Coach 360

Coaches and athletes are motivated by a scoreboard. Sometimes that scoreboard reflects the game results, but sometimes it reflects an A/B honor roll percentage. The difference is in the focus of the athletic program. Are we in it just for the on-field wins and trophies? Or, do we understand that there is something more important than sports going on here?  In this interview with Coach Ray Zepeda,...

Coaches aren't successful unless their athletes are successful. That's why we push our athletes so hard in practice and off-season. That's why we yell and assign burpies. We want to see them grow and succeed. But, as Coach Rod Blount of Navarro ISD reminds us during this interview, there's more to helping our athletes become their best selves than just yelling. We've also got to love them. If we l...

If we expect our athletes to keep returning day after day, game after game, and year after year, they need to want to be here. Coach Gerald Brence of Plano ISD asks coaches to remember that our athletes want encouragement, fairness, and organization. If we can give them that, we can make athletics the highlight of their day.  During this interview, Coach Brence also discusses the four traits that...

Trust has to be built before you can make any major changes after you transition to a new-to-you athletics program. See, the program is new to you, but it's already been established by others. If you try to bring in a wrecking ball on day one, it's going to ruffle feathers. Sometimes feather-ruffling is necessary, but you won't know until you observe the status quo. In this interview with Coach Za...

How you weekend has a direct impact on how you perform during the week. It's not separate from the rest of the week or from your personal identity. When you weekend poorly (i.e. wasting time, doing things you shouldn't), it's a symptom of a deeper issue with the balance in your life. Leaders rise above the TGIF mentality. They recognize that although the things you do might be different on the wee...

According to Coach Eric de los Santos of Irving High, athletes want discipline because it equals freedom. The team at 2 Words definitely agrees. Coaches expect things from their athletes that the kids might not expect of themselves, and discipline is the only way to make it a reality. Discipline gives us the space to learn and grow within boundaries that keep us safe and focused. It gives us the f...

Lao Tzu, Oprah Winfrey, and Charles Darwin all have something in common: They get the importance of time management. Time is a precious, finite resource. Each minute that passes can't be retrieved, and how we spend our time is a direct reflection of what our priorities are. In this episode, Mackey dissects three quotes that give us insight into how we can make the best use of our limited time. Key...

If you want your athletes to invest their time, energy, and effort in your program, you have to invest in your athletes. Continuously building relationships with your student-athletes allows you to speak to them on a deeper level than pep talks and plays. In this episode, Coach Chance Westmoreland of Argyle High School shares why building relationships is crucial to a sound athletic program. He al...

When you start something new, the very novelty of it makes everything exciting. You're curious and ready to see where this new activity can take you. But there will come a point when that stops. This is the point when motivation fades, and there's a long slog to get through before habit makes this hard thing easy. To honor your integrity, you have to do what you said you would do, even when it's h...

Investing in your athletes is sort of like investing in a 401k for retirement. The more you put in, the more you will get out later. That investment is particularly important when you join a new program. The athletes don't know you yet, and they probably won't be ready for you to drop a 50 lb. hammer on them in practice. In this episode, Colton and Head Football Coach Kurt Traylor of Lee High Scho...

No matter what season you're in, it will come to a finish. High school ends, college ends, eventually even the pros retire. Every season will finish, but you choose how you will finish it. Will you finish strong—blowing past the finish line? Or will you have a meh finish where you reach the line, but not at full steam? How you finish is how you set yourself up for success. You'll have to finish; t...

Things won't always go our way. During tough times, our primary job as coaches is to be there to support our athletes. We can help them grow through the struggle as long as we stand firm and support each other. This inspiring message and more comes from Coach Travis Reeve, Athletic Director and Head Football Coach at Cuero High School. In this episode, Coach Reeve tells us about his team's phrase...

