#408 Marginal Gains are Dead with Mehdi Kordi, Olympic and World Champion Cycling Coach
Release Date: 12/20/2024
#408 Marginal Gains are Dead with Mehdi Kordi, Olympic and World Champion Cycling Coach
Way of Champions Podcast
Mehdi Kordi has led the Dutch track riders to nine different Olympic medals including six Gold and 16 World Championships titles over 8 different athletes all on a fraction of the budget of their rivals. Interestingly Mehdi has never ridden a competitive bicycle race at any level or discipline. Prior to coaching the Dutch, Mehdi had a convoluted career where he only got into sporting world in his mid-twenties by doing a PhD which examined the training sciences to help optimise the performance of track riders in the Great Britain cycling team. Subsequently, he went on to become their sport...
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#407 Anson Dorrance Pt. 2: Another NCAA Title, the New UNC Coaching Regime, and the Importance of Love in Your Coaching
Way of Champions Podcast
On November 14, 2024, we interviewed 22 time NCAA Champion Coach Anson Dorrance from University of North Carolina Women's Soccer. At the time the Tar Heels were in the midst of another winning season, and Dorrance had resigned his head coaching duties, handing the reigns to interim coach Damon Nahas, Asst. coach Tracy Leone and GK Coach Chris Ducar. As the third assistant coach, Dorrance fulfilled a role he had never done before, and 24 hours prior to us recording this podcast, we witnessed the Tar Heels become NCAA Champions for the 23rd time! In this most timely of interviews, we discuss the...
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The Secrets of a Successful Halftime Talk with Eamon Devlin, Founder of Minute9
Way of Champions Podcast
Eamon Devlin is a multifaceted professional with a career spanning business, law, and elite sports performance. Originally from Ireland and now residing in England, Eamon is the founder of Minute9, () a consultancy creating cutting-edge communication systems for elite sports teams, focusing on and half-time interactions. Through research-driven techniques, Minute9 empowers coaches to amplify their impact, improving player focus, motivation, and performance under pressure. Eamon is currently pursuing a PhD at Leeds Beckett University, England, UK where his research focuses...
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"You Might be the Last Coach with a Chance to Reach that Kid": A Conversation with Terry Steiner, USA Women's Wrestling Head Coach
Way of Champions Podcast
Coach Terry Steiner is the Head Coach of the USA Women's Wrestling Team. A 2024 inductee into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and a 3x All American wrestler under legendary Iowa coach Dan Gable, he has been coaching Team USA since 2002. In six Olympics, he has coached four gold medalists, three silver medalists and six bronze medalists. In 17 World Championships, Steiner has coached 16 gold medalists, 17 silver medalists and 29 bronze medalists. He has coached five of the six women inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as Distinguished Members. At the 2024 Paris...
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"You Might be the Last Coach with a Chance to Reach that Kid": A Conversation with Terry Steiner, USA Women's Wrestling Head Coach
Way of Champions Podcast
Coach Terry Steiner is the Head Coach of the USA Women's Wrestling Team. A 2024 inductee into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and a 3x All American wrestler under legendary Iowa coach Dan Gable, he has been coaching Team USA since 2002. In six Olympics, he has coached four gold medalists, three silver medalists and six bronze medalists. In 17 World Championships, Steiner has coached 16 gold medalists, 17 silver medalists and 29 bronze medalists. He has coached five of the six women inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as Distinguished Members. At the 2024 Paris...
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#404 Doug Lemov, Author of The Coach's Guide to Teaching and Practice Perfect (Replay)
Way of Champions Podcast
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we dive into the archives with author Doug Lemov. Doug is the author of the international bestseller Teach Like a Champion, Teach Like a Champion 2..0 and Practice Perfect. He is one of the foremost teacher educators in the world, and recently he has branched into the world of coach education. He now consults with Major League Baseball teams and is an instructor for the US Soccer professional licenses. His most recent book The Coach’s Guide to Teaching is a “must read” for any serious coach. In our conversation, John and Doug...
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#403 Anson Dorrance on his Retirement as Head Coach of 21x NCAA Champs UNC Women's Soccer, Self Awareness, and Being a Truth Teller to Your Athletes (Part 1)
Way of Champions Podcast
Anson Dorrance recently stepped down as Head Coach the University of North Carolina Women’s Soccer program. In his career spanning 1979-2024, he won over 1100 games, 21 NCAA Championships, 7x NCAA Coach of the Year awards, 12 ACC Coach of the Year Awards, and even one NCAA Men's Coach of the Year award. He also led the US Women’s National Team to the 1991 World Cup Championship. He has published 3 books (Vision of a Champion, The Man Watching, and Training Soccer Champions) and has a wonderful podcast where he interviews the best of the best, the Vision of a Champion...
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#403 Anson Dorrance on his Retirement as Head Coach of 21x NCAA Champs UNC Women's Soccer, Self Awareness, and Being a Truth Teller to Your Athletes (Part 1)
Way of Champions Podcast
Anson Dorrance recently stepped down as Head Coach the University of North Carolina Women’s Soccer program. In his career spanning 1979-2024, he won over 1100 games, 21 NCAA Championships, 7x NCAA Coach of the Year awards, 12 ACC Coach of the Year Awards, and even one NCAA Men's Coach of the Year award. He also led the US Women’s National Team to the 1991 World Cup Championship. He has published 3 books (Vision of a Champion, The Man Watching, and Training Soccer Champions) and has a wonderful podcast where he interviews the best of the best, the Vision of a Champion...
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#403 Anson Dorrance on his Retirement as Head Coach of 21x NCAA Champs UNC Women's Soccer, Self Awareness, and Being a Truth Teller to Your Athletes (Part 1)
Way of Champions Podcast
Anson Dorrance recently stepped down as Head Coach the University of North Carolina Women’s Soccer program. In his career spanning 1979-2024, he won over 1100 games, 21 NCAA Championships, 7x NCAA Coach of the Year awards, 12 ACC Coach of the Year Awards, and even one NCAA Men's Coach of the Year award. He also led the US Women’s National Team to the 1991 World Cup Championship. He has published 3 books (Vision of a Champion, The Man Watching, and Training Soccer Champions) and has a wonderful podcast where he interviews the best of the best, the Vision of a Champion...
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#402 How to Build and Exceptional Youth Sports Club with Mike Kelleher and Derek Broadley of Charleston SC
Way of Champions Podcast
This week on the podcast, we dive into the qualities of an exceptional youth sports experience with Mike Kelleher and Derek Broadley of Charleston SC in South Carolina. We discuss the importance of vision and core principles, the need for a curriculum that coaches of all abilities can implement, how to get buy in from coaches who do not want to follow the club plan, engaging parents, and the importance of high quality player evaluations and effective feedback. Mike Keller is the CEO of Charleston SC, and previous president of the Charleston Battery of the USL. He spent years working in...
info_outlineMehdi Kordi has led the Dutch track riders to nine different Olympic medals including six Gold and 16 World Championships titles over 8 different athletes all on a fraction of the budget of their rivals. Interestingly Mehdi has never ridden a competitive bicycle race at any level or discipline. Prior to coaching the Dutch, Mehdi had a convoluted career where he only got into sporting world in his mid-twenties by doing a PhD which examined the training sciences to help optimise the performance of track riders in the Great Britain cycling team. Subsequently, he went on to become their sport scientist and coach of the Para-cycling team which lead him going on to the Dutch. On the podcast today John and Mehdi discuss how the concept of marginal gains is not applicable in the vast majority of sporting environments, how to focus on the big things that matter most, and more.
Connect with Mehdi:
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