Tom Moody - Retravision Warriors
Tom Moody - Retravision Warriors
Six years as coach
WABN: What techniques do you use to motivate players?
TM: “I think motivation comes from within, but the most important thing is to create a culture within a team that allows players to be self-motivated and have a real value of the team and the direction it’s going. If everyone has collective team values and adheres to them, it underpins motivation within any group.”
WABN: What has been your biggest mistake as a coach and what did you learn from it?
TM: “Early on in my tenure at Worcestershire I gave too much responsibility to an immature group. I wanted the playing group to take a lot of responsibility, but I released that responsibility far too early, and the group didn’t have the maturity to carry out the values and the vision we had as a team and as a club.”
WABN: What is the biggest lesson you’ve learnt from coaching overseas?
TM: “Dealing with different cultures. On the subcontinent you are in an extremely different culture to how you’re brought up in the Western world. I learned to become a better listener and accepted that a cat can be skinned in many different ways. Whether it was approaching a game tactically, enhancing a player technically or dealing with a player emotionally, there were many different ways to approach the situation.
“Australia is a unique place in regards to sport because sportsmen here are pretty resilient, tough, cut-throat and hard, and because they are the values that are ingrained, a lot of Australian coaches are found worldwide.”
WABN: How important is it for players to develop skills outside of their sport? What do you do to encourage it?
TM: “At a young age it is important. It isn’t a huge issue when the players have reached full maturity and are playing professionally in their sport, but I like to see kids play all sports and be challenged in different environments because it is beneficial to them in their development, mentally and physically.”
WABN: What sport, other than the one that you coach, do you do to relax?
TM: “I’m looking forward to catching up on the lost time with AFL. When I was here I enjoyed the football, but it’s very hard to follow it when you’re overseas and traveling all of the time. It’s not a game that’s very appealing on the internet, but live at the ground and on television it’s great to watch. But I’m pretty keen on most sports. I love golf, and rugby union I enjoy too.”
WABN: Which sporting identity do you most admire and why?
TM: “I admire many different sportsmen, and particularly the ones who have managed to stay at the top for a long period of time. The likes of Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, Michael Schumacher, Lance Armstrong, guys that have managed to dominate over time.
“I also admire sportsmen who realise their talent to the max. Steve Waugh is an example that springs to mind – he has realised his natural talents and has maximised that to the absolute limit. Justin Langer is another example of that.”
WABN: How do you stay up-to-date with current leadership and/or coaching trends?
TM: “I tend to communicate with people who are successful in different fields. It doesn’t have to be sport, and a lot of that is just in conversation. I don’t go to the library and pick out the latest books on leadership and those types of things. I like to listen and learn from other people and draw out the information that’s valuable to me. I think the most important thing is that you still remain who you are and you don’t try to mould your style on the latest trends or what someone else is doing just because they’re successful. You need to be yourself and have your own style, but also don’t be blinkered – learn what else is out there.”
