The Coach Doctor Podcast (James Barkell)

In this episode I talked to Beth Whaanga one of only five Level 3 Rugby Coaches in Australia. We discussed the gender issues in coaching, working with both male and female athletes, learning from peers and becoming a leader to other women in the male dominated rugby coaching space. We also discussed Beth's background working with indigenous athletes and her participation at the AIS High Performance Coaching Talent Program.

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In this episode I speak to Sean Irvine from Inside Motivation. Sean's area of expertise are in team building and team effectiveness. Sean discusses the 6 conditions of team effectvieness which can be related to sporting teams and business teams.
Sean can be contacted on +61(0)419 477 271 or via the contact us page on insidemotivation.com.au

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In this episode I interview Olympic Sprint and Jump Coach Andrew Murphy. Andrew is a triple Olympian representing Australia at the Atlanta, Sydney and Athens games as a Triple Jumper. More recently Andrew has returned from Tokyo after coaching Rohan Browning, Australia's fastest man. In this interview we discuss the differences in roles as an athlete to a coach, the training requirements of an Olympic level athlete and the team work that goes into a sport such as Track and Field. Despite all of Andrew's achievements, he remains a life longer learner and is still looking to develop himself further as a high performance coach.

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In this episode I chat with John Novak who is widely known as Australia’s No. 1 Sports Mindset coach with his athletes quickly reaching National and International success at World Championships and Olympics. John is currently Head Mindset Coach for the Manly Sea-Eagles-NRL team in Australia. He has worked with hundreds of elite athletes and teams in 38 different sports. More recently he worked with Olympians Melissa Wu Commonwealth Gold Medallist and Olympic Bronze in the 10m Platform Diving and James Magnussen former World Champion Swimmer and an Olympic Silver Medallist. John is ultra passionate about coaching athlete mindset and is a ball of positivity.
To contact John for more information go to:
Web: https://www.johnnovaksport.com/ or https://www.boomerangeffect.com.au/
Instagram: @johnnovakboomerangeffect
Linkedin: John Novak
Facebok: John Novak BoomerangEffect
email: johnnovakboomerang@gmail.com

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In Episode 5 I chat with Tim Rowland. Tim is a championship winning Strength and Conditioning coach who has a background in physiotherapy. Tim discusses how his background in physiotherapy has made him a better Strength and Conditioning coach. His ability in managing athletic performance and also developing state of the art rehab and prehab programs for players returning from injury. Most recently Tim played a large role in the preparation of the Gordon’s Highlanders Rugby Clubs first premiership in over 20 years within the Shute Shield Premier Rugby competition. Tim is now the part owner of the Physio Network which disseminates research in the field of physiotherapy and sports rehabilitation and puts it out in easy to understand language to improve practitioners application.
If you would like to get in contact with Tim you can find him on the following platforms:
Linkedin: Tim Rowland
Instagram: @_theaclguy
Website: https://www.physio-network.com/

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In this episode I chat with Associate Professor Wilbur Kraak from the Sports Science faculty at Stellenbosch University on the Western Cape of South Africa. We discuss using academic literature in an applied coaching setting, using performance analysis as a tool to assist your coaching and the state of South African Rugby after the COVID 19 Pandemic interrupted community sport for almost two years.
If you would like to hear more from Wilbur you can follow him on twitter and instagram @coachwilbur or connect with him through Linkedin as Wilbur Kraak.

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On this episode my guest is Gina Haddad, Gina is an expert and published academic in the area of athlete leadership and has worked with and researched leadership groups in many team sports. She has studied leadership groups within Super Rugby, NRL, AFL, Football and International rugby union and has previously held positions as a High-Performance Consultant and education manager with Equestrian Australia. She is a lecturer and leadership and culture facilitator. The main take points from this conversation for me were:
1)Setting up a leadership group needs to be authentic – doing it for the sake of it because that’s what the professional teams do won’t cut the mustard. Leaders need to be given a voice and be heard.
2)Leadership groups need to be diverse and cover a good cross section of the team so that everyone feels represented and included.
3)Leadership requires time and should be prioritised.
4)For athletes who have had little or no leadership training, providing some support around their roles and how leadership looks will assist them in becoming better leaders.
5)Embed and consistently reference team values and have these driven by the leadership group.
6)Do your homework around how you will select the leadership group and what their expectations and responsibilities will be.
For more information please feel free to connect with Gina on LinkedIn via her name Gina Haddad.
You are also welcome to contact myself to initiate a conversation via email or phone by emailing me at james@thecoachdoctor.com.au

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Professor Shane Pill from Flinders University in South Australia is one of the leading experts and researchers in coaching and sports education. He was recently awarded the Presidents Award by the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation for distinguished service to the profession. Shane discusses his transition from a physical education teacher in the 1980’s to his role researching coaching pedagogies and specifically the game sense approach to coaching and teaching sport. He discusses the differences between pedagogical models of teaching skills through games and highlights the requirement for struggle to promote growth and development. Shane is a wealth of knowledge in this area and his explanations will hopefully go towards coaches being able to apply some of the methods he discusses to build more resilient and skillful athletes.
Take away's from this episode are:
1.That Kids and athletes play sports to play the game – the best way to prepare them for playing is by actually playing the game not by using one dimensional training drills that require little or no decision making.
2.A games based approach has to be purposeful and provide meaningful learning opportunities.
3.Athletes require some amount of struggle to learn and develop, but there has to be a struggle point – too hard and we lose the athletes, too easy and the learning process is not effective.

This podcast is Part 1 of 2.

