Explore every episode of the podcast Level 1 Coach
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Principles, Not Systems | 06 Jun 2025 | 00:58:19 | |
Topics -The downsides of systems (longer feedback loop, fragile) -Principles teach the why both implicitly and explicitly -The use case for inverted offensive games to focus attention and intention -Examples of teaching OZP and entry using constraints and incentives | |||
| Drew's Coaching Philosophy | 25 May 2025 | 00:43:58 | |
We connect the common thread between both of our philosophies, talk 'Power' and 'play' culture | |||
| The First Principles of Gameday Coaching | 22 May 2024 | 00:56:54 | |
Topics: -Naurato's quote about not matching lines and why dictating is better than reacting -Getting out of your players' way as a coach -Getting out of your way as a coach -How mental weakness creates physical weakness -What you think about is what you bring about -A filter question to ask yourself before speaking to a player | |||
| Sticking to 'The Process' | 15 May 2024 | 00:48:40 | |
Topics: -A quote from Michigan Hockey HC, Brandon Naurato to begin the discussion -Dusty May's hypothetical question: Would you rather make it to the Final 4 10 years in a row and not win the championship or win in once and never go back again? -It isn't working or it isn't working 'YET' -How to know if you have a Power or Force Coach based on win percentage trajectory -T.J. Manastersky's mental model or Smoothie vs. Steak for making changes to team play | |||
| Inviting Feedback, Self-Determination Theory and Critical Point Players | 08 May 2024 | 00:43:00 | |
Topics Discussed: -The LA Kings best players speaking public on their lack of interest playing a system -How not giving players self-determination principles of autonomy and relatedness can lead to division between coaches and players -How the best forecheck is one the players want to do -The Barry Sanders Razor: Assume players are closer to quitting on you than you think they are (Article Link:https://drewcarlsonhp.substack.com/p/the-barry-sanders-razor) | |||
| Feedback Loops, Force, Fear and Finite Mindsets | 24 Apr 2024 | 00:52:01 | |
Topics: -Buffalo Sabres recent firing of Power Coach Granato for Force Coach Ruff -Infinite vs. Finite Mindsets -Letting 'The Process' Compound -Fear and it's nature -Chicago Steel, Detroit Red Wings, Tampa Bay Lightning, and other Infinite organization talk | |||
| Personal Inventory, Feedback Loops and Letting Things Compound | 19 Apr 2024 | 00:36:26 | |
Topics Covered: -Hunter Charneski's 'Personal Inventory' and it's application to coaching choices -What is important and what is not and valuing those things -How big rocks have longer feedback loops which is why we love focusing on the cookie bags (small things) - Personal stories and tactics Mikhail has used in his current position -Sam Hinkie, Simon Sinek, Greg Powers, Detroit Red Wings and the Infinite Game Link to Hunter's Video Teaching on Personal Inventory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRtAgddvFOk Catch Part 1 of this convo here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/02pMSzKTnyBPm62EKV6PK6 | |||
| Power Laws and 'The Podcast Razor' | 18 Apr 2024 | 00:21:59 | |
Topics Covered: -Intro to Power Laws -How they apply to players, coaches, and teams -The Podcast Razor -Insecurity vs. Security -How 2 D1 coaches model this razor Links: Morey Pod: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7cSWAVJ5VehOBFrMrwGcjw Power Laws: https://medium.com/@quantvc/power-laws-in-venture-capital-why-the-long-tail-matters-22e057c6fa34 | |||
| Coaching Attracts Uncoachable People | 12 Apr 2024 | 00:44:44 | |
Topics Discussed: -Why certain industries attract certain archetypes -Why coaching attracts the uncoachable even though every coach will say they are -Pride vs. Humility -What a displacement behavior is and why coaches should become aware of it -Each player has a perceptual reality and you have to live in theirs, not yours as a leader -Why "driving 100 miles and hour" as a coach creates problems addressing the 'real problems' -Power Laws: Everyone says they are coachable but we can't all be... because the math doesn't math on that
| |||
| Coach Prime, Coach Babcock and the Antithesis Principle | 23 Sep 2023 | 00:48:08 | |
Topics- -Judging people on a page in their massive story book -Learning regardless of 'liking' a person -Antithesis Principle -Mike Babcock Columbus situation takeaways you won't hear most places -Coaches being self-promoting is seen as 'bad' People to dive in on Article Referenced: https://drewcarlsonhp.substack.com/p/a-thought-experiment-featuring-deion | |||
| Awareness Clues and Accountability | 10 Aug 2023 | 00:49:08 | |
Topics- -Accountability Buddy System -Extreme Ownership -"You might not be the best coach for every player on your team." -Cody Royle -Rule of 3: self, teammate, coach -Simple systems to give you speed Links: | |||
| Range and the 'Wheely Suitcase' | 27 Jul 2023 | 00:52:42 | |
Topics: -Range -Best idea wins -Avoiding silos -Finding the next 'wheely suitcase' idea | |||
| Mikhail's Coaching Philosophy | 23 May 2025 | 00:28:31 | |
Mikhail talks about his coaching philosophy -Ownership -Compete and Growth Mindsets -Embodied Culture as a Leader -Player relationships are more about ‘who you are’ not ‘what you do’ -Being available, making space for conversations to take place and acting on those affordances -Organic vs. Forced Interactions w/ Players | |||
| Adapting, Observing, and the Red Queen Hypothesis | 20 Jul 2023 | 00:38:59 | |
