From Good to Gold
Shane McLeod’s 3 Non-Negotiables for Ambitious Field Hockey Coaches
When Shane McLeod speaks about coaching field hockey, the world listens. The New Zealand-born coach who led the Belgian Red Lions to World Cup gold, European Championship glory, and Olympic gold has earned his place among the sport’s elite minds. But what separates McLeod’s approach from the countless other coaches striving for excellence? In multiple “Ask Me Anything” masterclass sessions between 2020 and 2024 for us, McLeod shared insights that go beyond tactics and drills, diving into the fundamental principles that transformed Belgium from contenders into world champions.
For ambitious coaches looking to elevate their programs, McLeod’s wisdom offers a roadmap. Here are three essential lessons that every field hockey coach should embrace, backed by McLeod’s own words and experiences at the highest level of the game.
Lesson 1: Cultivate Player Ownership Through Meaningful Connection
Perhaps the most striking aspect of McLeod’s coaching philosophy is his unwavering commitment to individual player development through regular, purposeful one-on-one conversations. While many coaches focus primarily on team tactics and collective training, McLeod recognizes that true team strength emerges from deeply invested individuals.
“Yeah, all the time. We have one-on-ones for two reasons,” McLeod explains. “One, it helps me a lot. It gives me an idea of where they’re at. You have two things when you’re working with a group. One is you have the collective strength and the kind of collective IQ of a team and that’s always incredibly strong. But you want to know the little pieces that make up that collective IQ.”[1]
This approach transforms the traditional coach-player dynamic. Rather than positioning himself as the sole source of knowledge and direction, McLeod creates an environment where players actively drive their own development. The coaching staff becomes a resource to be leveraged, not a authority to be passively obeyed.
McLeod articulates this philosophy powerfully: “What we believe in our program and it drives from myself but also other staff members that we have is that we want them to be really invested in their own development. And if you think about that logically, if it’s me looking after 24 athletes, it’s very difficult to get around them. But 24 athletes looking after themselves and using me and the rest of the staff as a resource is incredibly productive.”[1]
For ambitious coaches, this lesson challenges conventional approaches. It requires letting go of control and trusting players to take responsibility. But the results speak for themselves. When players are genuinely invested in their own growth, training intensity increases, accountability deepens, and the entire culture shifts. Players no longer show up simply to execute a coach’s plan—they arrive ready to actively pursue their own excellence.
Implementing this approach requires commitment. Schedule regular one-on-ones with every player, not just your stars or those struggling. Use these conversations to understand their goals, challenges, and perspectives. Ask what support they need rather than simply telling them what to improve. Create systems where players track their own development and set personal targets aligned with team objectives.
The investment pays dividends that extend far beyond individual performance. As McLeod notes, “A massive part of why I think we work so well as a group dynamic is because we do have those one-on-one conversations.”[1]
Lesson 2: Plan Backwards From Your Pinnacle Event
Most coaches plan forward—starting with preseason and building toward key competitions. McLeod turns this approach on its head with a principle that fundamentally reshapes program design: start with the end.
“We start from the end,” McLeod states matter-of-factly. “For me that sounds logic but I hope to everyone else it sounds logical. But you start with your pinnacle event and then you work your way back and plan how you’re going to get there.”[1]
This isn’t merely a scheduling exercise. McLeod’s backward planning forces coaches to define exactly what they want their team to embody at the moment that matters most. What physical qualities should they display? What style of play? What level of technical execution? These descriptors become the north star for every training decision.
The Belgian program exemplifies this approach in action. “You can do a simple exercise,” McLeod explains. “You can say look, how do we want to be seen for us at the Olympic Games, for example, what do we want the outside world to see? You have some descriptors of what they want to see with you physically and the style of play that you want to be playing, and then you piece everything together to try and achieve that.”[1]
For a team wanting to be “physically impressive” at their pinnacle event, every element of the program must serve that goal. Gym programs, running regimens, and skill execution at high intensity all connect directly to that end state. Nothing happens by accident or tradition—every phase of preparation deliberately builds toward the defined target.
This methodology provides clarity that permeates the entire program. Players understand why they’re doing specific work in February for a tournament in August. Staff members align their specialist areas toward common objectives. The program develops coherence and purpose that random or reactionary planning can never achieve.
