What makes a great coach? Maybe the better question to ask is, how can we make ourselves more coachable? I dug into these questions with Anthony Torns, a track coach who has become known not just for results achieved in training young men and women as high-achieving athletes, but more importantly, for the way in which he develops and mentors his athletes as people.

In this episode of the podcast, Coach Torns and I discussed:

• Coaching as a way of life

• What it looks like to be coachable

• The truth about motivation - it can never come from a coach (or a parent)

• The necessity of internal fuel for achieving optimal results

• The drive to compete, and how it helps him perform as a coach

• The balance between feeding the need for challenge, and the risks of overtraining

• Why self-doubt is a common trait among those pursuing excellence

• The importance of vulnerability

• What he has learned about faith while on his journey as a coach

• The importance of routines

I hope you enjoy our conversation about the purpose in the process of coaching, while staying coachable!

Coach Anthony L. Torns, has been involved in track and field in some form since he ran his first race as an 8 year old. Coach Torns grew up in Flint, Michigan where he attended Flint Southwestern Academy and competed in track and field as primarily a 400m runner. He earned track and field scholarship to Grambling State University where he competed from 1994 - 1998 as a 400m specialist and mainstay on the universities 4x400m relay team during those years. Coach Torns was introduced to coaching as a volunteer coach of River City Track Club in Bossier City, Louisiana under the tutelage of Juan Plaza. After leaving Bossier City Coach Torns worked in Law Enforcement from 2001 until 2007. During the summer of 2007 Coach Torns started a summer track program (Smoking Wings of Eagles) which he ran from 2007-2010 in Marble Falls, Texas. During this same period Coach Torns began coaching at Marble Falls High school where he had tremendous success improving teams he coached each year beginning with the boys program in 2007. Coach Torns was assigned to the girls program in 2014 as an assistant and training coordinator he shaped the girls program into one of the most successful Central Texas 5A teams in both Track and Cross Country. Coach Torns is Married to his wife Anitra of 19 years. They have 4 children Anthony - 18, Alexis - 16, Ashton - 14, and Amir - 9.

You can follow Coach Torns on Instagram and Twitter: @ojay1975.

Coach Torns now provides private coaching for athletes and coaches alike, at G10 Academy in Austin.