"Because I said so" isn't just a statement of authority. It's also a statement of dependability: Because I said so, it will be done. Dependability is all about doing what you say you are going to do. Dependability will always beat ability because no matter how much talent you have, it's worthless if you can't be depended upon to do what you said you would do. In this sample from the 2Words Charact...

We love talking to coaches like Head Football Coach John Fish of Bonham high school about the values of their program, their ideas about the most important skills for coaches and athletes, and good, sound advice. In this episode, Coach Fish shares his program values, including discipline, relating to peers, and responding to our emotions. He tells us why being detail-oriented is a valuable skill f...

It does no good to be a 5-star athlete if you have 0-star character. The same is true for any area of life. When you're 5-star in one area and 0-star in another, it shows that you are compartmentalizing your life. The people who compartmentalize are the ones who live with the greatest disappointments. So, if you want to find success on the field and in life, stop compartmentalizing and focus on de...

Coach Andy Sexton, Director of Athletics for Bastrop ISD, took some time to talk with Coach 360 about the issues facing coaches today, and how the Bastrop ISD program is finding solutions. The issues and solutions discussed include: holding athletes accountable for mistakes, fighting to keep players engaged in the program, and hiring the right people. Key Takeaways: -Hold athletes accountable for...

How much negative self-talk do our student-athletes experience everyday? Probably more than we suspect, since most of that negative self-talk is happening in their heads where we can't hear it or correct it. We may never know how much negative self-talk our athletes are dealing with, but we can help them overcome it. This episode of Coach 360 provides tips and ideas for how to encourage our studen...

During this interview with Coach Jonathan Lamb of Leander ISD, Colton and Coach discuss how to build deeper relationships with athletes, coaches, and parents. The first step is being authentic because that opens the door for developing deeper relationships. Along with authenticity, we build deeper relationships with our athletes by knowing them beyond the sport. We want to know: What other activit...

Who are you? What motivates you? Are you motivated by success or by integrity? Are you the person that says "I'm going to set the standards that are worthy of the talents inside of me"? Do your goals require you to fail greatly? In this episode of Coach 360, Mackey is live at Champion, and he's got these questions for you and more to help you think about your motivation in life and what that means...

How do you get your athletes to go above and beyond? How do you encourage them to be successful? According to Coach Brad LaPlante of Hutto High School, you do it through living what you teach, so that you lead by example. Communication is the key to teaching new skills and encouraging character-driven behavior. But all the talking in the world is useless if your own actions as their coach fail to...

You know the importance of coaching beyond the game, but what does that look like practice? For starters, coaching beyond the game means being intentional with everything that you do. It means being present for your athletes so they can see and mirror your actions. It means teaching them how to interact with other people, including giving a good handshake and expressing gratitude. In this episode,...

During an interview with Coach Tim Russell, Athletic Director and Head Football Coach for Harmony High School, Coach shared that the team is a family built on accountability and trust. The team has to love each other enough to call each other out when they are wrong - to hold each other accountable. That commitment to the truth, even when it's tough, builds trust that strengthens the bonds of fami...

Every person you meet is in one of three places: -Having a bad time -About to have a bad time -Recovering from a bad time It is guaranteed that you will have bad days and rough times. There may even be days when you struggle to get out of bed. Those rough times and the struggles you face can either anchor you down or be the catalyst that propels you forward. The choice is yours. Will you choose to...

As coaches, we have to coach beyond the game to make a lasting impact on our student-athletes. A good game plan is crucial for making an impact, but the process of creating and executing a good game plan can be daunting. The good news is: You don't have to do it alone. Your fellow coaches and 2Words Character Development are here to help. If you need help, just ask for it. Key Takeaways: We can't...

In our latest episode, Mackey is live from the Texas High School Coaches Association Coaching School talking about the 8 pillars of a culture of character. Key takeaways from this podcast: Athletics teach skillsets that will NEVER expire Integrity will not ONLY be learned by example. You have to MODEL and TEACH. Intentionality comes when you have a culture that values character   Download Mackey's...