Inner Circle

No matter how full you ever get from eating a good meal, the next day, hunger will return. Taking care of hunger is an ongoing, everyday process; so is motivation. No matter how motivated you ever are, motivation needs re-upped every day. But how? In this topic, Ray Lewis, arguably the most motivating individual in sports, and Dr. Christian Conte, an anger management specialist who spent more than twenty years helping mandated and resistant clients become motivated, will share exactly what coaches can do to meet diverse athletes where they are and find the inner fire that drives the most successful performers to be truly great. From learning the difference between internal and external motivation to learning how and when to utilize either, coaches will walk away with a clear understanding of what it takes to look for, find, and ultimately become a wellspring of constantly renewing motivation.

Two powerful, resounding truths that emerge from a focus on preparedness are: 1. What we prepare for is significantly less of a problem than what we don’t prepare for, and 2. We master what we practice, and what we do every day, on and off the field, in our self-talk and habits, all comprises what we practice. The more we recognize that every moment matters, the more we find a myriad of opportunities to practice things like effort and patience, and ultimately, the better we get at everything we do.

Whether it is the “team” of a single coach and a single player or the team of multiple coaches and multiple players, the undeniable truth is that no one achieves anything in a vacuum: Athletes need their coaches and their teammates to help them become the best version of themselves; and the reverse is true as well: the best version of every athlete contributes to a better team. There are strengths in numbers, but we only ever have control over one person: ourselves; so this inner circle topic is designed to help coaches strengthen their individual athletes’ understanding of and commitment to the team. From Super Bowl caliber team building/strengthening exercises, and pragmatic methodologies steeped in both research and experience, this core focus will help coaches immediately build better teams.

Athletes have a competitive edge that drives them to be intense, dedicated and driven. The other side of that passion, however, is uncontrolled anger, and the reality is that no matter what athletes ever “mean to do” or “don’t mean to do,” the world will only ever see their actions, not their intentions. Dr. Christian Conte is the foremost expert in the world when it comes to treating anger and teaching others how to channel it, learn from it, and be in control of it. This inner circle topic is as timely now as ever, as everything from a lack of impulse control can spell trouble for athletes and their teams in the heat of competition, to the significantly worse outcome of domestic violence that occurs far too frequently among athletes. Ignoring anger issues does not make them disappear, and learning outdated myths about how to handle anger will only increase the likelihood that anger becomes an issue.

As this entire inner circle is devoted to teaching, athletes are more than just players involved in sport. Athletes, like all people, experience troublesome or intense emotions at times that can amount to mental barriers that affect performance and impact their daily lives. In this inner circle topic, the focus is on teaching coaches what to look for in athletes, what to identify, and how to proceed with strengthening how athletes handle the emotions and life experiences they encounter. As the ultimate moment of competition arises when the mind is singularly focused on the task at hand, it becomes paramount to understand, address, and empower athletes to handle the everyday emotions they experience – on the field/court or off. Lastly, emotional well-being is a critical topic that is vital to both individual and overall team health.

Ego is not wrong or bad in and of itself, but ego can absolutely play a role in toxic individualism and cancerous behaviors to the team. Coaches are charged with the task of managing multiple egos on all fronts of coaching. From learning about the ways in which coaches’ egos role model healthy identity for their athletes, to learning about how to best manage multiple athletes with varying degrees of ego-strength, to walking away with hands-on techniques and strategies for circumventing athletes’ egos and defensiveness to deliver feedback in effective ways, this inner circle topic is crucial for coaching today’s athletes.

There is incredible strength and longevity that emerges out of the concept of balance. Mental burnout does not affect only the mind; it also leads to physical challenges that can result in everything from injury to a complete loss of desire to compete. Understanding the concept of burnout is critical for developing complete athletes. This essential component will include Ray Lewis and Dr. Conte delivering hands-on, practical and applicable ways of dealing with burnout – geared first toward helping coaches deal with their own burnout (and the various pressures associated with coaching), to helping coaches help their athletes learn how to find balance and avoid burnout themselves (while still pushing themselves to their max).

All great athletes can site examples of adversity that they had to overcome to get to where they are. Why is it, then, that some adversity defines athletes and some adversity overcomes athletes? The key is in teaching athletes how to handle whatever adversity comes their way, and the key to doing that lies in the methodology and mental preparation/practice. This inner circle topic shines light on coaches bringing how their athletes handle diversity to their foreground, and it arms coaches with efficacious methodologies for helping their athletes handle the challenges in front of them.

The zone or the flow state occurs when athletes’ entire focus of mind and body converge on the present moment. Consciously preparing athletes to do the work it takes to get to a state of flow takes knowledge, methodology, and implementation. This inner circle topic teaches coaches how to train their athletes to be laser-focused not just in their competition, but in every practice as well. The formula for increasing focus isn’t complex, but it does take both effort and practice to master. Perhaps no other athlete can match the legendary focus of Ray Lewis, which is why focus is a crucial component to this inner circle.

People follow what they see far more than what they’re told to see. In Part I of this Leadership inner circle topic, coaches will learn the key elements of what it means to “lead by example.” From self-control, to character to communication, coaches are among the most influential leaders in their athletes’ entire lives. The focus in this component is geared toward shining light on both what leadership is and what coaches can do to become the most effective leaders possible.

Leadership is a skill that can be taught, nurtured, and developed. In Part II of this Leadership inner circle topic, the focus is on how coaches can develop their athletes into leaders both on and off the field. From teaching the practical, hands-on examples of leadership to fostering leaders, this component is centered on creating leaders who enhance the connectedness, identity, and character of the team. Coaches will learn the essential aspects to cultivating leaders who recognize that they represent not only themselves and their families, but also their coaches, teams, organizations and their sport.

Every component of the entire inner circle program is intentionally designed to contribute to developing The Complete Athlete. In this final inner circle topic, the goal is to tie everything together so that coaches can reflect on the ways in which they integrate their knowledge and move forward as well-rounded coaches designed to meet today’s athletes where they are and enhance their lives both in competition and outside of it.