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Professor Shane Pill from Flinders University in South Australia is one of the leading experts and researchers in coaching and sports education. He was recently awarded the Presidents Award by the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation for distinguished service to the profession. In Part 2 of this interview we discuss the power of games to develop a fully engaged athlete and the role game sense plays in Australian physical education and coaching.
To engage with Shane further on this topic you can either follow him on:
LinkedIn: Shane Pill PhD, MEd, BEd, LMACHPER, FACHPER
Twitter: pilly66
Or Search Shane Pill on the Flinders University Website to get a direct link to Shane's email.
Some of Shane's publications can be found using the weblink: https://www.bookdepository.com/author/Shane-Pill
Suggested readings for coaches include:
- The Spectrum of Sport Coaching Styles
- Perspectives on Game-Based Coaching
- Perspectives on Athlete-Centred Coaching
- Play with Purpose

This podcast is Part 2 of 2.

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After having a successful rugby union playing career with NSW Country and the Australian Wallaroo’s Alana then moved into coaching. Moving to Melbourne she worked with the Melbourne Unicorns club and was awarded the Australian Rugby Union Community coach of the year in 2017 before taking on the head coaching role with the Melbourne Rebels Super W side in their inaugural season. Alana has focused on developing a strong team culture with the slogan "a Rebel like her" being a daily attribute within the team. Another fantastic aspect to Alana's coaching was the idea of setting up growth groups to assist with connections and communication within the team. Another aspect of Alana’s coaching that really got me excited was her transition into using a games based approach over a traditional closed skills more regularly. Her comments around developing decision makers in chaos was music to my ears. To connect with Alana to get more insight into her coaching you can connect via the following social media platforms:
LinkedIn: Alana Thomas
Instagram: @alanathomas7
Twitter: @alanathomas7

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Jim is the current Queensland Reds Attack coach and was instrumental in both the Queensland Reds Super Rugby championship season of 2011 in his first stint with the club and this year in 2021 in his second stint with the club. Jim has also been the attack coach for the Wallabies and Head Coach of many clubs in the UK and Japan. Like some of my other guests Jim stands out for his passion to learn and further his knowledge – he has a Masters of Education in Sports Coaching and has published two research papers in the International Sport Coaching Journal. Jim is excited about constraints based learning, dynamic systems and ecological dynamics and is a great believer in the use of analogies to deliver his messages. He talks about attack in team sport being like water- building up and eventually always finding a way through a weakness.

The key messages I got from this chat was:
- The importance of the coach to create an environment where athletes can learn. If the garden is not growing you may need more water, more sunlight or some fertiliser – in other words improve the environment.
- Design practice sessions that best represent the games. Have key principles, but outside of those, let players explore, discover cues, utilise cooperation and be creative.
- Do the work, be patient, keep learning and build as a coach.
- Have a release from coaching – find a hobby or an outlet so that the job doesn’t consume you and always staying connected with your family and the people you care about the most.

If you would like to learn more about Jim’s research you can look up his journal articles listed below:

McKay, Jim, Davids, Keith, Robertson, Sam, & Woods. Carl T.. (2021). An Ecological Insight Into the Design and Integration of Attacking Principles of Play in Professional Rugby Union: A Case Example. International Sport Coaching Journal. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1123/iscj.2020-0065.

Mckay, J., & O'Connor, D. (2018). Practicing Unstructured Play in Team Ball Sports: A Rugby Union Example. International Sport Coaching Journal, 5(3), 273-280. https://doi.org/10.1123/iscj.2017-0095

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Jamie Feeney is a former NRL player who played for both the Canterbury Bulldogs and Melbourne Storm during very successful periods in both club’s histories. He was coached by Steve Folkes and Criag Bellamy, two of Rugby Leagues most successful coaches. Jamie gives us an insight into the culture of both clubs after being involved in back to back Grand final seasons. Following his playing career Jamie moved into coaching roles. Initially with the Melbourne Storms pathway program and then as the Performance Program manager with NSWRL. More recently Jamie coached the Australian Women’s Rugby League side the Jillaroos and the Roosters NRLW side. Jamie is now based on the Gold Coast working with the Gold Coast Titans NRLW side. Some key take aways from this conversation for me were that there is no one best coaching style, different coaching styles bring different positives, the hard-working Steve Folkes style compared to the detailed Craig Bellamy style both brought success to their respective teams. It’s about choosing the style that works for you and the team around you.

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This is a story of adaptation involving changing countries, languages, cultures and sports in a very demanding environment. Nico has just finished up a role with Chinese Rowing culminating with his team’s performances at the Olympic games in Tokyo. Originating from the north of Italy and completing his PhD in Sports Science at the University of New England in Armidale, Australia. His background lay in Rugby Union, but he was given the chance to work with the Chinese Olympic Program and found himself part of the rowing staff. Nico talks about the cultural differences between working in China compared with western cultures, the communication hurdles and the variation in training modalities utilised.
Some of the key takeaways for me from this chat were that you need to do your homework before you embark on a coaching role in another country especially where the language and culture is so different. Nico was lucky he had experienced changing countries before and this was a massive help for his move to china.
In Australia we tend to have a very athlete centered style of coaching – be aware that this philosophy changes nation to nation and a coaching style that fits the culture is generally what is utilised.
And lastly as part of the coaching staff, sometimes you are required to speak up if you think what other coaches are doing is not what is best for the athletes and at the very least have that difficult discussion.

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In this episode I speak to newly appointed Australian Wallaroos Coach Jay Tregonning. We discuss the team’s preparation leading into a world cup year and the growth and development of women’s rugby union in Australia. Some of the key takeaways for me were that coaching a national team requires a lot of preparation so managing time around family and fulltime work commitments is really important. Balancing a teaching career with coaching a national team provides some hurdles and Jay has put some positive steps in place to make sure this works for his coaching.

Jay has been open to learning from other key areas in his life and taken lessons as a teacher and applied them to his coaching and vice versa. As a PE teacher he is effectively coaching all the time so refining his skills in the classroom or in the gym to what he is doing on the training paddock has been a great opportunity for him.

