back-end transactions and services to run your business better so you can focus on what really matters – your players and your teams.  Sprocket is built for those clubs looking to thrive, not just survive, in the competitive world of youth sports clubs.  So if you’ve been looking for a true business partner – not just another app – check them out today at sprocketsports.com. Become a Podcast Champion! This weeks podcast is also sponsored by our Patreon Podcast Champions. Help Support the Podcast and get FREE access to our most popular online courses, a $300 value. If you love the podcast, we would love for you to become a Podcast Champion, (https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions) for as little as a cup of coffee per month (OK, its a Venti Mocha), to help us up the ante and provide even better interviews, better sound, and an overall enhanced experience. Plus, as a $10 per month Podcast Super-Champion, you will have access to never before released and bonus material, including: Downloadable transcripts of our best podcasts, so you don’t have to crash your car trying to take notes! A code to get free access to our online course called “Coaching Mastery,” usually a $97 course, plus four other courses worth over $100, all yours for free for becoming a patron. Other special bonus opportunities that come up time to time Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences. Thank you for all your support these past four years, and a special big thank you to all of you who become part of our inner circle, our patrons, who will enable us to take our podcast to the next level. https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions

Rob O'Neill (www.RobertJONeill.com) is one of the country’s most highly decorated Navy SEAL combat veterans, involved in our nation’s most strategic military campaigns, including the mission to kill Osama Bin Laden. By the time he was honorably discharged after almost 17 years of service, O’Neill held combat leadership roles in over 400 missions across four different theaters of war. Among his 53 decorations are two Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars with Valor, a Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor, Joint Service Achievement Medal with Valor and three Presidential Unit citations. O’Neill is the author of The Operator, his New York Times bestselling account of his years as a SEAL and the hunt for Bin Laden. Today, he is a public speaker, security consultant, philanthropist and FOX News contributor. Through his charity, the Special Operators Transition Foundation, O’Neill works to raise awareness and financial support for special operations military personnel making the difficult transition from the battlefield to the boardroom. He is also the co-author of the brand new book The Way Forward: Master Life's Toughest Battles and Create Your Lasting Legacy. This podcast is different than most, but we cover incredibly important topics around mindset and performance, the #1 quality of high performing teams, the importance of training allowing you to deviate from Plan A, and a ton more.  ANNOUNCING THE 2022 WAY OF CHAMPIONS VIRTUAL CONFERENCE, JUNE 25-26: Yes, we are going virtual again in 2022, and we have already amassed an incredible lineup of guests that we are ready to announce, with more to come. Joining us this year are: Steve Kerr: Golden State Warriors and Team USA Head Coach Acacia Walker: Head Coach of Boston College Women's Lacrosse, 2021 NCAA Champions Dave Aranda, Head Coach, Baylor University Football, 2021 Big 12 Champions and Sugar Bowl Champions Sandy Barbour: Athletic Director and VP of Intercollegiate Athletics, Penn State University Ron Adams: Golden State Warriors Asst. Coach Trevor Ragan: Podcast Host and Founder of The Learner Lab Betsy Butterick, "The Coaches' Coach" and Communication Specialist Dave Dickerson, Head Coach, University of South Carolina Upstate Men's Basketball If you register soon, we will throw in the videos from the 2021 Way of Champions Virtual Conference as well, a $349 value! Learn more and register at www.ChangingTheGameProject.com and click Way of Champions Conference on main menu! This week’s podcast is brought to you by our friends at Sprocket Sports.  Sprocket Sports is a new software platform for youth sports clubs.  Yeah, there are a lot of these systems out there, but Sprocket provides the full enchilada. They give you all the cool front-end stuff to make your club look good– like websites and marketing tools – AND all the back-end transactions and services to run your business better so you can focus on what really matters – your players and your teams.  Sprocket is built for those clubs looking to thrive, not just survive, in the competitive world of youth sports clubs.  