With a coaching philosophy deeply influenced by Taoism, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Deepak Chopra, Jim Sochor helped turn a mediocre UC football program into a Division II dynasty.
My first exposure to Coach Sochor came years ago through my work with Positive Coaching Alliance. I was instantly smitten. His presentation and presence captivated me. When I started Inside World Class Coaching, Coach Sochor made the short list.
I recently had the privilege of interviewing Jim and walked away again in awe. I now refer to him as the “Yoda of Coaching.” I kept muttering to myself: “This guy is a football coach, a very successful one. I can’t believe he thinks like this. Amazing!”
In 1970, when Coach Sochor took over as head coach, the team had not had a winning season for 22 years let alone won a championship since 1915. Under Sochor, UC Davis won 18 straight league championships, more than any other football program at any level in NCAA history.
“Everyone else was bigger, faster, stronger and more talented than our UC Davis players,” he said. “So we had to figure out how to best compete, and that was by believing in ourselves.”
Here are a few other insights from the “Yoda of Coaching”:
- I tried to make football fun and yet held every athlete accountable for his own actions. Negativity — “whining” or “scapegoating” — and emotions like fear, anger, envy and doubt were to be avoided.
- I never once coached a game that I didn’t firmly believe we would win.
- We can program our state of minds – when you’re feeling good about yourself, you can do anything.
- I always talk up to my athletes. I’m very big on the positive aspects of coaching. Coaches should “gild their soliloquy” constantly; better your own self-talk, and raise your own level of expression and consciousness.
- Our power truly is inside ourselves – realizing this, we’re unstoppable.
To hear the entire interview go to www.InsideWorldClassCoaching.com
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