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Listen "Just A Cup -Matt Booth, Way of Champions and the Canterbury School"
Episode Synopsis
Guest: Matt Booth — Dean of Athletics & Director of Strength & Conditioning, Canterbury School (Fort Myers, FL); Assistant Trainer, Way of Champions.
Theme: Performance isn’t complicated—it’s consistent. Build behaviors before outcomes and your Tuesday habits will win your Saturday championships.
Key Topics & Takeaways
Culture = behaviors you can see. Define vision/mission/values/standards and make sure they show up daily, not just on posters.
Protect the Circle. Stand side-by-side, link arms, and guard the shared vision at the center; no one is “in front” or “behind.” This became a campus-wide symbol after Hurricane Ian.
Crisis as opportunity. After Ian, the volleyball team rallied, rebuilt connection, and won its first district title in 13 years—proof that culture scales under stress.
Coach behaviors, not scoreboards. Start with common language across the department; intentionally schedule short, recurring culture/leadership sessions (e.g., A/B lunch blocks).
Rule of One (connection habit). Each coach messages one athlete per day (30 seconds) to recognize effort; track with a simple dot system so no one gets missed.
Modern athlete reality. NIL, early specialization, year-round travel, and social media “advice” increase burnout, ACL/Tommy John risk, and confusion—so coaches must explain the why, adapt, and build recovery/off-season windows.
Relationship game > X’s & O’s. Inspired by Steve Kerr: the most important win is relationships; meet athletes where they are, especially those beyond your top performers.
Simple, hard training beats complicated plans. Stop over-engineering the weight room; emphasize intent, competition, and recovery.
Timestamped Outline
00:00–02:30 — Intro; why championship culture shows up on a random Tuesday; coaches must widen the lens beyond results.
03:30–05:40 — Wave of Champions origin; “Nothing changes if nothing changes” sparks a department-wide reset of language, vision, and standards.
06:40–11:20 — Protect the Circle: volleyball adopts the circle ritual; post-Hurricane Ian the whole school gathers in a circle; team wins first district in 13 years.
12:00–14:45 — Expansion to boys’ soccer (state runner-up) and baseball (25–5) as culture evidence spreads; building intentional time for leadership/mental performance.
15:40–22:40 — Trends: NIL in HS, early specialization, burnout, mental health, overuse injuries; why explaining the why matters for Gen Z/Gen Alpha.
22:40–28:40 — Communication systems: one-on-ones, Rule of One texts, dot tracking; lowering ego in the weight room; aligning with outside trainers.
29:00–33:45 — Rapid-fire:
Grit workouts: “Continuous 150s” (150 fast / 50 jog / 150 fast) & 30-on/30-off lifts.
Coffee: none—high energy without it.
Book: The Champion Teammate for short, applicable culture lessons.
Pod episodes: Steve Kerr; David Brandt (Messiah Method), Jonah Oliver.
Underrated habit: Make your bed—discipline first thing.
Advice to new coaches: Know who you are; leadership starts with self-awareness.
33:45–End — Close; Iron Faith Nutrition sponsor; subscribe on Bleav/YouTube/Apple/Spotify.
Playbook: How to Implement This Tomorrow
Codify culture: In one page, define Vision / Mission / Values / Standards; use this language in practice plans.
Adopt a ritual: Open/close practice in a circle; 60 seconds to restate the day’s value (e.g., “composure,” “effort”).
Schedule micro-sessions: 20–25 min culture/leadership meetings at lunch once a week per team.
Start Rule of One: Coach sends one personal message nightly; staff uses a shared roster with dots to ensure reach.
Simplify training: Anchor days with one competitive set (e.g., 30/30) and one clear performance intent; plan off-season blocks.
Explain the why: Add a 60-second “Why this works” brief before each lift or speed session.
championship culture, high school strength and conditioning, Way of Champions, athlete leadership, mental performance, NIL high school sports, early sport specialization, athlete burnout, ACL prevention, Tommy John risk, team connection, coach-athlete communication, Fort Myers Canterbury School, protect the circle, rule of one coaching, competitive grit workouts, continuous 150s, 30 on 30 off, Steve Kerr relationship game, weight room culture, recovery and off-season. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Theme: Performance isn’t complicated—it’s consistent. Build behaviors before outcomes and your Tuesday habits will win your Saturday championships.