Finally, having a growth mindset & not being scared to make mistakes. With limited time & preparation Jay needs to make decisions around selections – does he build cohesion of test new players in the lead up to the world cup. He is comfortable with these hard decisions and knows that success is not on a straight continuum.

If you would like to follow Jay's journey, he is active on Linkedin under his name Jay Tregonning.

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In this episode I talk with Melbourne Rebels player Cameron Orr. We discuss his pathway to becoming an elite athlete and the importance of athlete journaling to help achieve those smaller goals or the 1%’s that add up to greater benefits over the long run. Cameron also talks about the importance of team journaling and how this can assist team performance by keeping teammates accountable to group goals.

More recently Cameron started a business with Waratahs player Carlo Tizzano called ‘Elite Performance Journal’ which provides both individual and team-based journals aimed at the young athlete wanting to forge a pathway to success and also the elite athletes wanting to add longevity onto their careers and stay at the top of their game.
The key takeaways for me throughout this chat, were that Cameron has shown a growth mindset throughout his playing career. He made the Australian School boys after being selected in his (CAS) school association 2nd team and the NSW Schools 2nd team he never gave up or threw in the towel and let any disappointment drive him towards his next goal.

He went wherever he would get an opportunity and made sure he learnt from those senior players around him for example a stint in Gloucester, England where he learnt of payers in the squad who had represented the British and Irish Lions as well as a great coach in Laurie Fisher.

In a coach he looks for someone who is open to a chat and is honest about feedback and selections and gives each member of the team the same amount of respect no matter their role in the team be they a super star or a rookie. Sport is also meant to be fun and for that reason Cameron doesn’t mind a bit of banter and being able to connect with his coaches away from the field. We also discuss what it meant to be presented with the “Spirit of Weary Dunlop” award in 2021 for being a great clubman and in Cameron’s case an all-round good bloke.

If you would like more information on the Elite performance journals you can visit the website listed below:
https://eliteperformancejournal.com/

Cameron is active on Linkedin under the name Cameron Orr and is also an administrator on the Facebook Group “Emerging Athlete Network”, which is a group designed to connect and educate Athletes and Coaches.

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In this episode I chat with Jack Rolfe who is the owner of the Coaching Lab – a business that aims to provide coaches at all levels with tools and resources to improve their coaching, especially within games.
One of the resources the Coaching Lab offers are match play cards – a set of cards with a variety of both team and individual challenges that you can apply to coaching in game settings. We discuss a few examples and how they may be utilised in the training environment.
Another cool resource is a set of reflection cards that contain open ended questions that engage the athletes and develop a deeper though process in the reflection period. Again, we will discuss specific examples of how to use these.
During this chat Jack provides some really helpful examples of you can develop a dynamic and exciting learning environment for your athletes whether it be at the grassroots level or at the elite level.
Some of the key messages for me in this talk is that Jack has developed the cards to provide both individual challenges and team challenges. As coaches we tend to focus more on team outcomes and coach the individual less during periods of tactical or game-based training. By incorporating individualised challenges this can provide more individualised coaching within a game-based setting.
Explaining why you may be using a games-based approach to all stakeholders, athletes, parents and the wider club community may be important to ensure all are on the same page. Often the science behind this approach is unknown outside of coaching circles so explaining that we can still tick off skill development, conditioning and so forth whilst also developing better decision makers is a useful way to get everyone heading in the same direction.
To quote Jack directly “The role of the coach is to create a space and inspire players to be creative” and “creativity in sport is often the ability to have more solutions to the same problem” by providing a space where athletes feel comfortable to develop these skills will often harness the best outcomes long term.
For more information on the coaching lab you can go to:
Website: https://www.thecoachinglab.org/
Instagram: @the_coachinglab
Twitter: @the_coachinglab
LinkedIn: Jack Rolfe

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In this episode I talk to Daryl Gibson. Daryl is a former New Zealand All Black and Super Rugby Champion with the Canterbury Crusaders. More recently Daryl has held the role as head Coach of the NSW Waratahs before stepping down after a losing season. Daryl has gone on to research what elite teams do during a losing streak and his findings are brilliant. Whilst there is a plethora of research into successful teams and cultures, the originality of Daryl’s work looking at how to successfully cope with a losing streak will provide much insight for many coaches going through this difficult period.
Some of the key takeaways for me were that there is no one losing streak that is the same. Each situation has its own individual differences and challenges however there are commonalities around the mistakes that coaches make during losing streaks.
Its important to establish a team identity and keep revisiting it throughout the season, and set up some plans for when adversity strikes.
Planning for adversity requires setting up a failure plan. What do we do in the event of a loss -how do we talk to the team, how do we address the media, and how do we address failure.
This includes consistency in analysis and interpretation of a loss.
Complete buy in from all members of the team is also vital so that all can be accountable rather than turning to blame which often happens in a losing streak. The best coaches revisit their purpose and buy in on a daily basis.
Personal meaning within the team – so when things go bad that personal meaning will be called upon. Do we want to have a victim culture or a champion culture that responds to adversity by owning your role on the team.
During losing streaks some common responses tend to be
-Blame
-Excuses
-Denial
-Criticism increases
-Withdrawal from the group/team
-Isolation
-Silo mentality
-Loss of respect
-Belief of the coach to work harder - when in reality the coach should be looking more closely at team dynamics.
If you would like more information on Daryl’s research you can email me at:
James @thecoachdoctor.com.au
Please take the time to like it and give a short review and also follow the podcast Instagram page: @thecoachdr for more podcast news, coaching tips and advice all based on the latest research.

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In this episode I talk to former NRL hard man Ben the boss Cross. Ben has had a distinguished career playing at three NRL clubs, playing in two NRL grand finals and winning one and a state of Origin series with the NSW Blues.
Towards the end of his career Ben took up coaching roles whilst playing in the north of England before returning to Australia and working on the development pathway with the Newcastle knights and the NSW Blues Women’s Origin team.
Ben was later offered an assistant coaching role with the Brisbane Broncos that didn’t end up going to plan and he discusses the tough times professional coaching can through at you and how he delt with that time in his career.
This talk provided some great insight into the intricacies of professional coaching – Ben was able to illustrate some of the traits of his former coaches including the great Craig Bellamy and how he believes developing relationships are vital to being successful as a coach.
Ben provided a detailed picture to what he believes went wrong at the Broncos after the Bennet Siebold saga of 2019.
After his sacking from the Broncos Ben used the term get better not bitter which personified Ben’s resilience after dealing with a very publicised sacking. He went out and completed leadership and business courses, developed other areas of his life and came back a stronger man following the ordeal.
There is plenty to take away from this chat with Ben I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
If you are enjoying these podcasts please make sure you like it and leave a review and also follow me for updates on the podcast and other coaching matters on Instagram @thecoachdr

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Matt is a former NRL head Coach with the Canberra Raiders, Penrtith Panthers and NZ Warriors and is currently working in a leadership and assistant coaching role with the St George Dragons. He has also started a business called the Changeroom which we will discuss during the podcast but this is essentially a place that helps people recover from both physical and mental injuries and ill health.
Some of the key take aways I got from the discussion with Matt were the importance in developing human connections – while we can do the best form of training and eat the best nutrition, prepare perfectly etc human interaction is key into our wellbeing and this translates into performance on the field, track or pool. I also liked Matt’s message of thinking about the press or the media being about opinions and glorifying things to sell newspapers and in turn do not take any criticism too personally – like he said he’s watched TV for longer than he’s coached the game but that doesn’t mean he knows how TV’s work. The last point that really resonated with me was in the work that the change room are doing – Matt made the point that they do not focus on what is wrong with you but what’s right with you and what you can do and your capabilities and focus on those first and foremost.

Links:
The Change Room Website: https://www.thechangeroom.info/
Instagram: @_thechangeroom_
Facebook: @thechangeroomprogram
LinkedIn: The Change Room

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In Part 1 of this episode I speak to Brian Ashton. Former coach of Bath Rugby Club and the England national Rugby team and now very much a renowned figure in coach education. Brian discusses his initial introduction to rugby, his transformation from an autocratic coach in his early days as a strict schoolteacher into a democratic player centered coach. Brian touches on his experiences during a career of coaching, including the clash of the codes when England's strongest Rugby Club Bath played against England's Premier Rugby League Club Wigan. Brian has years of experience coaching at many levels in Rugby Union and since retiring from professional rugby is involved in coach education and coach consultancy in multiple sports including Netball, Cricket and Football. I hope you enjoy Part 1 with Brian Ashton.

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In Part 2 we discuss Super VUCA coaches, discuss one of Brian’s inspirational heroes and talk about the road to the World Cup final with England in 2007 and hear about Brian’s forays into other sports such as cricket Netball and Premier League Football.
Brian has a had a wealth of experiences in sport, especially rugby union but one of the key aspects to Brian’s development was the transformation into a player centred coach and the ability to keep learning throughout his career as a coach.
Despite all of Brian’s experience he has remained very humble and loves to give back to the sport at all levels. I hope you feel as though you have learnt something from one of the all-time Super VUCA coaches.

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In this episode I talk with Tom Carter the current head of physical performance with the Australian Women’s Rugby 7’s team. In this episode we discuss Toms transition from a professional rugby player into his current role in 7’s. We discuss the way Tom was perceived as a player for the NSW Waratahs and how that has shaped his professional career after rugby and we also look into Tom’s association with other sports such as Cricket and how we as coaches can learn from other sports.
Despite the persona we saw in Super Rugby Tom is an incredibly humble and relatively quiet spoken guy, he is hesitant to talk himself up and talk about some of his amazing accomplishments in sport and he is extremely open-minded about learning from other sports such as cricket.
He understands that is very easy as a coach to try and make large changes in small amounts of time, but its important to focus on the marginal gains when measuring success.
Tom has a growth mindset and uses education to continually get better and improve – despite his background as an elite athlete he remains very humble and he knows he doesn’t have all the answers and can learn from his peers in sport.
Tom’s ability to question his processes and ask himself if he started and finished the year with the same ideas and philosophies and if not why not, again shows the traits of a growth mindset and an aspect that is often very important in coaching, the ability to self-reflect.
I hope you enjoy this conversation with one of rugby’s great characters.

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In this episode of the coach doctor podcast, I speak to Associate Professor Andrew Bennie. Andrew’s PhD research investigated effective coaching in professional sport contexts. From the research, he developed an effective coaching model which includes three core components: (1) the coach and their personal characteristics and philosophy; (2) coaching skills such as leadership, communication, planning and people management, and (3) the environment which should be positive and have a strong sense of team culture.
More recently, Andrew’s research has focused on collaborating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sport coaches from a variety of team and individual sports - in community and high-performance settings from all over Australia to share their stories about pathways into, and experiences when in, coaching roles. These stories formed the basis for the recently published book called Aboriginal Sports Coaches, Community and Culture. Andrew was also part of a team of researchers, Aboriginal coaches, and national sport organization representatives that co-created the Coaching Unlimited program - a national coach education program designed to provide specific coach accreditation pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander coaches in a variety of sports.
Some of the key take aways for me were that first and foremost, coaches at the professional level focus far more on player management and developing a positive team culture than the techniques, tactics, and strategies of the sport. While tactics and wins and losses were considered important, effective professional coaches prioritised athletes’ needs. This connected with a person-centred leadership style that focuses on a ‘people rather than player first’ mentality to cultivate a positive learning environment and manage the ups and downs that occur throughout a season. And while professional sports coaches do have more time to get to know their athletes, community coaches can still prioritise time in their one-to-two training sessions per week to learn about their playing group on an individual level and to get to know what types of activities they like practicing so they can to understand what makes them tick and set the athletes up to really enjoy their sport participation.
As we changed the topic and began discussing Andrew’s collaborative work with Aboriginal Australian sports coaches, it was interesting to hear that within this community, there was an inherent belief of coaching the person first before the athlete across all levels – regardless of whether the coaches were working with U6s or elite athletes in professional contexts. Interestingly, this culturally driven approach to coaching also tied in very closely with what he discovered years earlier when researching effective coaching in professional sport contexts.
Andrew co-authored the book titled Aboriginal Sports Coaches, Community and Culture which shares the stories of coaches in many sports. It elaborates on the strengths, the philosophes, the pathways into coaching and the challenges along the way.
Links to purchase or find more out about this book:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Aboriginal-Community-Indigenous-Settler-Relations-Australia-ebook/dp/B08MD4TVHT or https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-15-8481-7
Andrew, with his First Nations colleagues and national sport organization contacts, are creating opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander coaches to gain formal coach accreditation in a culturally safe format through the Coaching Unlimited program. Link below:
https://www.coachingunlimitedaustralia.com/
Donations are welcome to help fund Coaching Unlimited – A sport coaching program designed with, and for, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. See link below:
https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/give/coaching-unlimited
To contact Andrew Bennie for further questions about any of his work:
email: A.Bennie@westernsydney.edu.au
LinkedIn: @Andrew Bennie

