Our Great Coach on this episode is Petr KotikPetr is the holder of a 5th dan in kickboxing and is the Head Coach of the Czech Republic Kickboxing team.He is a 14 time World Champion, a 5 time world cup winner, and 3 time winner of the USA open.He has also coached more than 10 amateur world champions.Petr is a coach with a deep focus on helping his athletes with the specific mental and physical skills they require, to master their fear, and enter the tatami confident that they are able to perform at their very best.He is a student of coaching, and searches for learning from a broad array of sports and people to ensure that that he has the skills he needs to be the best possible coach he can be for every individual. In fact he describes his role a s a coach, as figuring our what his role needs to be for each person.I always enjoy learning from Combat coaches, their focus on learning to master fear and build confidence is applicable to so many parts of life, and some of the highlights of this conversation for me were:The importance of being calm, as when your emotions are under control you are able to more easily adapt your strategy. And the advice he gives on practicing to be calm by focusing on the combination of physical actions in front of you in that moment.That great coaches are partners with their athletes, and they work together to make the necessary changes to achieve success.And that you overcome self doubt by focusing on your strengths and the successful moments you deploy them, and making sure that these are a key part of your training programme.This was a terrific conversation, and I hope you enjoy it as much I did.If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Great Coach on this episode is Julie Fitzgerald.Julie is a Australian Netball coach.From 1997 until 2007 she coached the Sydney Swifts leading them to premierships in 2001, 2004, 2006 and 2007.She then became coach of NSW in 2008 in the new ANZ Championship and in the inaugural season won the championship.She has also coached the World 7 team in a series win over New Zealand, The Australian Institute of Sport team and in 2015 and 2016 coached Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic to conference titlesIn 2017 she became the inaugural coach of the GWS Giants and has led them to 2 minor championships.In 2020 she was made a a member of the order of Australia.It was a lot of fun to interview Julie, she has great energy, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s episode is on the topic of Motivation and we are joined for the discussion with one of our listeners, Dr Brian Hite.If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.comOur guest Dr. Brian Hite can be reached through his website: www.beginagainperformancepsychology.com or Email: brian@beginagainperformancepsychology.com. He also co-hosts a podcast www.PokingHolesInBlinders.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Great Coach on this episode is Trevor GleesonTrevor is an Australian basketball coach who transitioned into coaching in 1984 at the age of 18 after an industrial accident.Over the next decade he rose through the coaching ranks leading men's and women's teams in regional competitions.In 1997 he started coaching in the National Basketball League in Australia in Assistant roles before taking similar positions in America and South Korea.In 2006 he returned to Australia as the Head Coach of the Townsville Crocodiles in the National Basketball League, and for 5 years led them to the post season, ultimately leading to him being named the Coach of the year in 2011.In a move that illustrates his coaching prowess, he then switched sports and was a skills coach in the Australian Football League for 3 years under the legendary Alastair Clarkson.In 2013 he returned to Basketball as the Head Coach of the Perth Wildcats and led them to 5 Championships in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020.In 2021 he moved to the NBA as an assistant with the Toronto Raptors.Trevor is the type of coach that makes the individual feel like they are contributing to something bigger than themselves, through the behaviour and attitude choices they make every day. He is unflinchingly honest and a believer in the merits of a strong work ethic to succeed both on and off the court.He is also that rare breed of coach, who has worked at the elite level in 2 different sports; and this dexterity, re-enforces his credentials as a teacher, leader and importantly; life-long learner. And in this interview you will hear him talk about being driven by curiosity to find the best treatments, ways to communicate and skills and techniques.Other key highlights include:How a close relationship with players allows him to have quick, heated conversations during the game without fear of it derailing the players performance. And that building this relationship takes time and isn’t something you can short cut.How one of the major change he has seen over 30 years of coaching is that when he first started, when he told players to jump they would ask how high, whereas now they ask why.And how we believes that there should be only one ego in the team, and that is the teams collective ego.This was a terrific conversation, it was one of the first we did for the podcast, and we hope you get as much out of it as we did.If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode pulls together the thoughts that over 100 Great Coaches from around the world; men and women who have won multiple Olympic medals and championships both regionally, nationally and on the world stage; have shared with us on the topic of Leadership.If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Great