Key Topics & Takeaways
Culture = behaviors you can see. Define vision/mission/values/standards and make sure they show up daily, not just on posters.
Protect the Circle. Stand side-by-side, link arms, and guard the shared vision at the center; no one is “in front” or “behind.” This became a campus-wide symbol after Hurricane Ian.
Crisis as opportunity. After Ian, the volleyball team rallied, rebuilt connection, and won its first district title in 13 years—proof that culture scales under stress.
Coach behaviors, not scoreboards. Start with common language across the department; intentionally schedule short, recurring culture/leadership sessions (e.g., A/B lunch blocks).
Rule of One (connection habit). Each coach messages one athlete per day (30 seconds) to recognize effort; track with a simple dot system so no one gets missed.
Modern athlete reality. NIL, early specialization, year-round travel, and social media “advice” increase burnout, ACL/Tommy John risk, and confusion—so coaches must explain the why, adapt, and build recovery/off-season windows.
Relationship game > X’s & O’s. Inspired by Steve Kerr: the most important win is relationships; meet athletes where they are, especially those beyond your top performers.
Simple, hard training beats complicated plans. Stop over-engineering the weight room; emphasize intent, competition, and recovery.
Timestamped Outline
00:00–02:30 — Intro; why championship culture shows up on a random Tuesday; coaches must widen the lens beyond results.
03:30–05:40 — Wave of Champions origin; “Nothing changes if nothing changes” sparks a department-wide reset of language, vision, and standards.
06:40–11:20 — Protect the Circle: volleyball adopts the circle ritual; post-Hurricane Ian the whole school gathers in a circle; team wins first district in 13 years.
12:00–14:45 — Expansion to boys’ soccer (state runner-up) and baseball (25–5) as culture evidence spreads; building intentional time for leadership/mental performance.
15:40–22:40 — Trends: NIL in HS, early specialization, burnout, mental health, overuse injuries; why explaining the why matters for Gen Z/Gen Alpha.
22:40–28:40 — Communication systems: one-on-ones, Rule of One texts, dot tracking; lowering ego in the weight room; aligning with outside trainers.
29:00–33:45 — Rapid-fire:
Grit workouts: “Continuous 150s” (150 fast / 50 jog / 150 fast) & 30-on/30-off lifts.
Coffee: none—high energy without it.
Book: The Champion Teammate for short, applicable culture lessons.
Pod episodes: Steve Kerr; David Brandt (Messiah Method), Jonah Oliver.
Underrated habit: Make your bed—discipline first thing.
Advice to new coaches: Know who you are; leadership starts with self-awareness.
33:45–End — Close; Iron Faith Nutrition sponsor; subscribe on Bleav/YouTube/Apple/Spotify.
Playbook: How to Implement This Tomorrow
Codify culture: In one page, define Vision / Mission / Values / Standards; use this language in practice plans.
Adopt a ritual: Open/close practice in a circle; 60 seconds to restate the day’s value (e.g., “composure,” “effort”).
Schedule micro-sessions: 20–25 min culture/leadership meetings at lunch once a week per team.
Start Rule of One: Coach sends one personal message nightly; staff uses a shared roster with dots to ensure reach.
Simplify training: Anchor days with one competitive set (e.g., 30/30) and one clear performance intent; plan off-season blocks.
Explain the why: Add a 60-second “Why this works” brief before each lift or speed session.
championship culture, high school strength and conditioning, Way of Champions, athlete leadership, mental performance, NIL high school sports, early sport specialization, athlete burnout, ACL prevention, Tommy John risk, team connection, coach-athlete communication, Fort Myers Canterbury School, protect the circle, rule of one coaching, competitive grit workouts, continuous 150s, 30 on 30 off, Steve Kerr relationship game, weight room culture, recovery and off-season. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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Just A Cup - Rafi Kohan, Track Talk author
03/09/2025
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