Free Play Academy Newsletter #42

Topics that will be covered:

1. Advice from one of the greatest Martial Artist.

2. Ethan Walker.

3. Narcissism in coaching.


Advice from one of the great Martial Artists.

“We have this mentality (in practice) when we tell someone to relax, it is because we’re scared. It’s so stupid. If you want to improve it needs be playful.”

– George St. Pierre, former two-division champion in UFC 


Ethan Walker.

Courtesy of Jamie Munro at JM3 Sports, here is an incredible player analysis of Ethan Walker, former Denver Pioneer & current offensive leader for the Albany Fire Wolves in the National Lacrosse League & one of the smoothest players I’ve ever watched.


Narcissism in coaching.

What is better, a coach that is high in selfishness or one that is not?

Let’s look to the scientific literature.

A published study in 2021, Olympic coaching excellence: A quantitative study of Olympic swimmers’ perceptions of their coaches, found that world-leading coaches were perceived as scoring:

Higher on:

-Conscientiousness

-Openness to experience

-Perception of emotion

-Management of others' emotion

Lower:

-Narcissism

However..

Another published study in 2023, Narcissistic coaches and athletes’ individual rowing performance, found that:

“Coach narcissism was positively associated with athletes’ performance, with rowers who trained with more narcissistic coaches evincing faster end times than those who trained with coaches scoring lower on narcissism. Moreover, athletes who trained with coaches higher on narcissism perceived the competition as an opportunity to self-enhance to a greater extent than athletes who trained with coaches lower on narcissism. Finally, athlete perceived self-enhancement opportunity, in turn, plausibly accounted for the positive relation between coach narcissism and athlete performance.”

There are many moving parts in this discussion, these studies certainly aren’t perfect and just scratch the surface, much more work is needed in this area of optimal coaching.

The big takeaway: Find a coach that works well with you and tends to your needs as an athlete.

Sources: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-48239-6 & https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02640414.2021.1976486


The Free Game

The part of lacrosse that is played with the mind.

What will be covered are the 8 Principles of Performance.

Any lacrosse player can own the 1st ever sport psychology methodology specific to the game of Lacrosse.

This purchase will include a FREE consultation with Coach McDonnell via in-person or Zoom.

Here is a preview.

The cost is $24.99

You can purchase The Free Game here.


Lean in, do the work, stay focused and become uncommon.

Have a great week.


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Free Play Academy Newsletter #43

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Free Play Academy Newsletter #41