Peter McGahey & Peter Pierro March 18, 2022 When we opened our website in 2022, we decided to come to grips with “Winning” and “Losing” early in our weekly blogs. What do these concepts mean and how do we define and deal with them? We knew this would not be easy - there are so many factors involved - Meanings, Attitudes, Feelings, Thoughts , Social Situations, Expectations, Competitive Activities, Rewards, Levels, Adulation, Prestige. . . .  Does winning a Tiddlyw

Peter McGahey & Peter Pierro First shown on May 28, 2022 At my first reading, I thought this was a nice, simple story of a coach who created a simple strategy that would cause his new players to improve their game. It certainly is that but upon reading it again, I found myself feeling something quite different - something more profound and more meaningful. I don’t know whether Stan Jones intended to do this but this is what I “saw”. He

Peter McGahey & Peter Pierro First shown on March 26, 2022 The Wolf and the Pack Now this is the Law of the Jungle as old and as true as the sky; And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die. As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk, the Law runneth forward and back For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack. The Second Jungle Book    by Rudyard Kipling This blog, The Wolf and

Peter McGahey & Peter Pierro First shown on March 10, 2023 Dear Reader: We began writing the beyourbest2day blogs in December of 2021 - over 200 all together - and the original one being reviewed here is probably the shortest of them. As with small packages, this may be the best of them. The message is very clear and very easy to transmit to the reader. It has been generally stated thusly in an old saying:  “It is better to keep one’s mouth shut and be thought to

Peter McGahey & Peter Pierro First Shown Dec 13, 2024 This week’s blog on Overcoaching has us refer you to two of our most important beliefs as presented in our book, Grassroots Coaching . It is absolutely critical that these beliefs be followed while working with children and players in each and every educational endeavor. The Master Principle: Learning how to learn is the most important goal of education. You learn how to learn only by being involved in the learnin

First shown January  28, 2022 In the blog below, we are dealing generally with the interaction between  1. the Teacher and Child and 2. the Teacher and her Class. In a team sport, we would analyze the interactions between the Coach and the Team, the Coach and each of the Players, the Player with each of the other Players, and each of the Players with the Team.  In addition, we could be working with the Self-Expectations of the Coach and each of the Players, dealing with con

First shown August  5, 2022 Honoring Our Winners Last week we watched 2871 athletes representing 92 countries giving thousands of excellent performances in the 2026 Winter Olympics. There were many winners and even more losers - or were they losers? That depends on our perceptions and our beliefs. Anyway, we can all choose our favorite players. Here are my three favorites with simple criteria for my choices. The Women hockey team for their team play and intensity - they we

Peter Pierro  & Peter McGahey                                                       First shown August 9, 2024 Introduction This week's blog deals with our belief in child-centered education and its partner, player-centered coaching. In our book and in several blogs we have compared and contrasted these concepts so here is a chance for you to see where you may be leaning at this time. Traditional Education ⇽--------------------------------------⇾ Child-centered Education Tho

First shown January 24, 2025 “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” –        The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Over the next several weeks, we will be sharing some of our earlier blogs. For us, these blogs contain essential concepts and principles that are important to continue to explore. Our plan is to present these blogs a second time beginning with a few reflective questions. These questions along wi

Over the last several weeks, we have been going over the Schools of Psychology with you. We feel that knowing these theories and applying them with practical examples is essential. (important?). So, during the next eight or so weeks we will be repeating some of our best blogs and we are asking you to re-read them with a new set of eyes. Original Copy of the Blog Title: Kids Sports or Children Sports? Does it Matter? Nope. Peter McGahey & Peter Pierro      Dec 24, 2021       

Excerpts from Syllabus of Course:  Students will compare and contrast the various schools of Psychology. Students will explore the use of psychology in their professions. Students will see possible changes and improvements in their professions. The course will be led by Dr. Peter Pierro, Resident College Professor. There will be a visiting expert professor for each of the sessions. There will be . . . . Structuralism : Regarded as the first school of thought in psychology - f

Significant People: Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky Cognitive psychology is the study of internal mental processes—all of the workings inside your brain, including perception, thinking, memory, attention, language, problem-solving, and learning. Learning about how people think and process information helps researchers and psychologists understand the human brain and assist people with psychological difficulties. Cognitive psychology appeared during the 1950s, partly as a critic

My Life and Humanistic Psychology I began my study for my doctorate in 1960 at Northern Illinois University. The basic philosophy of the Education Department was Humanistic Psychology. I had been introduced to this concept recently while teaching fourth grade at Barrington, Illinois Public Schools where I was involved with “Individual Instruction.” My masters’ paper (1957) is entitled Individualed Reading in the Fourth Grade.  I had 29 students and it may have been my best o

We are: Dr. Peter McGahey; University of West Virginia Dr. Peter Pierro; University of Oklahoma (ret.) And: We produce this beyourbest2day blog weekly. And: This blog begins our fifth year. During these four years we have introduced you to these Psychologists:  Abraham Maslow - Ivan Pavlov  - Rudolf Dreikurs - Max Wertheimer - Bob Rotella During these four years we have introduced you to these philosophers: Johann Herbart - Wolfgang Kohler  Friedrich - Alfred Adler -

As we say goodbye to 2025, we just want to take a moment to say thank you. We’re so grateful for the chance to share ideas, stories, and experiences with such passionate coaches. Learning alongside you has been an incredible journey—one filled with growth, laughter, and plenty of “aha” moments. You make the coaching community special, and we’re honored to be part of it. Every day, you make a real difference in the lives of athletes. Sport is full of gifts—confidence, resilien

The three main theories of learning: 1. Natural Unfoldment Learning Theory, 2.The Mental Discipline Theory of Learning, and 3. Apperceptive Mass Theory of Learning. In each of these theories there are now sub-theories, additions, and variations. This week we will focus on the Natural Unfoldment Learning Theory. Natural Unfoldment Learning Theory This theory on the nature of learning stems logically from the theory that man is naturally good and at the same time active in rel

Thorndike’s Three Laws of Learning Edward Thorndike was an American psychologist who developed three laws of learning; the Law of Effect, the Law of Readiness, and the Law of Exercise. His theory further claims that learning is the formation of connections between stimuli and responses. Law of Effect This is the simple idea that any behavior followed by a satisfying result is more likely to be repeated, while behaviors followed by unpleasant results are less likely to be re

Wishing you and your family a joyful holiday season filled with connection, gratitude, and celebration. We are deeply thankful for the opportunity to share our learning journey with you. Our shared commitment to creating positive sports experiences for ALL players continues to inspire us every day. Our mission remains clear: sports are a powerful classroom—shaping character, fostering growth, and bringing out the best in each individual. To achieve this, our players need e

Ivan Petrovich Pavlov - Classical Conditioning Born: September 26, 1849, Ryazan, Russia. Died: February 27, 1936 (age 86 years), St. Petersburg, Russia Overview Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was a Russian physiologist and Nobel laureate who discovered classical conditioning through his experiences with dogs and food. The dogs upon hearing the metronome ticking - involuntary responses became associated with a new stimulus. Pavlov observed that his dogs would salivate at the sound of

Definition: Behaviorism is a school of psychology focused on observable behavior, positing that all behaviors are learned through interactions with the environment via conditioning. Its main principles include a focus on stimulus-response relationships and the use of conditioning (both classical and operant) to explain and modify behavior through reinforcement and punishment.  For the next few weeks, we will be looking at a very complex school of psychology; Behaviorism. The