Topics: -Adapting year to year, or when to hold true and slightly iterate -Deprogramming players, and disrupting causes disruption -How Derek Lalonde used a tactic to improve player ownership -Idea how to speed up feedback loops to iterate | |||
| 3 Razors to Improve your Thinking | 06 Jul 2023 | 00:43:40 | |
In this episode, Mikhail and Drew speak about 3 razors: 1. The bragging razor 2. The surgeon's paradox 3. The humility razor Article mentioned: https://drewcarlsonhp.substack.com/p/a-paradox-to-choose-better-people George Mack Twitter: @george_mack | |||
| Infinite Topics of Conversation | 29 Jun 2023 | 00:57:24 | |
We bounce from topic to topic exploring 5 or 6 rabbit holes from: -Infinite Players playing with the boundaries of talent acquisition -Russian 5 came from being 'contrarian and right' -What we miss when we go look to copy success -Developing players by accident vs. intentionally -Unofficial Pipeline speculation to keep players compounding their development | |||
| The Level 1 Learning Curve: Observe, Resonate, Remix, Build, Pass | 17 May 2023 | 01:00:45 | |
Mikhail and I speak on:
Related Readings and Things Mentioned | |||
| Prepare Yourself for the Long Game of Coaching | 12 May 2023 | 00:48:47 | |
Mikhail and I speak on: -How to increase your own thoughts by paradoxically decreasing inputs -Blood stagnates, thoughts stagnate -Coach as High Performer -How to periodize your career for sustainability -Figuring out your 'kill criteria as a Level 1 Coach | |||
| The Infinite Game Takes Conviction | 09 May 2023 | 00:49:49 | |
Some case studies and conversation topics include: -Tampa's process with the infinite game -Buffalo following a similar process with Granato and Adams -The next teams to take that step -The advantages of the infinite game -Chicago Steel case study on coach promotion Related Readings: https://drewcarlsonhp.substack.com/p/infinite-players-in-infinite-games Article 2 by Mikhail: https://beyondtheglasshockey.com/2022/04/development-of-an-infinite-game.html | |||
| Learning From a Level 50 | 09 May 2023 | 00:18:53 | |
We riff on a presentation Mikhail saw at the AHCA convention in Naples. Topics Include: -being 'higher brained' -energy/quantum dynamics "what you fear is what you get" -'aligning the rooms' | |||
| The Edge is YOU | 04 May 2023 | 01:00:15 | |
Mikhail Article Drew Article on Cooper Contrasting | |||
| What is being said vs. who is saying it | 25 Apr 2023 | 00:50:51 | |
| The Difference Between Level 50 and 20 | 18 Apr 2023 | 00:47:21 | |
| Players Have 2 Ceilings, Unlock the Highest One | 20 Aug 2024 | 00:54:06 | |
Topics: -Tua talks about the 2 HCs he's played for and the differences between Power vs. Force Coaches -Why knowing a player's mental training age is as important as the physical training age -Different ideas and ways to unlock potential -How to identify 'sleeping giant' players Link to Tua video: https://youtube.com/shorts/6FozH5KXmn8?si=PWPI2C15jPtjVPjq | |||
| What's Your Whys? | 12 Apr 2023 | 00:34:25 | |
| Dusty May, Joe Maddon and Culture | 15 Aug 2024 | 00:44:00 | |
Topics Include: -Dusty May's critical point with Michigan Basketball -What button Joe Maddon pushed when taking over the Cubs -When culture is really needed and what it's for -Mike McDaniel: "I can't wait to go on our first 3-game losing streak" -How a lack of range creates a smaller inventory of possible solutions Articles: https://drewcarlsonhp.substack.com/p/in-powered-coach-dusty-may https://coachingidaho.substack.com/p/takeaways-from-dusty-may?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5546921/2024/06/07/dusty-may-michigan-basketball-roster/ The Pivot Pod with McDaniel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yXxYQj5S0M | |||
| Mindset, Perception and Environment | 06 Aug 2024 | 01:00:08 | |
Topics Include: -A quote on growth and fixed mindsets -Everyone is always right because the truth is perceptual -How environments limit or unlock players (ie. Josh Ho-Sang and Pierre-Luc Dubois) -Looking at who players have played for and why there's edge there -How Anthony Noreen increases his confidence interval with his hiring process | |||
| Soft Skills, Critical Point and Ownership | 26 Jul 2024 | 00:53:41 | |
Topics Discussed: -Paradox of what we think matters to results (hard skills) and what actually matters to results (soft skills) -Understanding where the critical point is within your team. Where you can exert the least amount of effort for the most change -A personal story where ownership was identified as the critical point within a college hockey team | |||
| The Trust Spectrum, Hiring, Recruiting and More | 11 Jul 2024 | 00:51:00 | |
Topics Include: -The application of that to getting coaching jobs or not -Trust and honesty in recruiting -A thought to open source each GM's confidence interval for draft picks -Random recruiting stories and other topics | |||
| Integrity, Finding Your People, and the Henry Ford Razor | 05 Jul 2024 | 00:55:07 | |
Topics: -The Henry Ford Razor -With enough space, character reveals itself -The difference between do-ing and be-ing -Examples of Level 1 Coaches w/ high character: Warsofsky and Muse -Being who you are is the best way to find your true fit Article: https://drewcarlsonhp.substack.com/p/4-lessons-from-sineks-coffee-cups?utm_source=publication-search | |||
| From Accident to Success: How Level 1's Come 'Out of Nowhere' | 19 Jun 2024 | 00:56:31 | |
Topics: -Why 'what got you here won't get you there' is bad advice for a Level 1 Coach -Ryan Warsofsky and Joe Mazzulla lean into 'personal edge' -Why Level 1 Coaches should be 'perceptually' more attractive than central casting coaches but aren't -Brian Kight's 10,80,10 principle and how it can give you an edge to fish in a different pond in recruiting people or players | |||