Positive Coach

In 2004 I contributed to a chapter on coaching for the Leading Experts On Youth Fitness. One of the books I referenced was the book from http://www.positivecoach.org/ (The Positive Coach Alliance).

If you coach kids you MUST read the info from both organizations...

Here's some comments from Jim Thomson, the leader of the Positive Coach Alliance, about what he calls, "the worst week ever in sports".

Bill Walsh's Passing Caps Worst Sports Week Ever

I have been asked repeatedly by the press in the past few days whether this has been the worst week ever for sports.

• Barry Bonds pursuing Henry Aaron with the Major League Baseball Commissioner not willing to be there for the historic moment, reflecting the ambiguity many of us feel about this historic event-to-be.
  
  
• Tour de France turning into a revolving door of drug cases.
  
  
• Michael Vick accused of crimes against man's best friend and being immediately vilified by many well in advance of trial.
  
  
• The referee cheating accusations in the NBA.
  
  
• And below the radar screen, but just as sick, is a hockey "fight camp" for kids

How much worse could it get?

I have consistently replied that I wasn't sure if this were the worst week ever, but now there is no doubt. Bill Walsh died yesterday and that makes it the worst week ever for sports.

Bill is the personification of the power of ideas to make a difference. He was called "The Genius" by many, with most people not realizing that this title initially was bestowed on him sarcastically by the over-macho football establishment of the time, which looked askance at his cerebral nature. He was just too much in his head. Football is a man's game! As one of my high school football coaches used to say, "2 1/2 yards and a cloud of dust."

Even then I wondered what he was thinking. Three runs into the line at 2.5 yards each equals 4th down and 2.5 yards to go! No wonder people thought Bill Walsh was a genius for doing away with that ridiculous notion!

One of my favorite stories of Bill and the accidental source of many great ideas concerns the tight-end-around play. Bill and his coaches were studying game film when they came upon a botched play. The 49ers tight end lined up on the wrong side, realized it in time, and trotted over to the other side. The play was uneventful but on tape Bill saw how the befuddled defense reacted with consternation to this surprise and turned it into a play that even macho coaches now use!

A few years ago Bill and former Stanford Athletic Director Ted Leland participated in a PCA event that the Oakland A's sponsored. There was a famous coach who took up most of the air time with stories designed to entertain the crowd. He left little space for any of the other panelists including Bill to get a word in edgewise. I watched as Bill grew more agitated and wondered what was going to happen.

Finally Bill could take it no more. He interrupted in a burst of energy saying, "I thought we were going to talk about the problems with youth sports!" This redirected the entire conversation to the topic that had gotten Bill interested in doing this event. Bill wasn't upset with the other coach hogging the mike. He was concerned that no ideas were being shared about how to improve youth sports!

I had the privilege of interviewing Bill for PCA's "Momentum" newsletter several years ago. I got to sit in his office for two hours with a tape recorder and listen to a nonstop stream of fantastic ideas about coaching and kids. One quote stood out in my mind to the point that we have incorporated it (with a photo of Bill) into one of our Double-Goal Coach workshops (a Double-Goal Coach wants to win AND use sports to teach life lessons):

"Players see a coach who's generating energy in everything he does, not just a person standing in judgment of them. That creates a captivating environment that you really must have."

What a terrific image. Instead of a coach sitting in judgment of a player, a coach should create a captivating environment! Are there any sports parents who wouldn't want a coach who does that for their child?! (To check out the entire interview with Bill, click here)

A few years ago PCA launched a Mentor Coach program in Los Angeles thanks to the support of the Durfee Foundation. The tag line on the t-shirts given to the participants says, "Creating a legacy of positive coaching." In the workshop, we use a legacy chart with Bill Walsh in the center and several generations of great coaches who are where they are now because of Bill's mentorship.

My last conversation with Bill was in May. I stopped by his office at Stanford, and he greeted me enthusiastically, "What can I do to help you and PCA?" I said that it would be great if PCA could honor him and give him our Lifetime Achievement Award. He immediately said, "I'll do it. I really want to give a lecture on leadership. Let's get a date on the calendar and do it."

The date we picked was May 31, 2007. We reserved Maples Auditorium and began planning an event that would allow Bill to share all that he had learned about leadership while giving his many fans in the Bay Area a chance to let him know how we all feel about him. So many people were excited to be involved with this event honoring Bill.

Unfortunately, Bill took a turn for the worse a few days later and the event never happened. I sent him a card that a friend of mine from Minnesota had created with a rainbow over Stanford's lovely Memorial Church. I now have his note thanking me for the lovely card on my desk.

So, worst sports week ever? You bet. Bill will be missed by many, none more so than the thousands of individuals and organizations across the country who are working valiantly to transform the culture of youth sports. We've lost a real champion.

-- Jim Thompson, Founder and Executive Director

For more information on becoming a better coach for your kids, visit http://www.positivecoach.org/