Dr. Rick Mcguire

As my Yoda of all things mental, Dr. and Coach Rick McGuire joins us for this week’s episode. Long time track & field coach and a pioneer in the sport psychology field, he brings a perspective unlike any other. With the understanding that kids meet sport through the coach, Coach McGuire fully supports the comprehensive, integrated performance model which thrives on communication between professionals for the benefit of the athlete.

Show Highlights

Serving as a head coach for decades, as well as a support role for other teams with sport psychology, Coach McGuire understands the nuances of the comprehensive, integrated performance model. Playing both roles he was able to understand how all things must run through the head coach, for the betterment of the entire system to work.

If everyone is doing their own thing it’s not going to work – communication is key and because kids meet sport at the coach, all things must run through the head coach. This shouldn’t be misunderstood as an ego or a control issue, but rather an awareness issue. The head coach bares total responsibility for the performance of their team/athletes and should be in the know with all components of training.

Like a puzzle, each piece is valued. Performance and sport itself have benefited from such specialization. Each professional’s expertise and contribution are a part of the whole, but there needs to be someone putting all the pieces together – the head coach.

We concluded with a brief discussion on Controlling Your Olympic Moment – how each high-level athlete experiences key moments where they made a particular decision, and had they done something different, they wouldn’t have been on the Olympic medal stand. Knowing this can help prepare your athletes when it comes time to control their Olympic moment.

You can find more information on Coach McGuire on his website. He has a Positive Coaching Digital Workshop available. He has also authored several books, including Winning Kids with Sport and From the Whistle to the Snap.