So if you’ve been looking for a true business partner – not just another app – check them out today at sprocketsports.com. Become a Podcast Champion! This weeks podcast is also sponsored by our Patreon Podcast Champions. Help Support the Podcast and get FREE access to our most popular online courses, a $300 value. If you love the podcast, we would love for you to become a Podcast Champion, (https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions) for as little as a cup of coffee per month (OK, its a Venti Mocha), to help us up the ante and provide even better interviews, better sound, and an overall enhanced experience. Plus, as a $10 per month Podcast Super-Champion, you will have access to never before released and bonus material, including: Downloadable transcripts of our best podcasts, so you don’t have to crash your car trying to take notes! A code to get free access to our online course called “Coaching Mastery,” usually a $97 course, plus four other courses worth over $100, all yours for free for becoming a patron. Other special bonus opportunities that come up time to time Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences. Thank you for all your support these past four years, and a special big thank you to all of you who become part of our inner circle, our patrons, who will enable us to take our podcast to the next level. https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions

Ed Coughlan (@DrSkillAcq) qualified as a sport scientist before specializing on the concept of practice-transfer in his PhD and subsequent research. He is a senior lecturer in applied sport psychology, expertise and coaching science at Munster Technological University, where he is a research lead in the domain of skill acquisition. Edward's work is published in peer-reviewed journals and several coaching science books. He is a regular guest on podcasts, radio & television and national media as a recognized expert in the field of skill acquisition. His consultancy work as a skill acquisition specialist with athletes and coaches reflects his coaching philosophy to coach to the environment and interact through question and challenge to stimulate lasting, successful, robust change in behavior. He is a founding member of Movement & Skill Acquisition Ireland, and has worked with organizations such as UEFA, Chelsea FC, European PGA Tour golfers, rugby and more. In our conversation today we discuss the importance of deliberate practice and how to build it into your sessions, Ed's acronyms ASPIRE and PEAQ that will turbo charge your coaching, session design, giving athletes ownership of your sessions, and so much more. It is a top notch conversation that could have gone on for hours. Connect with Ed @DrSkillAcq or DrSkillAcq@gamil.com. ANNOUNCING THE 2022 WAY OF CHAMPIONS VIRTUAL CONFERENCE, JUNE 25-26: Yes, we are going virtual again in 2022, and we have already amassed an incredible lineup of guests that we are ready to announce, with more to come. Joining us this year are: Steve Kerr: Golden State Warriors and Team USA Head Coach Acacia Walker: Head Coach of Boston College Women's Lacrosse, 2021 NCAA Champions Dave Aranda, Head Coach, Baylor University Football, 2021 Big 12 Champions and Sugar Bowl Champions Ron Adams: Golden State Warriors Asst. Coach Trevor Ragan: Podcast Host and Founder of The Learner Lab Betsy Butterick, The Coaches' Coach" and Communication Specialist And more TBA Learn more and register at www.ChangingTheGameProject.com and click Way of Champions Conference on main menu! This week’s podcast is brought to you by our friends at Sprocket Sports.  Sprocket Sports is a new software platform for youth sports clubs.  Yeah, there are a lot of these systems out there, but Sprocket provides the full enchilada. They give you all the cool front-end stuff to make your club look good– like websites and marketing tools – AND all the back-end transactions and services to run your business better so you can focus on what really matters – your players and your teams.  Sprocket is built for those clubs looking to thrive, not just survive, in the competitive world of youth sports clubs.  So if you’ve been looking for a true business partner – not just another app – check them out today at sprocketsports.com. Become a Podcast Champion! This weeks podcast is also sponsored by our Patreon Podcast Champions. Help Support the Podcast and get FREE access to our most popular online courses, a $300 value. If you love the podcast, we would love for you to become a Podcast Champion, (https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions) for as little as a cup of coffee per month (OK, its a Venti Mocha), to help us up the ante and provide even better interviews, better sound, and an overall enhanced experience. Plus, as a $10 per month Podcast Super-Champion, you will have access to never before released and bonus material, including: Downloadable transcripts of our best podcasts, so you don’t have to crash your car trying to take notes! A code to get free access to our online course called “Coaching Mastery,” usually a $97 course, plus four other courses worth over $100, all yours for free for becoming a patron. Other special bonus opportunities that come up time to time Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences. Thank you for all your support these past four years, and a special big thank you to all of you who become part of our inner circle, our patrons, who will enable us to take our podcast to the next level. https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions