Ever started working on a skill and suddenly felt like you were performing worse instead of improving? That’s not failure — that’s the learning process doing exactly what it’s supposed to do. In this episode, we break down why performance often drops right after coaching, feedback, or technique changes, and how that frustrating phase is actually the gateway to mastery.

You’ll learn the four stages of skill development, why confidence crashes before it climbs, and how elite athletes push through the uncomfortable middle stage where most people quit. Whether you’re a coach, athlete, or leader, this episode will help you reframe struggle as progress and give you a mental model you can use to train smarter, stay patient, and build real competence.

Key Takeaway: Feeling worse doesn’t mean you’re regressing — it means you’re becoming aware. And awareness is where improvement begins.

*NEW* Education - Captains & Coaches course, "Why They're Not Listening - Coaching Today's Athlete": http://listen.captainsandcoaches.com

Training - Old Bull Program - 7 Day Free Trial - https://bit.ly/old-bull-train

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Coach Ashley Kowalewski [@ashleykowalewski], LSU Volleyball's Strength & Conditioning Coach, joins us in the depths of Death Valley. AK's coaching philosophy centers on two powerful concepts. Quiet reminders, those moments she echos the gentle but powerful guidance. Then Lighthouse leadership, providing awareness and direction without controlling the journey, offering bumpers to guide athletes toward their goals while giving them the autonomy to navigate their own path.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why AK hasn't put a barbell on her athletes' backs all semester—and why they're jumping higher than ever
• How quiet reminders help athletes see themselves accurately when past coaching has distorted their self-image
• The lighthouse model: guiding athletes away from danger while letting them choose their course
• Why relationship-building creates buy-in that no program design ever could
• The difference between standards and expectations in high-performance environments
• The power of autonomy in driving athlete intent and ownership

If you're a coach who believes connection comes before correction, this conversation will resonate. Sports don't teach lessons. Coaches do. And AK is proof that when you lead with people first, performance follows.

*NEW* Education - Captains & Coaches course, "Why They're Not Listening - Coaching Today's Athlete": http://listen.captainsandcoaches.com

Training - Old Bull Program - 7 Day Free Trial - https://bit.ly/old-bull-train

Why do athletes execute perfectly in practice… but freeze under pressure?

In this episode of the Captains & Coaches Podcast, we break down one of the most misunderstood challenges in coaching: athletes aren’t always being defiant — sometimes their brain simply isn’t ready yet.

Coach Tex McQuilkin dives into cognitive development through the lens of sport, unpacking how athletes learn, why teenagers struggle with abstract strategy, and how stress can cause even elite performers to regress during competition. Using real coaching examples across multiple sports, this episode explores how coaches can shift from correcting behavior to developing decision-making, emotional regulation, and confidence.

Because great coaching isn’t just about teaching the play — it’s about developing the brain running it.

*NEW* Education - Captains & Coaches course, "Why They're Not Listening - Coaching Today's Athlete": http://listen.captainsandcoaches.com

Training - Old Bull Program - 7 Day Free Trial - https://bit.ly/old-bull-train

Why are today's most skilled athletes struggling to play together?

In this conversation, mental performance coach Vinny Malts [@coachvinnymalts]—known as "the player whisperer" for his work with NHL, ECHL, and elite youth hockey players—breaks down the hidden crisis in team sports: we're creating individual wizards who can't think collectively.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• The mental effort paradox: Why today's athletes are working harder than ever but appearing to try less
• High standards, high love: The critical element most sports parents are missing (and how it's damaging their kids)
• The collective intelligence gap: Why analytics and skills coaches are making teams slower, not faster
• Tone, Target, Timing: Vinny's three-part framework for peer-to-peer feedback that actually works
• Chaos before order: Why great leaders let the mess happen first instead of forcing structure
• The diner menu effect: How too much information is paralyzing decision-making on the field

This conversation challenges the entire individual development model that's dominated youth sports for the past decade. Vinny reveals why the "backyard ball" mentality isn't just nostalgic—it's neurologically superior for team performance.

Whether you're coaching high school athletes, managing club teams, or navigating the pressure-cooker of competitive youth sports as a parent, this episode will fundamentally shift how you think about player development, team chemistry, and what it actually means to lead.

The game hasn't changed. But the players have. And if we don't adapt our approach, we're going to lose the very spirit that makes team sports transformational.

*NEW* Education - Captains & Coaches course, "Why They're Not Listening - Coaching Today's Athlete": http://listen.captainsandcoaches.com

Training - Old Bull Program - 7 Day Free Trial - https://bit.ly/old-bull-train

Teenage athletes will fail. That’s not the problem. The problem is when failure becomes identity.

In this episode, Coach Tex breaks down the four types of failure every teen must learn to navigate—calibration, climb, consequences, and circumstances—and explains how to coach athletes to see mistakes as feedback instead of personal judgment. You’ll learn how to give athletes language, structure, and perspective so “I failed” never turns into “I am a failure,” and effort, confidence, and ownership can actually grow.

Perfect for coaches, parents, and leaders who want tougher, more resilient athletes—without yelling, shaming, or lowering standards.

*NEW* Education - Captains & Coaches course, "Why They're Not Listening - Coaching Today's Athlete": http://listen.captainsandcoaches.com

Training - Old Bull Program - 7 Day Free Trial - https://bit.ly/old-bull-train

JL Reppert, Head Men's Lacrosse Coach at Holy Cross and Marine Corps veteran, joins Tex to explore the leadership principles that shape championship programs and transformational coaching.

JL breaks down the critical distinction between "setting the example" versus "leading by example"—and why one actually gets people to follow while the other leaves you walking alone.

The conversation dives deep into practical leadership challenges every coach faces: being respected versus being liked, treating people fairly without treating them equally, and shifting from activity to achievement in player development.

JL challenges the "lax bro" stereotype while offering a research-backed approach to social-emotional learning through athletics. Whether you're coaching youth sports or leading at the collegiate level, this episode delivers actionable insights on moral authority, accountability, and creating team culture that transcends the game.

*NEW* Education - Captains & Coaches course, "Why They're Not Listening - Coaching Today's Athlete": http://listen.captainsandcoaches.com

Training - Old Bull Program - 7 Day Free Trial - https://bit.ly/old-bull-train

#LeadershipDevelopment #CoachingPhilosophy #LacrosseCoaching #TeamCulture #MilitaryLeadership #StudentAthletes #SportsLeadership #CollegeCoaching #TransformationalCoaching #CharacterDevelopment #NavyLacrosse #HolyCrossLacrosse #JesuitEducation #MarineCorpsLeadership #CoachEducation

Championship teams aren’t built on ego or metrics—they’re built on coachability. In this episode of the Captains & Coaches Podcast, Tex breaks down why self-awareness and humility are the real competitive advantages in sport and life.

You’ll learn how level-setting on skill set, accepting feedback, and choosing humility under pressure unlock faster improvement, stronger team chemistry, and long-term leadership growth—for team leaders.

Key Takeaways:

• Coachability wins championships—self-awareness and humility matter more than talent or metrics.
• Level set on skill set to accept feedback, adjust faster, and improve under pressure.
• Humility is accuracy, not shame—see yourself clearly without tearing yourself down.
• Pride separates teams; humility unites them and builds trust, chemistry, and leadership.
• The right attitude turns reps into results—do the work, accept correction, and keep getting 1% better.

*NEW* Education - Captains & Coaches course, "Why They're Not Listening - Coaching Today's Athlete": http://listen.captainsandcoaches.com

Training - Old Bull Program - 7 Day Free Trial - https://bit.ly/old-bull-train

#Coachability #AthleteLeadership #SportsLeadership #MentalPerformance #CoachingDevelopment #SelfAwareness #TeamCulture #AthleteMindset #LeadershipThroughSport #CaptainsAndCoaches

Coach Loren Landow, Head of Football Performance at the University of Notre Dame, joins Tex to share his approach to speed, culture and leadership development for the Fighting Irish.

Coach Landow shares his approach to teaching agility, acceleration & transitions, why he makes freshmen train in tennis shoes instead of cleats, and how he builds a culture where "if not now, then when?" isn't just a saying—it's a standard.

Learn Notre Dame Football's Golden Standard—the three pillars of Challenge Everything, Unit Strength, and Competitive Spirit—and why consistency in leadership is the hardest skill to master.

Key Takeaways:

• Why consistency is a superpower and how it builds trust with athletes
• The transition assessment that exposes movement inefficiencies
• How to make every athlete faster (and why "you're born with it" is a lazy excuse)
• Leadership lessons: repeating yourself without getting sick of your own voice
• Training philosophy for developing efficient movers across 113 athletes
• Managing dual-sport athletes competing at the highest level

Whether you're coaching high school athletes or leading a performance team, this conversation is packed with practical wisdom on movement, leadership, and building a culture of excellence.

*NEW* Education - Captains & Coaches course, "Why They're Not Listening - Coaching Today's Athlete": http://listen.captainsandcoaches.com

Training - Old Bull Program - 7 Day Free Trial - https://bit.ly/old-bull-train

#NotreDameFootball #SpeedTraining #StrengthAndConditioning #FootballPerformance #CoachingPodcast #AthleteDevelopment #SportsPerformance #LeadershipDevelopment #StrengthCoach #CollegeFootball