The Competitive Advantage Turns Five

On January 13th of 2021, I started writing blog posts on my website. This was the start of the Competitive Advantage. I anxiously hit publish unsure if anyone would read my writing. They did not. But I enjoyed the experience so I kept publishing articles.

The following year I started sending out my newsletter to my army of avid subscribers. By the end of that year I had 50. I knew most of them, I was related to many of them.

Today, five years later. I am approaching 4000 subscribers from around the world. It is pretty overwhelming. I have published about 300,000 words in the last five years.

Writing has profoundly changed my life. It has brought me great friends, provided opportunities to coach in Europe, clarified my thought process and made me a better coach.

Thanks for reading. Please stick around, I have some announcements I am really excited about coming this year.

Better Teaching Builds Better Teams

Most coaches don’t think of themselves as teachers.

They think of themselves as motivators, tone-setters, energy providers and builders of Culture.

And while all of that matters, none of it works for very long if athletes aren’t actually learning.

The best cultures aren’t built through speeches.
They’re built through the act of great teaching, which is repeated daily, and then tested under pressure.

This is what coaching it really is:
Teaching under stress, in real time, with consequences.

When coaches improve how they teach, everything else improves too; communication, clarity, trust, confidence, and performance. This is the bridge between the coach’s inner work and the athlete’s growth.

At its core, coaching and teaching are incredibly similar.

The difference between coaching and teaching isn’t what you do, it’s the environment you teach in.

Coaches teach with distractions, emotions running high, tight time constraints and the scoreboard to allow everyone to assess the coaches effectiveness.

Most coaches start their journey believing their job is to motivate.

Bring the energy. Set the tone. Deliver the speech.

And for a while, that works.

But eventually every coach runs into the same frustrating wall:

The effort is there, but execution isn’t.
The athletes are trying, but the same mistakes repeat.
The culture feels fragile under pressure.

That’s when the real issue reveals itself.

The problem isn’t motivation. It’s teaching.

And great teaching shows up in the details:
clear instruction, precise feedback, effective communication, and calm correction.

But the question that haunts many coaches is this:

Why do athletes still hesitate?
Why does confidence disappear under pressure?
Why does understanding break down when chaos hits?

The answer is rarely effort. It’s usually clarity.

Confusion erodes confidence. Unclear instruction creates hesitation.
Inconsistent feedback weakens trust.

And this is where teaching, not motivating, becomes the turning point.

Doug Lemov and the Craft of Teaching

One of the most influential books I’ve read on coaching didn’t come from a coach.

It came from a teacher.

Doug Lemov, former high school principal and author of The Coach’s Guide to Teaching, has spent decades helping educators become better at their craft. He’s also a youth soccer coach who began applying classroom teaching principles to the field.

Not surprisingly, it worked.

I reread this book every spring because it continually sharpens how I think about practice, feedback, and learning. Lemov argues that the greatest competitive advantage a coach can develop isn’t scheme, energy, or charisma, it’s instructional excellence.

He identifies five areas where great teaching separates average coaches from exceptional ones.

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1. Train Decision-Making, Not Just Skills

Sport is not a problem-solving exercise.
t’s a pattern-recognition environment.

Elite performers don’t think faster. They see earlier.

Lemov’s work aligns perfectly with research from people like Kahneman (Thinking, Fast and Slow), Chris Oliver, and Brian McCormick:

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We want athletes operating in fast, intuitive “System 1” thinking, not slow, effortful “System 2” problem-solving.

That only happens when athletes see the same cues, patterns, and situations repeatedly.

Great teachers accelerate this by:

• Teaching athletes what to look for (cues)
• Designing practice that progresses from blocked → guided → random
• Using shared vocabulary so communication survives chaos
• Building curriculum and principles of play so development is consistent
• Using constraint-based learning so drills resemble the game

The best players “look at less and see more.” That’s not talent. That’s training.

2. Practice Planning: Where Learning Lives

Practice isn’t about filling time. It’s about teaching skills and improving decision-making.

Young coaches often make the mistake I made early on:

Searching endlessly for better drills.

But athletes don’t learn skills from new drills. They learn the drill itself. The learning comes after more repetition.

