Clay Erro is the former football coach at Enterprise High School in Redding, California and one of the winningest football coaches in Northern Californian history. More important than his success was his ability to teach young men to be responsible adults and citizens. His approach was unconventional with a premium on relationships and teaching. Relationships are not built upon rules. Just look at the institution of marriage. A successful marriage is built on trust and expectations and communication, not rules. Instead of rules, the team had simple self-explanatory guidelines: We not me No ex ..read more

GAIN 2024 Coaching by Design Workshops GAIN started 2007. Until 2023 we have had an annual conference, this year instead, we are having GAIN Coaching by Design workshops. The annual conference held in June each year will resume in 2025. In addition, we are going international with an event in Melbourne, Australia in November. GAIN Coaching by Design workshops are open to professionals seeking innovative training ideas. GAIN is a community of professionals eager to learn and willing to share ideas and information. GAIN is not about more exercises, sets, reps and training methods it is about pas ..read more

No pain, no gain was a very prevalent attitude when I began coaching in the late Sixties and surprisingly it continues to persist today. I personally have never been able to figure out the appeal of this approach. Proper training in the weight room or on the field demands that the athlete be pushed to test their limits. Some workouts are very difficult and other workouts will almost seem easy. This ebb and flow of hard efforts interspersed with easier efforts is essential allow for proper adaptation. I really think the no pain; no gain approach is a direct outgrowth of the fact that historical ..read more

The components of Building a Championship Team grounded in the values of pride, respect and courage. Important it to live those values not just speak to them. Leadership  The ability to get the best out of the people around you Ability to provide a strong cohesive vision that gives the staff direction to follow Need to understand cultural differences The skills of leadership Observation skills – Important as a head coach/manager to step back and see the big picture. Not necessary to be involved in every drill. Ability to learn and adapt quickly Ability to plan and implement the plan all t ..read more

Start with the basics and never stray far from the basics. This is the foundation of sustained excellence. Don’t try to replicate the stress of the sport in training, instead prepare for the stress of the sport. Have a plan, execute the plan, and constantly evaluate the plan. You must know the process to be able to focus on the process. Coach the person not the athlete Never allow equipment or facilities to dictate your training. Teach skills not drills, drills are not skills. Build on strengths and minimize weaknesses. Train fast to be fast. You are what you train to be. Adaptation is not jus ..read more

  I am a confirmed bibliophile. I cannot walk by a bookstore without going in and browsing and frequently buying a book. My reading does not follow fixed patterns. It is driven by my curiosity, and the desire to learn new things. My reading is not focused on sports, coaching or training. You can see from my top ten list that it is quite eclectic. This year I read 103 books, significantly down from the 150 plus books that read the past several years. It was conscious decision to read fewer books. I read several book two or three times. Someone the other day asked when I read. No set time ..read more

2023 was an amazing year. So much came together for me in my 54th year of coaching. Two world records for Summer McIntosh and a career defining year for Ellyse Perry in Cricket. Those  highlights did not come out of nowhere. I realize looking back on the year and my career the preparation, learning, networking that resulted in those performances. My tagline for years has been: "Coaching the best to be Better" These two women are the best and they will get better. I learned so much from them about commitment to excellence, the 24 hour athlete and the coach athlete partnership. So where am ..read more

My Journey The Bulldog Years (Fresno State 1964 to 1968) This is a story of my college education, a great majority of which occurred outside the classroom on the football field and working in the ag unit doing manual labor. Let's start with where it all began. I had this goal starting as a five-foot tall, 105-pound ninth grader, that I wanted to play college football. My brother had been a very gifted athlete, played junior college football, and walked away from a full scholarship at Cal Poly. He was a great athlete and great football player but didn't have the drive and determination. Things ..read more

Here are a few thoughts on some things I have been thinking about. Time – What are you dong with your time? Are using it or abusing it. There 144 minutes in a day, what are you doing with those minutes. How many minutes devoted to getting better? It’s Hard – What you do when the going gets difficult is a difference maker, you can overcome or give in. We do an exercise called rope pulll, the goal is to touch the top bar at the end of four pulls. It is easier to come short and call it hard. Our world record holder touches the bar every rep – sure its hard, but the reward is worth it. X’s and O ..read more

Here are a few thoughts on some things I have been thinking about. Time – What are you dong with your time? Are using it or abusing it. There 144 minutes in a day, what are you doing with those minutes. How many minutes devoted to getting better? It’s Hard – What you do when the going gets difficult is a difference maker, you can overcome or give in. We do an exercise called rope pulll, the goal is to touch the top bar at the end of four pulls. It is easier to come short and call it hard. Our world record holder touches the bar every rep – sure its hard, but the reward is worth it. X’s and O ..read more