The Best Decision You Can Make For Your Program

If you read the blog posts or emails you get from the NWCA, then it’s pretty obvious you’re a coach who’s committed to improving yourself and your program. Honestly, that’s awesome. The truth is we need more coaches like you.

I’d also be willing to bet, as a busy coach, that your time is at a premium. If you’re going to invest it into building your program, I’m sure you want to make sure that time is worth it. I feel you.

I’ve been on that same journey of trying to build my program and improve my coaching any way I can – books, DVDs, coaching clinics – so I get it.

About six years ago, I decided to travel down to the NWCA Convention in Florida the first weekend in August. I haven’t missed one since.

Here’s why: In almost 20 years of coaching wrestling, there’s nothing else I’ve ever come across that’s been as beneficial to my coaching and my program as the NWCA convention. 

Here are three big reasons:

1. The sessions and presentations each year are literally chocked full of actionable strategies and tactics to help build your program. And it’s not just technique. This year I got to listen to some of the top experts in their fields talk about mental skills training, strength training, nutrition, recovery and working with your administration. These are the types of things that the top coaches in the country think about. I came home with pages of notes and actionable tips to make a huge difference in our program.
2. The value I’ve gotten from the convention is year-round, not just a weekend. I’ve connected with so many smart coaches at all levels of the sport through conversations at the convention that I literally have a brain trust of advisors I can reach out to any time, with any issue I’m facing and get immediate advice and feedback. And believe me, I take advantage of that as often as I can! Need ways to get more kids on my team? I just shoot an email to my colleagues for advice. Parent problem? I’m on the phone to another coach to ask how he’d deal with it. The quickest way to improve at anything is to find a support system that can help you make it happen!
3. High school coaches can get exactly what they need. Over the last year, the NWCA created the Scholastic Coaches’ CEO Leadership Academy which is a full-day, the interactive workshop specifically designed to equip high school coaches with the skills, tools, and solutions they need to continually grow and improve their programs. The NWCA is now committing one day of their convention to put all the high school coaches who can make it down through this amazing experience.

The Leadership Academy is unlike any other coaching clinic I’ve ever been a part of. It’s not a lecture. It’s a structured program that combines presentations, discussion and activities carefully designed to give you exactly what you need to be a better leader of your program. The Academy touches on things like recruiting and retaining more kids in your program, successfully engaging with parents and your administration to make them huge allies, and how to make tough decisions in your program (and many other “problem” areas too!).

My favorite part of the experience is getting listen to iconic high school coaches brought in to talk about their experiences, their journey, the lessons they’ve learned and the mistakes they’ve mad along the way. I took pages of notes!

A close second is the talk with Marine Corps recruiting officers who come into each Academy to share their most effective practices for developing leadership and attracting high schoolers to be a part of something bigger than themselves (and they’re the best in the business at it!).

The academy also spends a lot of time focusing on developing your program’s “mission” and how you can create a stronger, more positive culture in your program and increase your kids’ commitment, mental toughness and selflessness.

I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to facilitate this year’s Leadership Academy at the Convention and the discussions we had were amazing. I learned a ton from sharing ideas with the 50+ coaches in attendance and I’m implementing a lot of it into my program right now! It really fires me up for the wrestling season!

More good news

If you’re serious about improving your program and improving yourself as a coach and you have a way to make it down to the Convention in Fort Lauderdale next summer, definitely do it! I promise you won’t regret it!

It doesn’t stop there though. The NWCA is working to make the Scholastic Coaches’ CEO Leadership Academy available for FREE to all middle school and high school coaches across the country by running Academies in as many states as possible this year. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Marine Corps, the NWCA is actively looking to run these academies in all 50 states if they can.

If you’d like to find out how you can be part of an Academy near you this fall, shoot an email to Bud Hennebaul at the NWCA as soon as you can – bhennebaul@nwca.cc or sign up at the following LINK

Letting you in on some of the secrets

I can tell you the NWCA’s Leadership Academy is a game-changer all you want, but you don’t just have to take my word for it. See for yourself. At the last Academy we had some great discussion on the best tactics we use in our programs to build a positive culture that really drives results. I shared some of the most unique, impactful things we do with our program to create a Championship culture.

Want to get a taste of what you’ll learn at the NWCA’s Scholastic Coaches’ CEO Leadership Academy?

Check out this quick PDF of “10 Insanely Powerful Tactics for a Dominant Team Culture” I shared with the group. Just let me know where to send it!
______________________________________________

Pete Jacobson has been a varsity HS coach in New York for almost 20 years. He also works with coaches of all levels through WinSmarter to help them get better at what they do, have a greater impact and go home happy. Check out 10 Insanely Powerful Tactics for a Dominant Team Culture for some of the most impactful tactics you can use to build a Championship program quickly.

___
Pete Jacobson
winsmarter.com