Coach on this episode is Steve Glasson.Steve represented Australia in Lawn Bowls over 300 times, and won the Australian championships 19 times. In 2004 he became the first Australian to be world number one in men's singles.He then transitioned into coaching and from 2011 until 2021 he was the coach of the Australian Lawn Bowls team where he oversees the Mens, Womens, Youth and Physically impaired teams. His achievements as coach are lengthy, when I asked him to list them he simply said numerous gold, silver, and bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games, World Championships, Asia Pacific Games, World Cup and other International Events.In 2012 Steve was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia.Steve is a calm, pragmatic coach who understands the values of trust and hard work when it comes to unlocking improved performance in individuals and teams. He is also selfless and tireless in the way that the very best coaches are, and believes in the enduring importance of athletes aspiring to be wonderful ambassadors for their own last name.As a former world champion himself, Steve approaches his coaching through the lens of the athlete, and in fact considers it a privilege to be in a position where he is able to have the type of deep conversation with an athlete that allows you to understand more about their motivations, dreams and insecurities.Other key highlights in this discussion for me were:How lawn Bowls is often perceived as a sport for older people but as Steve points out early in this interview, the average age of the Australian Bowls team is less than the average age of the Australian cricket team.The importance of focusing on the process and not the end outcomes if you want to win championships. And making sure that the process if flexible enough to allow you to learn from your failuresAnd how confidence can be re-built by taking the athlete back to their strengths and what they are able to execute best.This was a wonderful conversation, and I hope you enjoy it as much as Jim and I did.If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode we feature advice from 8 Great Coaches on developing Mental Skills.If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Great Coach on this episode is Gareth Baber.Gareth is a Welsh, former rugby player, and now a rugby coach.As a player he represented Oxford University and Pontypriff in their European Shield victory in 2001.He transitioned into coaching in 2008, becoming an Assistant for the Wales Under 20 side, before eventually becoming the Head Coach of Cardiff Blues.In 2013 he became head of Hong Kong men's rugby sevens and also directed the senior men's, women's and youth programs.In 2016 he became the coach of the Fiji Men 7’s, ultimately leading them to 11 tournament victories, including the 2019 World championship and the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the 2nd Olympic medal in the nation’s history.Gareth is a coach who takes great pride and satisfaction in seeing people release their potential. And to achieve this, he focuses on challenging his players and staff to think differently about themselves and the process they are involved in.His is also organized, thoughtful and empowering, and sees himself as being more than just a rugby coach, but rather someone who is also responsible for building the culture that surrounds people both on and off the field.Some of the other key highlights of the interview were Gareth’s thoughts onThe importance of mental skills coaches in helping you maintain consistency and focus your attention. And how as a leader he used this to ensure the team embraced accountability.The importance of being able to have self-leadership and put yourself in a position where you are able to fulfil your potential.And how it is the people who are chasing a better version of themselves, who normally go on to place themselves in the best position possible to realise their potential.This was a great conversation, my first with a Welsh coach.If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We explore leadership through the lens of high-performance sport by interviewing Great Coaches. On this episode we feature advice from 11 Great Coaches on building Resilience.If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Great Coach on this episode is swimming coach Michael Bohl.Michael Bohl has been a swimming coach for 33 years and counting.He has been the coach of Australian swimmers who have been on the podium at every summer Olympics between the 2008 to 2021.Some of his most notable athletes include 5 time Olympic Gold medalist Emma McKeon and 3 time Olympic Gold medalist Stephanie Rice.In 2000 he received the Australian Sports Medal and in 2010 was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to swimming .Michael is the type of leader that puts you at ease as soon as he says hello. He has an infectious energy that draws people to him; and he couples this with a style that emphasizes personal accountability and the importance of character when it comes to elite performance.He is also able to zoom in and focus on the small things, and then step back and and engage with each athlete on a vision for their future. He is just a terrific bloke, and in this wonderful interview some of the highlights for me were:His view that failure is the fertilizer of success.How swimming coaching is a combination of art and science.And The analogy he uses about a stage coach and the horses that drive it to illustrate what is required in preparation for a major event.I hope you enjoy this interview as much as we did.If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.