The best teams train like it matters.
Recently, my friend and longtime football coach John Mannion shared a reflection in his Substack newsletter about what makes a football practice truly great.
As someone who spent decades coaching high school athletes, John knows the magic that happens not just on game day — but in the grind of daily reps, high standards and team-wide focus.
And it struck me: That’s exactly how we should think about training our staff in health clubs and studios.
With full credit to Coach Mannion’s wisdom, here’s how his coaching philosophy translates to the work we do at Club Solutions Institute and beyond:
1. Love the Practice — Not Just the “Game”
Coach Mannion:
“I liked practice more than the games … the process-oriented nature, the engagement of the entire team and the shared experience.”
In our world, the “game” might be:
- A new club opening
- A big holiday event
- A program launch
- A facility inspection
- A new membership milestone
But great organizations fall in love with the practice — the consistent, intentional training that gets everyone aligned, confident and connected.
2. Train What Matters — Not What’s Comfortable
Coach Mannion shared a story about Bill Walsh, the legendary NFL coach, who had every assistant create a checklist of the exact skills players needed — and only build practice around those.
In fitness leadership, we often train what’s easy or what fits neatly into a one-hour block. But real development takes:
- Customization to each role
- A skills-based checklist
- Discipline to cover the hard stuff — not just the fun stuff
That’s one of the main reasons we created the Club Solutions Institute — to give you access to top subject matter experts, so you can easily upskill your team with purpose-built lessons.
3. Set the Tone Early
Coach Mannion reminds us:
“The energy of your team is palpable. It starts with the coaches.”
If the coach walks on the field dialed in, connecting with players and bringing energy — the team follows.
Same goes for department heads and club leaders. Walk into your club upbeat, organized and ready to connect. Run your team with focus and positivity, and your people will match you.
4. Make It Crisp — Don’t Waste People’s Time
Coach Mannion emphasized the power of short, high-energy practice blocks. It keeps engagement up and prevents burnout.
We took this to heart when designing Club Solutions Institute classes. Each one is broken into 3 or 4 digestible lessons, making it easier to stay focused and retain the information.
Respecting people’s time is a form of leadership.
5. Maximize Every Minute
Coach Mannion again:
“Your goal should be to never have groups of players milling around … create a culture where every moment is used.”
This is a mindset. Whether it’s a practice field or a staff meeting, wasted time adds up. What if we approached every training session, meeting or team huddle with that same urgency?
Ideas:
- Use downtime for micro-coaching and gathering feedback
- Assign mentors to new associates to accelerate culture onboarding
- Let junior staff lead a portion of a meeting or peer training
Final Thought: Build a Culture That Loves Training
Coach Mannion closed with this:
“While the games are certainly exciting and intense, I have always believed that practice is where the real magic happens.”
I couldn’t agree more.
The most successful clubs and organizations don’t treat training as a checkbox — they treat it as a priority and a competitive advantage. They use the tools and resources at their disposal, like the Club Solutions Institute, to build confidence, consistency and connection.
So here’s the challenge:
- How would your team describe your training culture?
- Are you coaching every role to its full potential?
- Do you have a staff training schedule that puts you in the best position to win?
Let’s bring that practice field magic into our clubs leadership playbooks.
Special thanks to Coach John Mannion for the inspiration.
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