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In this episode I speak with David Shillington. Dave played Rugby League in the amazing Queensland era alongside the likes of Greg Inglis, Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Jonathan Thurston to name a few and was coached by Mal Meninga one of Queensland’s greats. He also had a distinguished NRL career with the Sydney Roosters, Canberra Raiders and Gold Coast Titans. Dave discusses the anxiety he dealt with as an up and coming player in the NRL and some of the coaches who led him on his path to being an Australian Representative. In retirement Shillo is now working in Mental Health and has set up his own business called Prime Effect and one of Shillo’s goals off the field is shifting the paradigm of mental health to being something all members of society can openly discuss and improve through programs such as what he is now doing with Prime effect.
Some of the key take aways for me in this episode were:
1) Turning your weaknesses into your strengths.
2) The importance of being able to talk to other people.
3) Developing the idea of mental fitness.
4) Promoting mental health first aid.

Website: https://www.primeeffect.com.au/
LinkedIn: @David Shillington

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In this weeks episode of the coach doctor podcast I speak with Dave Ellis. Dave is a New Zealand based rugby coach who has had experience coaching with the Blues in Super Rugby, Connacht in the PRO 14 Competition, the Bristal Bears in the English Premiership as well as many other clubs throughout the world. Dave is a coach who loves to share and presents his coaching ideas via webinars on his website EllisRugby.co.nz and is also a coach educator with IRANZ – International Rugby Academy of New Zealand. Traditionally a skills coach I talk to Dave about how the skills coach works with the head coach and how we prioritise skill development in a game like rugby. We also discuss some of Dave’s exciting left field coaching strategies and how he has adapted ideas from other sports and put them into his rugby coaching.

Dave's resources and contacts

Ellis Rugby Website: https://www.ellisrugby.co.nz/
LinkedIn: @Dave Ellis
Facebook: @Ellis Rugby
YouTube: Dave Ellis Rugby

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In this episode I talk with Dave Diggle. Dave is a veteran of the sporting arena with over 40 years of competitive and hands-on experience at the top level.
He represented Great Britain as a Gymnast and now works with the next generation of elite performers across a range of both team sports and individual sports, ranging from rugby union to car racing.
With a background as a high-performance coach, Dave turned his attention to the mental performance and psychological battles that coaches, athletes and their support networks face in the competitive environment.
These days Dave plys his trade with the Wallabies, Australia’s national rugby team and I was lucky enough to catch up with him before they face his native England in a three-test series down under.
To connect with Dave or find out more about what he offers you can find all of his contact details on his business website: https://www.smartmind.com/

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In this episode I speak with one of the masters of sports development and coach research Professor Jean Côté. Professor Côté is a member of the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queen’s University in Kingston (Canada). His research interests are in the areas of children in sport, coaching, positive youth development, and sport expertise.
Professor Côté has published more than 130 research articles on a variety of sport psychology and coaching topics as well as publishing 50 book chapters. His work is among the most widely cited in academic sports literature.
Throughout the podcast we discussed some areas of his research that applied specifically to coaching. These included:
-The role of deliberate play vs deliberate practice
-Why sampling and diversification in sport may be necessary in the developmental years
-The role of parents in sport
-Transformational coaching
-And Professor Côté's very own Developmental model of sports participation
Jean’s discussion about transformational coaching really highlighted what some other guests have also said in terms of coaching the person first. The amount of research Jean and his colleagues have performed in the area definitely supports this idea and for a coach at any level I think it is such an important part of your coaching to develop.
As a believer of games based learning I really liked the way Jean compared deliberate practice with deliberate play and how deliberate play can be so rewarding and effective for young athletes. We as coaches tend to overcoach and over drill through deliberate practice – as jean said we need to remember kids sport is for kids don’t try coaching them like adults.
And finally the ideas Jean discussed around sampling and diversification in sport not just sampling a variety of sports but also having a diversity of experiences within one sort of sport can be so important for developing athletes skills.
To follow Professor Jean Côté on twitter search for @JeanCote46

For 20% off at Elite Performance Journal's use the code "coachdoctor"

