Reader,

This week, we’re diving deep into a concept that has the potential to transform not just your coaching career, but your entire approach to life—Turning Pro. Inspired by Steven Pressfield’s profound insights, this newsletter is about embracing the mindset of a professional, making the sacrifices necessary for growth, and continuously striving for excellence. Whether you’re a seasoned coach or just starting out, understanding and applying the principles of turning pro can elevate your impact on and off the field. Even if you are not coaching the application in how to approach your life is profound.

Understanding “Turning Pro”

In Turning Pro, Pressfield distinguishes between the amateur and the professional. He emphasizes that turning pro is not about earning money; it’s about adopting a mindset of discipline, resilience, and unwavering commitment to your craft. For us as coaches, this means more than just winning games—it’s about shaping lives, building character, and fostering a culture of excellence within our teams.

Here's a link to the article I recently wrote: Turning Pro: The Journey of An American Football Coach​

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Let’s explore how you can apply these principles in your daily coaching practice and personal development, and I’ll share some unique resources to help you on this journey.

Application to Coaching: Practical Steps

1. Developing Professional Habits
   • Daily Planning and Reflection: Start each day with a clear plan. Outline your goals for practice, meetings, and personal development. At the end of the day, spend 15 minutes reflecting on what went well and what you can improve.
   • Resource: The Daily Stoic Journal by Ryan Holiday. This journal encourages daily reflection and intentional planning, which are key in developing professional habits.
2. Embracing Discomfort
   • Challenge the Status Quo: Take on challenges that push you out of your comfort zone. This could mean experimenting with new strategies, holding tougher practice sessions, or having difficult conversations with players and staff.
   • Out-of-the-Box Resource: The Flinch by Julien Smith. This book teaches you how to embrace discomfort and use it as a tool for growth—an essential skill for any coach looking to turn pro.
3. Cultivating Resilience
   • Overcoming Setbacks: Use every loss, both on the field and off, as a learning opportunity. Resilience is about bouncing back stronger, and this requires a mindset that sees failure as a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block.
   • Resource: Grit by Angela Duckworth. Duckworth’s research on the power of passion and perseverance can help you develop the resilience needed to face challenges head-on.
4. Leading with Accountability
   • Holding Yourself and Others Accountable: Build a culture where accountability is paramount. This starts with you—take responsibility for your actions and decisions, and encourage the same from your players and staff.
   • Resource: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. This book offers powerful insights into how taking responsibility can transform your leadership style and team dynamics.
5. Commitment to Lifelong Learning
   • Continuous Improvement: Make a commitment to never stop learning. Whether it’s through coaching clinics, online courses, or reading, seek out opportunities to expand your knowledge and skills.
   • Out-of-the-Box Resource: MasterClass with Serena Williams. Although focused on tennis, Williams’ course offers valuable lessons on mental toughness and discipline that can be applied to football coaching.

Out-of-the-Box Resources to Help You Turn Pro

To truly turn pro, it’s important to look beyond traditional resources and find inspiration in unconventional places. Here are a few unique references that can offer fresh perspectives on your journey:

• Mindfulness and Focus: Headspace app – This app offers guided meditations that can help you develop the focus and mental clarity necessary for professional-level coaching. Mindfulness can improve your decision-making under pressure and enhance your ability to lead with calm and confidence.
• Creativity in Coaching: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield – Another book by Pressfield, this one delves into the concept of resistance and how it blocks creativity. Applying the ideas from this book can help you overcome mental blocks and bring more creativity into your coaching strategies.
• Nutrition and Performance: The Game Changers documentary – While this film focuses on the benefits of plant-based diets for athletes, it can inspire you to rethink nutrition not just for your players, but for your own energy and performance as a coach.
• Visualization and Success: The Champion’s Mind by Jim Afremow – This book offers techniques used by elite athletes to improve mental toughness, visualization, and focus. Applying these techniques to your coaching can help you and your team visualize success and achieve it.

Conclusion: The Journey Ahead

Turning pro is a lifelong journey, not a destination. As coaches, we are not just tasked with leading our teams to victory but with embodying the principles of professionalism in everything we do. By committing to the habits, mindset, and continuous improvement that define a professional, you can profoundly impact your team and your own life.

Take this week to reflect on where you are in your coaching journey. Are you still operating with an amateur mindset in some areas? What steps can you take to turn pro?

Remember, turning pro doesn’t require an external certification or approval—it’s a decision you make internally. As Steven Pressfield says, “All you have to do is change your mind.”

Here’s to turning pro, one day at a time.

Until next week,​
​Manny Matsakis

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