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Most coaches talk too much. The best ones cue. In this episode, recorded for the Soldiers to Sidelines Sports Performance Seminar, Tex breaks down the science and art of coaching cues. Where brain, body, and behavior connect. What to coach, when to coach it, and how to say it so it sticks. You'll learn the DMSR teaching framework: Define, Model, Shape, Reinforce. You'll learn how to time feedback with the 4 R's: Rep It Out, Real-Time, Reference, and Reflection. And you'll learn cue triage, a simple system for deciding which correction matters most right now. Your primary job on the floor is to capture and keep attention. Cues, not conversation. There is no failure. Only feedback. Education -   "Funishment: Reframing Discipline in Athletics" -  https://fun.captainsandcoaches.com/ "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 C&C Merch - shop.captainsandcoaches.com

Most captains get the "C" for the wrong reasons. Best player. Most popular. Loudest voice. Then complacency creeps in and the culture cracks. Pick up the book - Captain: The Athlete's Guide to Being an Exceptional Team Leader - https://amzn.to/4ionoFJ John O'Sullivan is the founder of the Changing the Game Project and co-host of the Way of Champions Podcast. He is a former Fordham captain, pro soccer player, and coach at every level. His new book with Dr. Jerry Lynch, Captain: The Athlete's Guide to Being an Exceptional Team Leader, gives athletes and coaches a playbook for building leaders on purpose. Tex and John break down why leadership is a skill, not a trait. They also dig into the best player trap and what happens when your star gives 80%. Why trying stopped being cool. Why influence is never neutral. How to name the dragons in your locker room before they burn it down. And why the strength coach may be the best person in the building to teach leadership. Education -   "Funishment: Reframing Discipline in Athletics" -  https://fun.captainsandcoaches.com/ "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 C&C Merch - shop.captainsandcoaches.com

Every team ends. The great ones change shape instead. Tex just ran three Captain's Workshops in four days, starting at his alma mater, Marymount University, and finishing in Boston. Then he stayed a few extra days with his senior-year co-captain. They hadn't seen each other in seven years, and within a minute the banter picked right back up. This episode digs into the fifth stage of Tuckman's model of team development. Adjourning. Mourning. The stage nobody coaches. You'll learn why what survives the last whistle gets built in storming. You'll hear how accountability, banter, candor, and conflict forge bonds that last. And you'll see why adulthood adds a fourth layer: compassion. Drawing on Ep. 144 with Tim Fletcher, Tex walks through six emotional needs that former teammates are uniquely built to meet. It closes with four moves captains and coaches can use this week. Education -   "Funishment: Reframing Discipline in Athletics" -  https://fun.captainsandcoaches.com/ "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 C&C Merch - shop.captainsandcoaches.com

Half the roster was new. The season was months away. George Greene had to build a team out of strangers. Then the Minutemen shock the CFB world on Week 1. George is the head strength and conditioning coach for UMass Football. He started there as a paid intern in 2008. Now he leads the program, with his first mentor's picture hanging on his office door. In this episode, we get into how George and his staff turned the offseason into a competition. Eight teams. Eight captains. Points for strength, speed, and body comp. Minus points for missing class. Every rep was a chance to lead. We also talk: Why six weeks is really 30 opportunities How confidence comes from preparation Why strength coaches shouldn't overcoach on game day His go-to interview question: "Teach me something in 60 seconds" Why he helps his best staff leave for bigger jobs Micro-dosing sport psychology every single day The three stages of peer leadership: example, vocal, emotionEducation -   "Funishment: Reframing Discipline in Athletics" -  https://fun.captainsandcoaches.com/ "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 C&C Merch - shop.captainsandcoaches.com

