Dan Pfaff
Head Coach
Think, Reflect, Excel: The Socratic Method in Coaching
Socratic questioning, a concept inspired by the ancient philosopher Socrates, is all about sparking deeper thought and reflection through probing questions. For coaches, this approach can be a game-changer. It moves beyond traditional instruction, inviting athletes to think critically about their actions, motivations, and the intricacies of their sport. John Wooden, the revered UCLA basketball coach, perfectly exemplified this approach....
Dan Pfaff: The Essential Blueprint for Effective Sports Training
This insightful excerpt is from Coach Dan Pfaff's weekly newsletter, "Between the Lines." Topic for the week In this article, we explore what - in my view - form the hallmarks of sound methodology and effective coaching strategy in a coaching program. This article is intended to offer input for coaches seeking guidance in creating and evaluating programs that not only achieve...
Alternate Methods for Developing Strength, Power & Mobility – Dan Pfaff
During the past decades no biomotor quality has been explored in scientific research studies more so than strength. We have seen entire industries evolve around this concept through the endless search for an easier, faster way to athletic excellence. Machines, nutritional supplements, training programs, exercise routines, etc. have been examined, proposed, and exalted by just about anyone actively involved with...
3 simple methods Improve your Coaching Eye – a quick Q&A with Dan Pfaff
Recognizing familiar patterns of movement quickly and accurately is a critical skill for coaches across all sports disciplines, enabling them to enhance their athletes' performance and reduce injury risks. Coach Pfaff's Movement Analysis and Screening skills are renowned. This short article introduces how to go about the skill of real time movement analysis in 3 easy steps by developing a...
on filing
I often get asked by younger coaches how to organize my thoughts so I don’t get overwhelmed by too much information. I use a file system format, whereby I put everything into files of topics. I have blog files, podcast files, coursework files, general research files, advanced research files, etc. I then use systems to manage them. I normally have...
The myth of work-life balance?
I come from a family tradition of storytellers. I love to hear and speak about stories. So when I’m guiding younger coaches through some of the pitfalls we encounter in our coaching lives, I tend to tell gut-level honest stories of failures, successes, trials, tribulations, etc. I also share biographies of coaches and other leaders who have fallen into some...
Is it worth it?
I have been consistently challenged in multiple environments. The two biggest challenges for me in scale and scope are constant battles with: Administration silos / scope of practice, etc. Support agencies around the athlete I have fought constant battles with NGBs, Olympic Committees, meet promoters, legislation issues, and world-politic. On the support side, endless and inane conflicts from agents, sponsors, parents,...
3 steps to being a good mentor
Mentorship is something that lots of folks talk about, and lots of folks appreciate the importance of - but there are really few effective structured mentorship programs in coaching education. Costs, time allotments for both parties, rules and regulations by governing bodies, a dearth of true educators in leadership roles, the lack of reward for doing mentorships other than self-gratification,...
in Praise of my Mentors
When I was a young coach, I was desperate for advice and mentoring, but it was very uncommon back then (late 60s-early 70s), so the only way to get any sort of help was to volunteer at a school and pray that one of the coaches took you under his wing. I grew up with a father in the construction...
Coach Pfaff on coaching at the Games
The second of our post-Rio series features Coach Pfaff. In this quick-fire Q&A, Dan reviews some of the challenges faced at the 2016 Olympic Games, and shares his solutions. Dan - thanks for joining us. How many athletes were you coaching in Rio? I was directly responsible for 4 athletes: Greg Rutherford, Fabrice Lapierre, Christabel Nettey, and Yosiri Urrutia. I also consulted with 3...