Our philosophy: You cannot fragment your life. If you have problems off the field, they will eventually leak onto the field. 

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To develop as a player, you have to develop both on the field AND off the field. Your foundation for player development is only as strong as your character. 

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Our goal: To provide coaches with learning resources and a forum for discussion that will help them create an environment of development for their players around the world. 

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Our core values: 

1. Toughness: The ability to be flexible in the face of adversity--bouncing off of adversity instead of bouncing back from while absorbing the lessons of each challenge. 

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2. Love: Teamwork is not a thing. It is the result of a thing: love. You have to love what you are doing, you have to love who you are doing it with, and you have to love who you're doing it for. 

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3. Character: Your development is dependent on it's foundation. The foundation of development is character. Your results on the field will be driven by the process you put in place for your development and that process will be driven by your character (WhatDrivesWinning.com). 

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4. Perspective: Ball is NOT life. Your sport is just part of your life. You will play your sport better when you use it as a tool to make you a better human being. Your play will suffer when you use your sport as a way to identify yourself as a human being. 

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Foundational resources for: 

Toughness - dailystoic.com  ryanholiday.net

Real, functional toughness is such a competitive advantage today because it is so rare. It is so rare because it is so misunderstood today. Toughness is often confused with muscles, teeth-gritting intimidation. True toughness is timeless. It has always been the ability to be whatever the moment requires. Some of the books written by Ryan Holiday have become some of my favorites because of how simply and eloquently Holiday explains what real toughness is all about. Holiday is really echoing the principles taught by the stoics of old, but his clarity and simplicity bring stoicism into the 21st century. I highly recommend his books The Obstacle is the Way and Ego is the Enemy.

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Love - jongordon.com  positiveuniversity.com

If you study sports dynasties, you'll find that joy and love are at the heart of their cultures. That doesn't necessarily mean that everyone is lovey-dovey all the time. Great cultures have high expectations, and great coaches demand excellence. But joy and love are at the heart of every lasting sports dynasty. Dynasties are full of athletes who have craftsman mindsets--the people in them love building their craft. Jon Gordon has built an empire on teaching the world how effective love and a craftsman mindset are. HIs book, The Carpenter, describes that craftsman mindset and what it takes to thrive long-term in the world of development. The Energy Bus is also a great book about what it takes to fuel long-lasting success.

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Character - WhatDrivesWinning.com

Your development is built on the foundation of your character. Your development will crumble if it is built on poor character. What Drives Winning has so many valuable resources for character development. It is the book we recommend the most for coaches looking to establish a culture of on-field and off-field development. The premise of their work is that your results are driven by your process and your process is driven by your character. So it is imperative to practice character. 

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Perspective - Focus 3 Podcast

Development cannot happen effectively if it means too much. Sport ceases to mean anything when it means everything. If you are going to truly develop your athletes, you cannot merely see the bigger picture, you have to see the entire picture. Development does not happen in a vacuum. You must account for all aspects of your athletes' lives to ensure the kind of development that makes it impossible to NOT reach their ultimate potential. The Focus 3 Podcast with Tim Night and Urban Meyer is an incredible resource that focuses on every aspect of an athlete's development and I can't recommend it enough. 

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Our Process: We believe in a dynamical systems theory of development. This means that we believe that we don't develop in a vacuum. The environment in which we develop and grow or atrophy and get worse is complex and dynamic. We believe that the best way to develop in a dynamic and complex environment is by using what is called a constraints-led approach. This approach uses what is called nonlinear pedagogy (or nonlinear teaching methods) to create a climate of development that allows for athletes to take ownership of their development. We've found that this is the most efficient and effective way to develop athletes. 

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This type of approach is also effective in off-the-field development. The number-one tool in utilizing this approach is questioning. We use questions to constrain the thoughts of our athletes in a way that motivates them to take ownership of their character and thought-process development. The key in motivating any athlete to develop at a high rate and in the right direction is is piquing their interest so that they provide the fuel for their development. If you want it more than the athlete, real development won't happen. 

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Ultimately, we believe that development is about creating a climate in which the athlete can develop himself. Creating this climate involves taking away obstacles that will interfere with development and replacing them with obstacles that nudge athletes in the right direction with the right motivations and tools.