WHAT MENTAL GAME TACTIC DID THESE COACHES USE TO PLAY FOR IT ALL?

As I stated in last week's blog, I have five friends who coached for a state title this season; two are playing for it all this week! These elite coaches are either a member of Fast N' Wide or the Elite Coaches' Mastermind.

I zoomed with them early in the week and asked them a few questions that can help other coaches next year or even head coaches of other sports as they begin playoff runs in the 2022-23 school year.

I will send responses of all the responses in a series of emails, but today, we will dissect how these elite coaches used....

MENTAL PERFORMANCE TACTICS WITH THEIR TEAMS. QUESTION - ELITE MINDSETS ARE REQUIRED TO WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO DEVELOP THIS MINDSET WITH YOUR SQUAD?

Aaron Beck, Head Coach, All-Saints Prep

Fort Worth, Texas

TEXAS TAPPS State Finalist

- "We harp on our guys not getting bored w/ the details. Towards the end of a long season, players and coaches must attack 'day 1 drills' with the same enthusiasm."

- "We adhere to the FNW attitude of 'Everything Matters-Nothing is Special'. We do not talk about what round we are playing; we preach 'win today' in all we do. It's about us."

- "Rings are Remembered" is our playoff mantra.

Sean Driscoll, Head Coach, St. Mary's Catholic

Boston, Massachusetts

Massachusetts 6A State Champions!

- "Always compete at practice. Keep them hungry with competition. The week of the state game, we continued to COMPETE."

- "Win Today - Win Plays"

Dennis Dunn, Head Coach, North Desoto H.S.

Stonewall, Louisiana

Coach Dunn's Griffins are playing for the Division II Louisiana State Championship this Saturday in the Superdome!

- We have what we call INTENSIVE LISTENING every morning during our athletic period. It is a two-minute theme of the day that I usually do, but other coaches also participate. We stress something typically from our 'Word of the Year' - R.A.F.T.

R - Responsibility A - Attitude F - Family T - Toughness

- At the end of practice (after school), we also return to it. We use our RAFT in social media, t-shirts, and any place we can to sell our culture.

Neil Weiner, Head Coach, The Dunham School

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Coach Weiner's Tigers are playing for the Louisiana Division III State Championship Saturday in the Superdome!

- I deliver a message to our team daily on something to help them with their mental performance. My message is not more than two or three minutes, but it has helped us throughout the year and our playoff run. I use the Success Hotline (973-743-4690) or Brian Cain's Mental Performance Daily Podcast to find something valuable to share with our guys.

- We posted a bracket with all the qualified teams when the playoffs started. We blacked out each school other than The Dunham School to emphasize to our guys ITS ABOUT US.

Chris Yeager, Head Coach, Mountain Brook H.S.

Birmingham, Alabama

ALABAMA 6A STATE FINALIST

"Last year, we lost in the quarterfinals, and I had a player tell me, 'I was so scared; I was more nervous than I have ever been before in my life!'

We decided this year to give them a FUNDAMENTALS MINDSET to focus on to help with this;

- BLOCK - TACKLE - BALL SECURITY - FINISH

If we master these fundamentals and do not worry about who we are playing, we will perform at a higher level."

"We want our guys to play with JOY. Of course, this is easier said than done, so I had four youth league players come to the locker room before our semi-final game. Each youngster had on the full uniform of their team.

8-year old - Mtn Brook Seahawks 9-year old - Mtn Brook Colts 10-year old - Mtn Brook Saints 11-year old - Mtn Brook Falcons

After the game, I saw a pic of one of our players about to make a tackle, and he had the biggest smile on his face. He was playing with joy!"

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Remember, it's not about scheme!

All five of these elite coaches give their players mental triggers to give them the edge!

The spring semester of the Elite Coaches' Mastermind is starting in January where you will be able to 'rub elbows' and get in the foxhole with coaches like these masters!