Lemov emphasizes that great practice design:

• Avoids overloading working memory (focus on 1–2 priorities)
• Builds recall by constantly revisiting previous learning
• Creates clear segments so athletes understand the purpose of each block

If practice is too intense, learning collapses.
If it’s not engaging enough, attention disappears.

The hallmark of great teaching isn’t excitement.
It’s cognitive engagement.

3. Effective Feedback: Where Trust Is Built

All coaches give feedback.But not all feedback teaches.

Generic praise (“good job”) feels good but teaches nothing.
Emotional correction erodes trust.
Long feedback overwhelms.

Lemov’s principles align with elite teaching:

Great feedback is:

• One point at a time (protect working memory)
• Behaviour-focused, not identity-based
• Actionable, not emotional
• Specific, not vague
• Efficient, not a lecture

Athletes don’t need story time after every mistake.
They need clarity about what to adjust next.

When feedback consistently helps performance improve, athletes begin to trust the coach deeply. That trust becomes the foundation of culture.

4. Checking for Understanding

As John Wooden said, there’s a massive difference between:

Great teachers don’t assume learning. They check for understanding.

They know exactly what learning should look like.
They observe data, not just effort.
They ask better questions.

Instead of:
“Does everyone understand?”

They ask:
“What are you seeing?”
“What cue tells you to rotate?”
“Where should your eyes go first?”

They remain emotionally consistent while checking for understanding, because anger shuts down risk-taking and honesty.

When athletes feel safe being wrong, they become more willing to learn.

5. Building a Culture of Learning

Lemov’s final point may be the most important.

Great teaching doesn’t exist in toxic environments.

Elite programs intentionally build cultures that value:

• Curiosity
• Effort
• Creativity
• Psychological safety
• Belonging

Athletes who feel safe learn faster.
Athletes who feel connected persist longer.
Athletes who trust their coach absorb instruction more deeply.

Culture isn’t separate from teaching.
It’s the environment that makes teaching effective.

The Hallmarks of Great Coaching Are the Hallmarks of Great Teaching

When you step back, the best coaches consistently demonstrate the same traits:

• Clear, concise instruction
• Purposeful practice design
• Specific, calm, actionable feedback
• Language that invites thinking
• Correction that guides rather than shames
• Communication that builds trust
• A learning environment that feels safe but demanding

Not charisma. Not speeches. Not hype.

Teaching.

The Transformation

When a coach shifts from motivator to teacher, everything changes:

Practices gain purpose. Athletes gain clarity. Feedback builds trust.
Communication strengthens culture. Performance becomes more consistent.

Motivation fades. Teaching endures.

The best coaches don’t just inspire effort. They equip their athletes with understanding.

And when athletes understand the game, their role, their cues, and their decisions, confidence becomes durable, trust becomes deep, and culture becomes resilient.

The Truth at the Heart of Great Coaching

Better teaching doesn’t just create better players.It creates better people. Better teams. Better environments.

That’s the quiet advantage.

And that’s the real work of the coach as teacher.

A Few Great Resources to Improve Your Teaching.

The Coaches Guide to Teaching- by Doug Lemov

This is a fantastic book on how to improve your coaching by improving your instruction. Lemov is an adminstrator and education guru. He knows teaching, he also has extensive experience in the coaching world.

The book is available here:

Here are a few great podcasts as well featuring Lemov

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Episode 263: Doug Lemov, Gam... Apr 12 · The Basketball Podcast 61:02   ​

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Are you or your athletes struggling to be their best?

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I help coaches thrive.

As a Certified Mental Performance Consultant and a basketball coach with 25 years of experience, I understand the barriers to peak performance for both you and your athletes.

I would love to help you or your team build a competitive advantage. Here are a few ways I can help:

• Consult with your team or coaching staff
• Teach mental skills to your team via Zoom
• Work 1 on 1 with coaches
• Work 1 on 1 with athletes

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Shoot me an email at jasonpayne@evolutionmpc.com. I love to talk coaching and see how I can help you.

Coaching is hard, let's make it easier.

Check out my website at http://jasonpayne.ca​

Thanks for reading and have a great week and all the best in 2026.