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Professor Chris Cushion is currently the head of coaching at England Netball and a professor of coaching and pedagogy at the famous Loughborough university in England. When it comes to the coaching environment, practice and coach behaviours Chris is one of the most prominent researchers in this space with over 100 publications and over 8000 citations from other authors and researchers. One of the things that sets Chris apart from a lot of his peers is that he has also had an exceptional coaching practitioner career in football as well as his distinguished career in academia and this ability to have what is effectively a foot in both camps helps with bringing research to life in practical settings. In this episode I want to talk to Chris about both his practical experiences and his research and how he and other coaches can effectively combine research in their practice.
I felt like there was some really valuable coaching advice from Professor Chris Cushion in this episode. For me the use of questioning and how to apply it was gold for me. I know as coaches we often discuss the importance of questioning, however applying it and following it up with further practice to initiate a change in behaviour is vital.
As coaches its also really important to schedule questions and into your coaching program – you can prepare these before the session to pre-empt learning situations rather than make things up as you go.
Secondly I really learnt a lot around Chris’s discussion on feedback – knowing the best times to use feedback, how to apply it effectively and what you are trying to achieve.
Finally thinking outside the square and using other teaching and learning strategies from educational research can enhance your coaching. As learning theories can certainly be applied to coaching to enhance athlete learning. Rosenshine’s principles of instruction could be a great place to start if this is of any interest and can be accessed by a google search.
I hope you enjoyed the discussion with Professor Chris Cushion, he is an absolute legend of coaching research. If you would like to follow Chris he is active on:
Twitter: @Coachc1
LinkedIn: Chris Cushion

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This week I speak with Dave Reynolds who is in charge of Coach Development in the South Australian National Football League. Dave was recommended to me from Professor Shane Pill as an absolutely brilliant coach development practitioner and he has not let me down. Dave is a passionate coach developer aiming to implement and improve coaching on a number of levels in his beloved sport of Australian Rules Football. He has a passion for developing female coaching talent in the state and is also a part of the newly formed AFLW Port Adelaide coaching staff. Dave talks about how he provides feedback to coaches in a constructive and effective manner and we discuss the three P’s of coaching – Pedagogy, playing and the people. We discuss the 6 big rocks Dave feels need to be improved in community coaching and chat about the differences in the developmental needs of beginner, intermediate and advanced coaches.
For me the conversation about the need for junior AFL coaches to move their mindset from winning only and using tactics for success that do not necessarily develop players to one that is more focused on player development is a pertinent one that I believe a lot of sports are dealing with. The end goal for development coaches should be just that development. It’s an interesting topic that I am sure would create a lot of debate. I love Dave’s idea about developing communities of coaches where you can bounce ideas off other coaches & share thoughts, views and opinions on trends in coaching. As we say to the kids sharing is caring and if we really care about the future of our sports we need to embrace sharing. We can also learn a lot from other coaches in other sports and having mentors outside of your own sport is something that could help you grow as a coach. If you’d like to contact Dave he is active on LinkedIn under his name Dave Reynolds or via Twitter under @Dave_Reno516.

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On this episode I talk to Associate Professor Kate Pumpa. Kate is a lecturer and researcher in the fields of exercise physiology and sports nutrition at the University of Canberra. She is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist and Advanced Accredited Sports Dietitian. Kate completed her PhD at the Australian Institute of Sport in 2008 and has been working as a sports dietician practitioner for almost 15 years. Like many of us in the sports industry, she began by volunteering as a sports dietician for local AFL club. Following this, she was given a role with Leinster Rugby Club in Dublin, Ireland before returning home to work with the Australia’s most successful Super Rugby Franchise the ACT Brumbies. Kate is now the performance dietitian for the Australian Rugby Union working across all teams from Junior Wallabies, Wallaroos and Rugby Sevens. Kate's primary research interests include utilising technology to monitor energy expenditure during exercise, nutrition interventions to enhance performance, and physiological performance preparation and recovery. She is a Fellow of Exercise & Sports Science Australia, an Associate Editor for the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, and on the editorial board for the journal Nutrients.
If you would like to find more out about Kate you can find her on LinkedIn under her name Kate Pumpa

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Kyle is the owner of The Coaching Gig, a business that specializes in coach development and coach education. Kyle has worked with multiple sports organisations across New Zealand and Australia and his mantra is to help 'people thrive on and off the field.' He is also a bit of a musician playing the guitar, drums and piano as well as being able to sing very well.
This interview definitely brought up a few issues in coaching worth thinking about in more depth for me.
The future of coaching courses and the role social media has in coach development.
The way we develop both coaches and athletes.
How we can deliver better coaching at the grassroots level.
If you would like to know more about Kyle and The Coaching Gig you can find him via the following links:
Website www.thecoachinggig.com
LinkedIn: Kyle McLean
Podcast: The Coaching Gig on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

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In this episode I talk to Dr Mitch Hewitt, who is the National Youth Programs Manager at Tennis Australia. Mitch completed his PhD at the University of Southern Queensland and studied the teaching styles of tennis coaches in Australia using the Spectrum of Teaching Styles as the theoretical framework for his research. He has published multiple papers and presented at many Coaching and Physical Education conferences and more recently been a co-author on the book The Spectrum of Coaching Styles. In this episode we discuss how to implement some of the coaching styles on the spectrum and discuss their roles in coaching at all levels from foundation to elite.

To view the full video of Koko's Arendelle Home Court Tennis go to the link: https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/index.php/extwidget/preview/partner_id/2113881/uiconf_id/45477432/entry_id/0_hvkfcb7j/embed/dynamic

If you would like more information or to connect with Mitch you can find him via his LinkedIn page under the name: Dr Mitch Hewitt (A/Prof. University of Canberra) PhD MEd BAppSci HumanMovement(Hons)GradDipEd(PE)BA

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Greg is a coach at the community level in Rugby Union and he really wants to help community coaches develop by sharing his thoughts and opinions around coaching at this level of the game. Some of the issues community coaches have to deal with is player availability, player work commitments, finding volunteers to assist with running grassroots clubs, opportunities for professional development plus many more other aspects that we discuss.

