Football Coach #155: David Wheadon - The Art and Science of Coaching

Welcome to The Coaching Podcast. In today's episode, we have the privilege of hosting David Wheadon, a renowned coach whose insights redefine the essence of coaching. With a career spanning decades, David's wisdom illuminates the intricate fusion of empathy, teaching, and people management that defines effective coaching. From unraveling the art of empathy to navigating the delicate balance between science and art in coaching, David's perspectives offer invaluable lessons for coaches at every level. 

Here is a summary of the key points;

• 1.20: Cats or dogs?
• 1.46: Coaching = People Management + Teaching
• Teaching is the act of making learning happen
• If you are going to be a teacher, you have to be a good people manager. At the base of this is EMPATHY - understanding the perspective of the other person.
• You have to know what motivates someone - what 'bait' do they want?
• 4.10: How can a coach improve in the art of empathy?
  • Ask questions and listen to the answers (stop talking)!
  • What's behind what they are saying is often not the truth.
•  7.06: What do you mean by the art and science of coaching?
  • "I believe that coaching is an art based on a science."
  • The artist coaches last longer in sports as long as they surround themselves with scientists.
• 9.46: Skill Acquisition - all open skills require you to teach decision-making first, technique second (but not secondary), because the best players are often the 'smartest' (they are in the right place at the right time). Make sure you expose players to different ways of solving problems.
• 13.07: The Yips: Any sport/skill where there is time to think about failure is difficult.
• 15.42: Coaching Philosophy = The beliefs and principles on which your decisions and actions are based! Having a well-developed coaching philosophy (that evolves) will help you during times of uncertainty.
• 16.54: Once you choose a philosophy, have a mentor take the opposite view to challenge you on what you believe to be true.
  • "Players 'feel', coaches 'see'. Therefore, teach your players to teach other players what they know (focus on their strengths - the fastest way to improve their self-esteem).
  •  They started coaching during the matches.19.30: What are the benefits of peer coaching?
• 23.00: Top 3 tips:
  • 1) Learn how to teach (get a qualification). Teach through pearls of wisdom. Players learn through doing.
  • 2) Learn how to teach skills. There are four ways that teaching can occur:
    • 1) Coach to Player
    • 2) Player to Player
    • 3) Player to Coach
    • 4) Player alone
  • 3) Practice your people management - learn how to build relationships with your players.
• 24.58: The Next Coach Program - There is not one way to coach but think about how you are going to coach. It's based on principles, not methods. 
• 28.25: In the ever-evolving coaching landscape what disruptive idea do you have that will disrupt the way that we coach in 2030?
  • It's evolving to teaching through play!
  • Good training is really ugly! How can we teach better than what we already know?
  • In 2030, we will have really good goal-kicking coaches.
• 31.20: What makes a great coach? (WMAGC)
  
  • Empathy 
  • Teaching
  • People Management 
• 32.27: A mentor tells you things that you don't want to hear. A mentor is someone you respect.  Someone you believe in and who is on your side.

The Coaching Podcast is sponsored by Transition Coach for Athletes - A global mentoring and US college placement service owned and operated by Tina Samara.
Visit: www.tc4a.com or  email: [email protected]

To learn more about becoming a workplace coach or advancing your coaching skills, visit: www.opendoorcoachingusa.com or email: [email protected] 

About David Wheadon

David Wheadon's career in Australian Rules Football (AFL) spans from player to coach, marked by notable achievements. Beginning with Collingwood, he transitioned to coaching at a young age, leading major league country football teams before becoming a prominent figure in AFL coaching since 1985, specializing in skill acquisition. With four Grand Finals under his belt, including three Premierships, he now serves as the Goal Kicking Coach for the St Kilda Football Club while also mentoring 20% of the current AFL coaching staff. Beyond football, Wheadon has dedicated over two decades to teaching at Belmont High School, shaping young minds in physical education, history, and geography, exemplifying a lifelong commitment to both sport and education.