Your kid just joined their first team. The coach is a volunteer with a job, a family, and a full calendar. They raised their hand anyway. That takes heart. But heart isn't a practice plan. In Part One of our new series, Dad on the Sidelines, Tex is joined by Luke Summers and Patrick Ford, DPT. Together they built curriculum in the child development space, coached thousands of kids, and trained hundreds of coaches to work with kids from walking age to 11. Very few coaches in the world have more reps with kids and the coaches who lead them. Now Luke and Pat are watching from the sidelines. This episode is their field guide for the parent who said yes to coaching 6U and is now Googling what to do on Tuesday. In this episode: How to define a win that has nothing to do with the scoreboard Why fun equals focus Why downtime is the enemy of attention How to raise the stakes and break the script What to do with the kid who won't join the drill The one fix every volunteer coach can make this weekAnd if you coach high school, college, or lead a team at work, these principles still apply. If you can hold the attention of ten four-year-olds, you can lead anyone. You're not a thermometer. You're a thermostat. Education -   "Funishment: Reframing Discipline in Athletics" -  https://fun.captainsandcoaches.com/ "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 C&C Merch - shop.captainsandcoaches.com

Live from the NSCA Tactical Conference, Tex sits down with Bert Sorin, CEO of Sorinex Exercise Equipment. Using the seven stages of Predictable Success as a roadmap, Bert shares how Sorinex grew from his dad's trail in the woods to a five-lane highway. He talks about chasing his own athletic goals while the business stalled, building a culture where everyone has a hand on the wheel, and the last conversation with his dad that keeps him hungry today. If you lead a team, a program, or a business, this one is for you. Education -   "Funishment: Reframing Discipline in Athletics" -  https://fun.captainsandcoaches.com/ "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 C&C Merch - shop.captainsandcoaches.com

Jeff Fisher shared a story at the 2026 Soldiers to Sidelines Summit about a cornerback who cost his Titans a football game. The player heard his assignment, said "I gotcha, coach," and got it completely wrong. That gap, between hearing and listening, is the subject of this episode.   Tex breaks down what actually separates the two, why "got it" from a captain is a reflex and not proof of anything, and what to do instead. That includes a teach-back method for high-pressure moments, a framework for building shared language with your leaders before the season starts, and a story Tex heard Jeff Fisher tell live, about a group of hearing-impaired kids who never missed a word.   Most people aren't hard of hearing. They're hard of listening. This episode is about closing that gap before it costs you a game, or a season. Education -   "Funishment: Reframing Discipline in Athletics" -  https://fun.captainsandcoaches.com/ "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 C&C Merch - shop.captainsandcoaches.com

Are captains born, or are they made? And why do so many coaches get the pick wrong? Tex sits down with Martin Rooney [@themartinrooney] bestselling author of Coach to Coach and High Ten, founder of Training for Warriors, and a coach who's worked with everyone from Army Rangers to UFC champions to high school track teams. Martin makes the case that captains aren't selected, they emerge, and that handing the title to your best performer or most popular kid by default is one of the most common mistakes coaches make. He shares the story of a state championship team that won without ever naming a captain, and gets into why today's athletes respond to feedback so differently than they did even ten years ago. Along the way: Tuckman's stages of team development, the "pat on the back vs. kick in the butt" line every coach needs to internalize, and the story of a kid who gave away his own shoes mid-competition, and what that taught an entire team about leadership. If you're a coach wrestling with who to name captain, or how to lead a generation that speaks a different language than you do, this one's for you. Learn more from Martin Rooney:🔗 coachinggreatness.com🔗 trainingforwarriors.com Education -   "Funishment: Reframing Discipline in Athletics" -  https://fun.captainsandcoaches.com/ "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 C&C Merch - shop.captainsandcoaches.com

In this episode of CJ & Vinny's Secret Podcast, Tex sits down with CJ Appenzeller (Active Personal Training, ATS Systems) and Vinny Maltz (author and host of the Evolving Athletes podcast) to tackle one of the hardest skills a captain ever has to learn: how to inspire and motivate a team without it coming off fake.  The boys dig into why "fake hype" gets sniffed out instantly by anyone who's competed at a high level, why real energy is more often an emerging property of competency and alignment than something you can force, and what it actually takes to get teenagers comfortable celebrating each other instead of hiding behind "too cool for this." Education -   "Funishment: Reframing Discipline in Athletics" -  https://fun.captainsandcoaches.com/ "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 C&C Merch - shop.captainsandcoaches.com

