I've spent the last 2 years researching, writing, and speaking about head coach burnout at the elite levels of sport.
Coaches are running on fumes right now. We are remarkably far from 'high-performance', but I'm unwilling to accept that can't change.
A thread 🧵
Coaches are running on fumes right now. We are remarkably far from 'high-performance', but I'm unwilling to accept that can't change.
A thread 🧵
When I started writing #TheToughStuff, I was told head coaches would never talk about the emotional toll that the job takes on them.
That's nonsense. We talk about it all the time, and in the public domain. It's just that many don't want to listen.
nytimes.com/2020/11/13/spo…
That's nonsense. We talk about it all the time, and in the public domain. It's just that many don't want to listen.
nytimes.com/2020/11/13/spo…
"Rivers needed to get IVs before he coached the Clippers. But his health scare reinforced an NBA-wide issue: At a time when teams monitor the most minute details about their players’ health, the men charged with coaching neglect their own well-being."
latimes.com/sports/story/2…
latimes.com/sports/story/2…
More and more, active coaches are being explicit about the current state of the domain.
Asked if he'd like to see his brother return to coaching, Geelong Cats head coach Chris Scott said:
"No, I wouldn't because it's not a very good job to be honest..."
wwos.nine.com.au/afl/chris-scot…
Asked if he'd like to see his brother return to coaching, Geelong Cats head coach Chris Scott said:
"No, I wouldn't because it's not a very good job to be honest..."
wwos.nine.com.au/afl/chris-scot…
Scott continued:
"It's just hard work. It's a stressful existence. There's a cost to that position and it needs to be weighed really carefully. A lot of people have talked about it," he said, referencing former Adelaide head coach Don Pyke.
"It's just hard work. It's a stressful existence. There's a cost to that position and it needs to be weighed really carefully. A lot of people have talked about it," he said, referencing former Adelaide head coach Don Pyke.
Then when coaches get themselves into some pressure-induced trouble, we isolate blame to the individual, but turn a blind eye to the (unhealthy) system that contributed.
The support mechanisms should also be INSIDE the game, like they are for players.
sportingnews.com/us/nhl/news/ji…
The support mechanisms should also be INSIDE the game, like they are for players.
sportingnews.com/us/nhl/news/ji…
In 14 seasons as a head coach, @CoachPeteUW went 147-38, including five top-10 seasons.
Then he stepped down suddenly.
"After I got some clarity, I thought, why didn't someone tell me this?"
theathletic.com/2576778/2021/0…
Then he stepped down suddenly.
"After I got some clarity, I thought, why didn't someone tell me this?"
theathletic.com/2576778/2021/0…
Even awareness of unbalance doesn't change things:
"Success is to be able to control the quality and balance of your life. I wasn’t able to live it in this job because, even when I would come home at night, my mind was 1,000 miles away trying to fix things back at the office."
"Success is to be able to control the quality and balance of your life. I wasn’t able to live it in this job because, even when I would come home at night, my mind was 1,000 miles away trying to fix things back at the office."
Coaches need coaches, too:
"One of the mistakes I made is that I didn’t get somebody that could help me that’s not in the fight every day. All we do is coach everybody else up, yet most of us don’t have somebody that can help coach us in this really tough, competitive arena."
"One of the mistakes I made is that I didn’t get somebody that could help me that’s not in the fight every day. All we do is coach everybody else up, yet most of us don’t have somebody that can help coach us in this really tough, competitive arena."
I think we can all agree that we want coaches who are described as: "caring", "fair", "a man of his word" and "never hesitated to protect us".
Well, those are precisely the coaches we're chasing from the game with this bullshit.
Well, those are precisely the coaches we're chasing from the game with this bullshit.
https://twitter.com/asaintmaximin/status/1450793089971494914?s=20
Arteta: "I have a lot of friends who are doing the courses, who doubted whether they want to take the hot seat or whether it is better to be an assistant or something else."
bbc.com/sport/football…
bbc.com/sport/football…
Arteta raises a great point: why would ANYONE want to put themselves through all this?
Headline: "Anthony Seibold provides dossier of online abuse to NRL Integrity Unit, with cyberbullying legislation on the way"
A dossier of abuse (!)
abc.net.au/news/2020-08-3…
A dossier of abuse (!)
abc.net.au/news/2020-08-3…
I could go on and on and on, but you get the point.
Despite this, I remain optimistic about the future. We can turn this into our game-defining moment.
Organizations call me daily asking for advice - they know.
Coaches contact me daily - they know, too.
Despite this, I remain optimistic about the future. We can turn this into our game-defining moment.
Organizations call me daily asking for advice - they know.
Coaches contact me daily - they know, too.
If I can leave you with one thought:
We don't need "better coping strategies". That's aiming far too low.
We need better thriving strategies. Coaches are crucial to performance. They're a competitive advantage.
Let's aim to have them THRIVE!
We don't need "better coping strategies". That's aiming far too low.
We need better thriving strategies. Coaches are crucial to performance. They're a competitive advantage.
Let's aim to have them THRIVE!
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