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In this episode I speak with Grant Doorey. Grant is a career coach who has spent over 25 years in professional coaching and coached at 4 rugby world cups, the French top 14, the English premiership and Super Rugby to name a few. Grant discusses his journey and some of the learnings along the way. We discuss coaching across three different continents and cultures, language barriers and the sacrifices that elite coaching involves. There is a lot for aspiring coaches to learn from this conversation.

If you would like to get in contact with Grant he is easily contacted on LinkedIn under his name: Grant Doorey

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In this episode I talk to Reuben Williams and Ryan Walker from Sports Grad, if you’re not sure who these guys are then check out "the Sportsgrad Podcast" the number 1 careers podcast on itunes and you will find them helping people getting jobs in sport. I thought this conversation would be a great way to help coaches and performance staff develop their careers and opportunities in sport by taking on the top 8 steps that Reuben and Ryan recommend for getting your dream job. We discuss tips for networking and using social media to put yourself out there. If you are looking to make sport your career then this is the episode for you.
You can find more information via the links below:
Website: www.sportsgrad.com.au
Instagram: @sportsgrad
Twitter: @sportsgrad
LinkedIn: @Reuben Williams and @ Ryan Walker and @Sportsgrad
Podcast: https://www.sportsgrad.com.au/podcast

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In this episode I talk to Ben Darwin from Gain Line Analytics. Ben is a former Wallabies and ACT Brumbies Prop who played during a very successful era for Australian Rugby. Since retiring due to injury Ben has gone on to coach in the Shute Shield, Super Rugby and the Japanese Top League before forging a career for himself in cohesion analytics. Ben breaks down what cohesion in the team setting is and provides a detailed explanation into how and why cohesion may be the next "Money Ball" of team sports.
For more information on what Gain Line Analytics do you can use the following links:
Website: http://www.gainline.biz/
Twitter: @GLAnalytics
LinkedIn: Gain Line Analytics or @Ben Darwin
Gold Digger: The Search for Australian Rugby (official trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dttG_dSi6uE
The rise and decline of Australian Rugby Union - EXPLAINED: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWLbaYHlI9w

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Courtney Brackenrig is a recent graduate working in the sports science field and former elite athlete with the Australian Institute of Sport. We discuss her educational pathway, her experiences as an athlete and the importance of volunteering to create opportunities within the industry. Courtney also discusses how she continues to learn from a range of mentors and the importance of balance in the industry to ensure you do not burn out.
To contact Courtney you can find her on:
LinkedIn @courtney brackenrig
Instagram @biofueled
Email info.biofueled@gmail.com

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On this episode I talk with England Rugby Union fullback Mike Brown. Mike has 72 appearances for England and 351 appearances for his former premiership club Harlequins as well as a handful of games for the Newcastle Falcons. Most recently Mike represented and Captained the Barbarians in a series of games coached by Crusaders coach Scott Razor Robertson. We talk about Mike's transition into reitrement and his career development after rugby. We discuss some of the coaches that left a mark on his career and why communication and connection can be so important in high performance sport.

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Today’s guest is Professor Nicola Hodges, she is the Director of the Motor Skills Laboratory, within the School of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Nicola’s field of research is in Behavioural Science, Motor control and Learning, and Sport Psychology. She has over 150 published journal articles, book chapters and edited books and has been cited over 7000 times by other academics including myself. She is considered an expert in the field of skill acquisition and examines practice variables, such as demonstrations, instructions, feedback and practice organization, and investigates their impact on motor learning and transfer. She also studies expert athletes, particularly to do with deliberate practice and talent development pathways and processes underpinning perceptual skills. Her most recent publication “An extended challenge-based framework for practice design in sports coaching” is the basis of our discussion today and I am really looking forward to getting down to the nuts and bolts of what challenge based coaching looks like.

For more information on Professor Hodges research you can follow her on twitter @kin_msl_ubc or check the Motor Skills Lab website: https://msl.kin.educ.ubc.ca/home

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In this episode I speak with Dr Balin Cupples. Balin is the current Head of Performance at the One New Zealand Warriors National Rugby League team. Balin talks about his career moving from a youth development coach into the National Rugby League and the learnings he took along the way. We discuss his background from his Masters of Sports Coaching education to his PhD research at the University of Sydney. We also discuss balancing a career in professional sport with family commitments. Balin gives us his thoughts on what qualities stand out in the head coaches he has worked with over a 9-year career in the NRL.
This episode was recorded late 2022 in the preseason to the 2023 season and since recording the Warriors have gone on to record their best start in the NRL for a long time.

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In this episode I speak with Dr Anthea Clarke and Dan Hawke.

Dr Anthea Clarke is a senior lecturer in sport and exercise science at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. She has an extensive list of publications in sports science with a large number focusing specifically on female athletes. More recently she has developed a short course for coaches of female athletes called “Supporting the Female Athlete” which is a must for any coach of female athletes. Link to the course below:

https://www.latrobe.edu.au/courses/short-courses/supporting-the-female-athlete

Dan Hawke is the former coach of the ACT Brumbies Super W Rugby team, he recently wrote a coaching paper on the challenges of coaching females as a male coach and I was really impressed with his honesty in addressing some really difficult subjects. This conversation addressed questions that coaches may have when coaching female athletes and with the rise of womens sport especially in the football codes it is a very timely conversation.

I am also really excited to announce that Anthea will be speaking at the Business and Development of Women’s Football conference that we will be hosting at the university of Sydney in July August coinciding with the FIFA Women’s Football World Cup. If you are interested in Women’s sport this will be a great event to attend.

For information on this event follow us on LinkedIn: @The Business and Development of Women's Football Conference

For more information on Correct the Internet see: https://www.correcttheinternet.com/

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In this episode I speak with Dr Dianne Huxley who is the national performance pathways lead at Athletics Australia. She has a career in coaching and coach development spanning for over 30 years and has experience coaching from the grassroots to the Olympic level in Track and Field. Like many of my guests Di has taken on additional learning despite the experience she already held. We met at the University of Sydney where she completed her Masters in Coaching and subsequently went on to compete a PhD. Her research has focused on elite junior and senior development pathways. For more information or access to her research you can contact Di through LinkedIn under the name Dianne Huxley.

