Hour
Coach
How great coaches develop athletes beyond practice.
Great coaches know their influence extends far beyond the few hours they spend on the field. Every week has 168 hours. The question is: what happens during the rest?
The Question
What happens after
practice ends?
Practice ends. Players gather their gear and head home. The coach is no longer in the room — but development does not stop. The question behind 168 Coach is simple: how do great coaches continue to positively influence athletes when they are not physically with them?
Because every week contains 168 hours, and coaches are present for only a small fraction of them.
Great coaches understand that athlete development doesn't stop when practice ends. Their influence extends into the hours when athletes train, recover, lead, make decisions, build habits, and shape who they become.
The Project
A Project About
Coaching Influence
168 Coach explores how coaches develop athletes beyond practice — through culture, leadership, accountability, relationships, communication, and intentional development environments.
It began as a technology question. It became a coaching question. This project is built around the voices of coaches who have spent years creating programs that continue shaping athletes long after practice ends.
168 Hours In A Week
Practices, games, and film sessions account for only a fraction of the week. How coaches build culture, set standards, stay connected, and influence behavior during the remaining hours often determines whether their impact is temporary or lasting.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE EBOOK
Based on interviews with coaches and athletes, The 168-Hour Coach explores what development really means outside the limited hours of formal practice. Not a playbook. Not a training manual. A reflection on coaching influence — how it is built, how it is sustained, and why it matters.
Prefer to listen? Get the audiobook.
Voices of the Coach
Lessons From Coaches
of Consequence
Grounded in conversations with coaches who have built lasting influence through relationships, standards, traditions, and trust.
Building a community-centered program sustained by culture, alumni connection, youth alignment, and long-term commitment.
Developing leaders through trust, accountability, player ownership, mentorship, and relationships that extend beyond the game.
Fifty years of coaching, teaching, and staying connected to athletes beyond the season.
What We Are Learning
The Patterns Are Clear
Influence Outlasts Instruction
The best coaches shape standards, habits, confidence, and identity — things that persist long after the final whistle.
Culture Has To Travel
A program's culture matters most when the coach is not present. The goal is not control. The goal is ownership.
Development Is Bigger Than Practice
Physical training, mental skills, leadership, character, and relationships all develop in the hours outside formal team activity.
Join the Conversation
Help Build The
168 Coach Project
We are continuing to learn from coaches, athletes, parents, and researchers who care about development beyond practice. If you know a coach whose influence extends beyond the scoreboard, we would like to hear their story.
About the Project
Why 168 Coach
Exists
Every week contains 168 hours. Coaches spend only a small fraction of them directly with their athletes. The question behind this project is simple: How do great coaches continue influencing athletes when they are no longer physically present?
The Story
From Technology Question
to Coaching Question
168 Coach began as an exploration of how technology might help coaches stay connected with athletes outside formal practice. The deeper we looked, the clearer it became that the real story was not technology. The real story was coaching influence.
This project is built around the experiences of coaches who have spent years creating cultures, relationships, traditions, and systems that continue shaping athletes long after practice ends. Their stories are the project.
The People
The People Behind
the Project
Nearly five decades of coaching and teaching experience focused on developing athletes and people. Co-author of The 168-Hour Coach and the original reason the question was worth asking.
Former athlete, entrepreneur, and investor exploring how leadership, culture, and relationships shape performance and development beyond formal coaching environments. Co-author of The 168-Hour Coach.
Get in Touch
Contact
the Project
Coaches Helping Coaches
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Effective Date: July 1, 2026
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Contact Us
The 168-Hour Coach
Email: [email protected]
Website: 168coach.org
Coaches Helping Coaches
Terms of Use
Effective Date: July 1, 2026
Welcome to The 168-Hour Coach website. By accessing or using this website, you agree to these Terms of Use.
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Nothing on this website constitutes professional, medical, legal, psychological, or coaching advice.
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We believe in the positive impact that coaching can have on young people and athletic programs; however, we make no guarantees regarding specific athletic, educational, or organizational outcomes resulting from the use of our materials, resources, or recommendations.
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We may update these Terms of Use from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.
Continued use of this website constitutes acceptance of any revised Terms of Use.
Contact Information
The 168-Hour Coach
Email: [email protected]
Website: 168coach.org
Help Us Find Great Coaches
Recommend a coach whose influence extends beyond practice—or sign up to share your own coaching experiences with other coaches.
Recommend a Coach
Know a coach who makes a lasting impact on athletes during the other 160+ hours of the week? Tell us who we should talk to.
Recommend a CoachSign Up for an Interview
Have experiences, challenges, or ideas about developing athletes beyond practice? We'd love to hear your perspective.
Sign Me Up
Coaches Program Assessment
We're gathering insights from high school and travel coaches across the country to better understand the challenges, priorities, and opportunities facing today's programs.
Coaches Helping Coaches
Take the Five-Minute Assessment
Share your perspective on the challenges, priorities, and opportunities facing today's athletic programs. The assessment takes less than five minutes.
Resources & Evidence
What We Are
Reading
The 168 Coach Project is shaped by coach interviews, athlete perspectives, practical experience, and outside work on leadership, culture, motivation, trust, and long-term development. These resources helped shape the questions behind The 168-Hour Coach.
Recommended Reading
Research Behind
The Project
We particularly recommend the work of EverRise, whose reports examine coaching behaviors, athlete experience, and the conditions that help young people grow through sport.
EverRise Report
The Coaching Pillars
A framework for understanding the core coaching behaviors that shape athlete experience, trust, growth, and development.
EverRise Report
The State of Coaching
A broader look at coaching effectiveness and the behaviors that influence how athletes experience teams, coaches, and development.
EverRise Report
Moving the Needle on Effective Coaching
Research focused on the coaching behaviors most associated with stronger relationships, better environments, and athlete growth.
Thank You
Your participation helps us discover great coaching stories, better understand the challenges facing today's coaches, and identify ideas that can help coaches build stronger programs, develop better leaders, and create a lasting impact on young athletes.
Coaches Helping Coaches
Mike Elia & Lou Elia
Creators of The 168-Hour Coach