Ambitious coaches should begin their next season planning by defining their pinnacle event—whether it’s a championship final, a crucial tournament, or end-of-season playoffs. Write specific descriptors of how you want your team to perform and be perceived. Then work backward, breaking the timeline into phases where each deliberately builds the physical, tactical, technical, and psychological qualities needed to achieve that vision.
Lesson 3: Transform Strengths Into Superpowers
When McLeod inherited the Belgian Red Lions, he didn’t receive a struggling team needing wholesale reconstruction. Belgium was already good—already competitive at the highest level. The challenge wasn’t fixing weaknesses; it was finding that final step from good to exceptional.
His approach provides a masterclass in elite development. Rather than obsessing over weaknesses or completely overhauling existing systems,
McLeod focused on amplification. “So I had a good team that we wanted to make an exceptional team,” he explains. “And I guess the process that we had a look at, and my first instance had 10 months with them, was to try and work on their superpowers. So turning some of their strengths into superpowers, so really encouraging the things that they were good at to become even better at doing those things.”[1]
This principle extends beyond individual skills to encompass team culture and collective identity. McLeod recognized that previous coaches had built strong foundations—discipline around lifestyle, pride in technical execution, and solid tactical frameworks. His role was to amplify these elements while adding new dimensions, particularly around team unity and player ownership.
“We worked very hard off the field at creating a team that had real unity and that was very honest and open with each other about what they wanted to achieve and also how they wanted others to assist them to achieve,” McLeod shares. “Like any sort of team, that trust and creating situations where people were a bit vulnerable in some situations and helping those people with others to become stronger.”[1]
This cultural work proved as important as on-field development. The best teams operate with deep trust, honest communication, and shared commitment. But these qualities don’t emerge accidentally—they require deliberate cultivation through structured conversations, vulnerable moments, and consistent reinforcement.
For coaches, the superpower principle offers liberation from the endless chase after weaknesses. Identify what your team already does well. Perhaps you have exceptional team speed, a dominant aerial game, or outstanding defensive organization. Rather than viewing these as “good enough,” make them so exceptional that opponents must fundamentally alter their approach to compete with you.
Create training environments that specifically challenge and extend these strengths. Design practices where your key advantages are tested against progressively difficult scenarios. Celebrate and reinforce these superpowers in team culture. Make them central to your identity rather than footnotes in a broader tactical plan.
Simultaneously, invest in off-field team building that creates genuine unity. This isn’t about trust falls and ropes courses—it’s about structured opportunities for honest dialogue about aspirations, fears, and mutual support. It’s about creating psychological safety where players can be vulnerable and challenge each other productively.
The Integration: A Holistic Approach to Excellence
These three lessons don’t exist in isolation—they form an integrated philosophy that elevates every aspect of program development. Player ownership ensures engaged, self-driven athletes. Backward planning provides clear direction and purpose. Focusing on superpowers creates distinctive excellence and team identity.
McLeod summarizes the holistic nature of elite coaching: “I believe that there’s really a lot of work that’s done on the field, without a doubt. There’s certainly a lot that’s done behind in regards to creating a team culture and so on. And there’s also a lot needs to be pushed back onto the players about how they take ownership in their career path and how they want to better themselves. And kind of, I guess, the coach’s role and certainly the staff’s role is to enable all those things to happen.”[1]
For ambitious field hockey coaches, McLeod’s approach offers both inspiration and practical direction. Success at the highest level isn’t about discovering secret tactics or revolutionary training methods. It’s about consistently applying proven principles: meaningful connection with players, purposeful planning aligned to specific outcomes, and deliberate amplification of existing strengths.
The path from Good to Gold is demanding. It requires patience, reflection, and willingness to let go of control. But for coaches committed to excellence, these lessons provide a proven framework. Start with one element—perhaps scheduling regular one-on-ones this season. Define your pinnacle event and work backward. Identify your team’s greatest strength and design training to make it exceptional.
The journey to championship-level coaching doesn’t happen overnight. But with McLeod’s principles as your guide, every training session, every conversation, and every decision can move your program closer to its full potential.
Sources and Links
This article draws from Shane McLeod’s insights shared in his “AMA” masterclass sessions, where he fielded questions from coaches worldwide on topics ranging from tactical philosophy to team culture development.
Watch these masterclasses in full:
McLeod’s coaching philosophy and practical methods offer invaluable insights for coaches at all levels. The full masterclasses contains additional tactical demonstrations, drill explanations, and responses to specific coaching scenarios that complement the lessons outlined in this article.