1904fc’s secret weapon: Johann Kennel

Last week, I met with 1904fc. During my talk with Alexandre Gontran, he mentioned one of his coaches, Johann Kennel. “Johann is our secret weapon. He’s amazing,” Grontran explained. “He can test your mind and your body really quickly. Then he can tell you exactly how you should move and think on the field. This […]
I Want to Raise Better Pigs

It was the first practice of the new year and I was talking to my high school team before training. They had finished their dynamic warm up, when I brought the group in for our pre-practice brief. I posed the question to the group, “what do you want to do better as a person or […]
An Ocean Will Drown a Seed

One of the most difficult tasks us coaches have is distilling our information into short lessons for our players. We have years of playing and coaching experience swimming about in our heads, and want so badly to lay it all on our players to help them grow. We think the more we say, the more […]
Damage Caused By Verbal Abuse

I wanted to open this article with another story. One of those attention grabbing, tell all, stuff of nightmares stories that I’ve told before. One about the coach who called a 10 year old boy stupid. Or the one about the coach who screamed at a high school player in front of a sideline full […]
Why Smart Kids Don’t Become Valedictorian

*Coach Reed is presenting multiple topics on Communication at the NSCAA 2017 Convention in Los Angeles January 12th. Join us that week to hear more about his Echoes Beyond the Game* “My daughter is very intelligent. She is top percentile on all state tests, she excels in every subject matter, and has a very creative […]
Echoes Beyond the Game Series: The Dirty Little Secret

*Coach Reed is presenting multiple topics on Communication at the NSCAA 2017 Convention in Los Angeles. His Echoes Beyond the Game Series is a lead up to the material he will deliver that week* Want to know a dirty little secret? This is the kind of secret that can create moments of magic – turning […]
Echoes Beyond the Game Series: My Offensive Picture

*Coach Reed is presenting multiple topics on Communication at the NSCAA 2017 Convention in Los Angeles. His Echoes Beyond the Game Series is a lead up to the material he will deliver that week* I’ve got this picture I sometimes show people. It’s awful. I don’t show it often because of the graphic nature. It […]
Echoes Beyond the Game Communication Series: The 5 Ways Players Communicate Without Saying a Word

This past summer I had the honor and pleasure of giving the Keynote Speech for the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association in Denver. It was a fabulous weekend of learning and sharing with colleagues in another sport. I saw so many similarities in both the issues and in the focus of coaching between hockey and soccer. […]
Echoes Beyond the Game Communication Series: 7 Phrases Coaches Can Use to Build a Growth Mindset

Yet – This word comes directly from the Queen of Mindset, Carol Dweck. She delivered a great TED Talk on the power of the word ‘yet’ that reminds us as coaches about the importance of focusing children on future mastery rather than present frustration. The word we hear most when a child is frustrated or lacks […]