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In this episode I talk with Lee Addison owner of the online coaching website www.rugbyleaguecoach.com.au This website has rapidly become the biggest online rugby league coaching resource in the world! It’s a modern textbook for coaches, players and S&C coaches, with videos and PDFs giving tips and guidance, a bit like a Netflix but for Rugby League. It includes the Aim Higher program which is a clinic roadshow delivering elite level coaching to those most in need. In the conversation Lee discusses his coaching experience, professional development and his work in the online coaching world.

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In this episode, I talk with Amy Shepherd. Amy is the current head coach and football development officer at the Sydney University Soccer Football Club. She is originally from Cambridgeshire England and has experience coaching with Norwich City in their regional development program, Watford FC women’s as well as coaching in New Jersey in the USA. She is now making her mark in Australia working across youth and senior women’s football. We discuss the use of games and constraints based coaching and discuss the importance of individual development plans along with team training. Amy's leadership and experience at the Sydney University Soccer Football Club is highly valued with the club claiming four straight premierships in the senior Womens NPL1 competition between 2018 and 2022 and their youth program being one of the best football programs in Australia feeding into the senior program. They also have qualified for the finals in every youth team in 2023 which speaks volumes for their youth development program.

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In this episode I talk with Rama Chand. Rama is the Director of Rugby Development at the Georgian Rugby Union. Previous to that Rama worked in multiple roles with Rugby Australia from Participation Pathway Manager and in Coach Education. He has held coaching roles with the Queensland Reds Super W team and the Queensland Reds Academy and many other teams along the way. He also has a degree in sports studies with the University of Auckland in New Zealand. In the episode we discuss Rama's role in Georgia and the process of moving across the world with a young family, to a country where you do not speak the language. We discuss coaching roles and the importance of understanding your expectations. We also look at the changing role of the coach - both from a pathway or developmental approach and also the changes in the role over the course of time since sport has become more professional.

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Dr Marcus Hannon is the current lead performance Nutritionist at the Qatar Football Association. He has previously worked as a sports nutritionist in the English Premier League with Everton and Aston Villa, with professional boxers and in Professional Rugby Union Clubs. Marcus has a strong research record and his knowledge around the needs of youth athletes is extremely important because they are the stars of the future and with increased training demands of youth athletes nutrition become vital in keeping them fit and healthy and on the pathway. Marcus discusses safe ways to meet weight in weight class sports such as boxing and compares the rigours of a Premier League season to the campaign of an International tournament such as the Asian Cup or World Cup. 

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Alicia Edge is the co-founder and principal dietician at Compeat Performance, a company that is revolutionising athlete nutrition and well-being through technology. Alicia is also the Lead performance dietician for the Matildas, the Australian Women’s Football team who won the hearts of millions for their performances at the 2023 FIFA World Cup. She has also held Nutritionist roles at the Australian Institute of Sport and the NSW Waratahs Rugby Union. I first met Alicia at an Exercise and Sports Science Australia forum that was discussing women in sport, and I saw someone who was very passionate about sport and performance and more importantly about female heath and well-being. Alicia later joined me on a panel at the Business and Development of Women in Football Conference and again her passion for advocating for women in sport not just as athletes but in all of the support roles such as coaching and organisational roles was inspirational.

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In this episode of The Coach Doctor podcast, I talk with Sam Miller, the CEO and founder of Proteus Motion. Proteus is a groundbreaking training system that has transformed the world of fitness and human performance. It has expanded the scope of quantifiable human movement from a limited 5%—primarily focused on vertical pushes and pulls like squats and deadlifts—to an astonishing 98%, encompassing nearly every conceivable angle and type of movement.

If you have watched the Netflix series Quarterback, you can see Superbowl Champion Patrick Mahomes using the technology as part of his preparation in becoming the most dominant quarterback in the NFL. Proteus is now used by sporting franchises in the NFL, Major League Baseball, the NBA, the National Hockey League, Golfing institutions such as the PGA, University sporting Programs and also in medical institutions for recovery purposes.

Whist the technology itself is revolutionary, Sam’s story is also a remarkable blend of innovation, grit and self-belief that stemmed from injuries as a youth athlete, to completing a project started by his father back in the 90’s. 

If you would like to know more about Proteus Motion they have an extremely informative website with a lot of videos and demonstrations using the technology. The web address is proteusmotion.com . Alternative you can check Proteus Motion out on Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter / X using the handle @proteusmotion for all platforms. For LinkedIn you can follow Sam via @Sam Miller.

Thank you for listening to another episode of The Coach Doctor Podcast.

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In this episode of The Coach Doctor Podcast I talk with Damian McGrath. Damian has been coaching professionally since 1990, starting his career coaching Rugby League in the UK and then making the switch to Rugby Union in the early 2000’s after taking on a skills coaching role with the Leicester Tigers. Since then, Damian has etched his mark in the modified form of Rugby as a 7’s specialist coach. He took England to the Commonwealth Games and The World Cup prior to stints with Spain, Manu Samoa, Canada, Germany and then Kenya. In addition to this Damian is the author of 4 books:

1. Can You Be Fluent In Success?: A fresh perspective on business coaching through the lens of an international rugby leader.
2. Damian McGrath's Skills Games for Rugby
3. Almost 101 Small Sided Games and Relays for Rugby
4. 101 Rugby Training Drills

Damian is also known as an empowerment engineer, he focuses on building cultures where individuals feel empowered, valued, and equipped to reach their full potential.

If you want to know more about Damian or get in contact you can find him via:
LinkedIn: Damian McGrath 
website: www.damianmcgrath.com



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