What happens when a team stops playing to win and starts playing not to lose? Dr. Ben Freakley, Certified Mental Performance Consultant and founder of Ready Set Resilient, knows that shift firsthand. Over two decades, Ben has worked inside some of the highest-pressure locker rooms in sport and the military, serving as a college soccer head coach, Head of Mental Performance for the Toronto Blue Jays, and a mental performance coach with Atlanta United and the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment. In this episode, Tex and Ben dig into the two balls every coach has to juggle (the team and the individual), the "sustain, stop, start" halftime framework that gives players ownership of the solutions, and what separates leadership in a locker room from leadership on a battlefield. It's a conversation about loss aversion, trust, and what it really takes to build a team that plays brave under pressure. Education -   "Funishment: Reframing Discipline in Athletics" -  https://fun.captainsandcoaches.com/ "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 C&C Merch - shop.captainsandcoaches.com

Every locker room has small dragons. Left alone, they grow. Handled early, they're just Tuesday. In this episode, we break down the five conflict styles every captain will run into on a roster: Competing, Avoiding, Compromising, Accommodating, and Collaborating. For each one, you get a specific tool to manage it, so you can catch tension before it splits your team apart. This isn't about eliminating conflict. It's about reading it, meeting it where it is, and keeping your team focused on the standard instead of on each other. If you lead a team of any kind, this is a playbook you'll use on repeat. Education -  "Funishment: Reframing Discipline in Athletics" - https://fun.captainsandcoaches.com/ "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 C&C Merch - shop.captainsandcoaches.com

In this episode, Tex sits down with Tim Fletcher [@timfletcherco], founder of RE/ACT and the LIFT program, to talk about the hidden driver behind so much of sports culture: shame. Tim breaks down what shame actually is. Not the emotion most people think of, but the belief underneath it. He explains the difference between big T trauma and little t trauma, the kind that comes not from what happened to you, but from what should have happened and didn't. He unpacks how that belief shapes identity, drives unhealthy motivation, and follows people straight into adulthood, into locker rooms, and onto sidelines. Tex and Tim connect these ideas directly to coaching. How do coaches build competitive environments without leaning on fear? What happens when a coach uses shame instead of standards? And when ruptures happen between a coach and an athlete, because they will, do you punish the pain or repair it? This episode is for every coach who carries responsibility for young people. Your words carry weight. Understanding where shame comes from is the first step to leading without it. Learn more about Tim Fletcher's work, including the LIFT program, at timfletcher.ca. Coach Education Courses: "Funishment: Reframing Discipline in Athletics"https://fun.captainsandcoaches.com/   "Why They're Not Listening: Coaching the Modern Athlete" https://listen.captainsandcoaches.com/

Coach blows up over something innocent. Wrong route. Empty water bottle. Kids laughing in the back of the huddle. So we hand out up-downs, bear crawls, and sprints and call it discipline. But what is that actually teaching? In this solo episode, Tex breaks down why punishment-based conditioning teaches compliance, not character, and why it quietly trains athletes to resent the very movement we need them to embrace. Then he introduces Funishment: movement-based discipline that builds a skill instead of extracting a cost, built on four words that anchor the whole framework: Define, Model, Shape, Reinforce. This isn't "no consequences." It's discipline that asks more of your athletes, not less. 👉 Explore Lesson 1 free and use code POD25 for 25% off the full course at https://fun.captainsandcoaches.com/

Shawn Lyght [@slyght_90] made history as the first defenseman ever to win the Tewaaraton Award (the Heisman Trophy of lacrosse). A national champion at Notre Dame, he's back for his senior season carrying the weight of a program built to win it all again. In this episode, Shawn breaks down what separates a high school captain from a college captain, how to call out a friend without losing him, why his defense huddles as one voice, and how a quiet leader earns the right to speak.  This is a masterclass in leading by example, from the sport's biggest stage. 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 C&C Merch - shop.captainsandcoaches.com

Tex McQuilkin takes the stage at the 2026 Soldiers to Sidelines Summit with a talk built for coaches at every level: 10 blind spots you are overlooking at practice, and the one practice plan that fixes them.   He breaks down the athlete development Venn diagram, Bloom's Taxonomy applied to the practice field, the four-stage competency model, transformational leadership behaviors, and why fair and equal are not the same thing.    This is a coaching clinic disguised as a keynote. Bring a notebook. 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 C&C Merch - shop.captainsandcoaches.com