Culture relating to performance

If there’s one concept that every field hockey coach—regardless of level or country—should take away from this masterclass, it’s this: Coaching is fundamentally about people. As coaches, we’re constantly inundated with new tactical trends, technical analysis, performance metrics, and even coaching methodologies. But what truly drives success, at the highest levels and in grassroots hockey alike, is our ability to connect with, understand, and inspire our athletes.

This isn’t just about “having good people skills”—it’s about deliberately making the effort to get to know your athletes as individuals, and then building meaningful connections that extend beyond tactics and technique. As Anthony Potter says, “You need to learn to know your people and the way you can do that is ask... not only the staff, but also what is really important, you need to learn your players because they’re all different. It’s a different generation...” That means asking questions, actively listening (not just to provide answers, but to understand), and accessing each player’s unique motivators and stressors.

Why does this matter so much? The reality is, at every level, selection, pressure, and performance anxiety are part of the package. If our connections with athletes are superficial or forced, they’ll never truly trust us—and that limits everything: learning, risk-taking, honesty, and growth. Potter’s routine of engaging his Kookaburras athletes about life outside hockey—kids, studies, surfing, work—isn’t a touchy-feely side project; it’s a deliberate part of sustaining high performance and resilience in one of the world’s most demanding team environments.

In your day-to-day coaching, consider this your anchor:

• Make time to engage with your athletes outside training topics. Set up regular conversation moments—before or after training—to talk life, not just hockey.

• Use connection points as icebreakers and stress diffusers. When pressure mounts, having an established connection lets you support athletes in ways that go well beyond performance advice.

• Don’t be afraid to listen without solving. Potter notes that younger coaches listen just to give answers—what’s needed, often, is just to listen. Sometimes athletes “don’t want answers, they just want to be heard.”

If you miss this aspect, all the tactical innovation and technical drills in the world won’t help you shape a championship culture—or sustain high performance through adversity.

“Just ask them questions and as you ask the questions, you’ll learn a common goal. And that is what I call an interaction goal.” —Anthony Potter

Why You’ll Want to Watch the Whole Masterclass

This session doesn’t just give you a pep talk about “connection” and “culture” and leave you to figure out the rest. Every insight lands with practical illustrations—what the best do to make culture visible, how the Kookaburras share responsibility and maintain standards, and how the staff deliberately create uncomfortable training to stretch the players’ abilities.
Coaches at every level will recognize themselves in the stories—and pick up actionable ideas for team management, session design, and building lasting trust with athletes. The full video, and deeper reading, reveals details and tools that simply don’t get shared on social media or highlight reels. It’s a rare look inside a world-leading culture you can adapt for your own program.

Read on for three main takeaways that will transform the way you approach coaching...