The Coach Developer

Written by: Blake Costalupes "Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best you are capable of becoming" -Coach John Wooden... ...considered to be one of the greatest American college basketball coaches of all time, was a pioneer and long-time advocate of an athlete-centered approach to coaching. Through his profound years at UCLA, coach Wooden developed and shared what he believed to be the building blocks of his athlete-centered coaching philosophy. Titled, the  Pyramid of Success, this tool is a model of everything coach Wooden believed essential to the athlete characteristics necessary to be successful Bruins, and displayed his successful coaching philosophy. The Pyramid is a synopsis of athlete-centered characteristics. The corners of the pyramid display industriousness, enthusiasm, poise, and confidence, with competitive greatest at the summit. Success " The peace of mind which i...

Written by: Blake Costalupes "Do you have the imagination to to see yourself doing something truly exceptional?". Coach Jim Steen, former coach of the NCAA division III Kenyon College swim team, amassed over 30 national team championships. An incredible feat, coach Steen expresses imagination of your own success, and defining your purpose as a key ingredient to success and a purposeful, meaningful existence. This imagination of purpose, also known as one's core values, is also the key ingredient and necessary first step to coaching and creating a successful team. The world's greatest coaches always begin by asking themselves why  they coach (Gilbert, 2017). Identifying a clear understanding of your core values acts as a compass, navigating your team through a successful season. Successful coaches should realize that winning alone is not a powerful means of steering a team in the direction of continued success. Quality coaches are in the business of people build...

Written by: Blake Costalupes Do you remember your high school coach? The guy that's coaching mantra was "It's my way or the highway", or my favorite "We're gonna run till you puke". The history books of sport pay homage to these coaches, and maybe rightfully so. Bob Knight, coach of the Indiana Hoosiers basketball team infamously threw a chair across the court in heated game in the 80's. Knight collected the most wins all time as he retired (902 NCAA Div. 1, and 3 NCAA championships). Similarly, coaches such as Vince Lombardi, Bill Parcels, Bear Bryant, and Dean Smith, among many others, were known for their hard-nosed style, and have all been identified as some of the greatest to ever coach their respective sport. Modern coaching, however, is beginning to transition away from this old-school style. This "punish first, talk later", approach is more consistently than ever, being transitioned to more positive and open lines of communication...