Nate Baker's Newsletter #143 "The coaching education newsletter for those dedicated to helping their people pursue their potential." The Culture Rep Essential Reading for All Developers A Coach’s Job is to Prepare Players For the “Future Game” October 17, 2025 | Read on my website | Read time: 4-5 minutes The real test of a coach isn’t what happens on the weekend. It’s how a player is prepared to meet life’s future games without you by their side. I’ve coached at higher levels. I know winning...
8 days ago • 5 min read
Nate Baker's Newsletter #142 "The coaching education newsletter for those dedicated to helping their people pursue their potential." The Culture Rep Essential Reading for All Developers The 3 Things Every Modern Player Is Starving For October 10, 2025 | Read on my website | Read time: 4-5 minutes Today’s player is Sisyphus. In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a man punished by the gods to push a big rock up a hill forever, but every time he got close to the top, it rolled back down again....
15 days ago • 5 min read
Nate Baker's Newsletter #141 "The coaching education newsletter for those dedicated to helping their people pursue their potential." The Culture Rep Essential Reading for All Developers The 10-Step Plan to Build a Top 1% Youth Soccer Club October 3, 2025 | Read on my website | Read time: 6 minutes I had a coach within my coaching community pose this question to me: How do I make coaching my full-time job? It made me think about: my start. the current state of the game. what a good job is in...
22 days ago • 5 min read
Nate Baker's Newsletter #140 "The coaching education newsletter for those dedicated to helping their people pursue their potential." The Culture Rep Essential Reading for All Developers Talent Accumulation Is Killing American Soccer September 26, 2025 | Read on my website | Read time: 6-7 minutes If you develop players in this country, you are in the minority. Our country doesn’t develop players. It accumulates them. It’s the game the majority play.This single difference sits at the root of...
29 days ago • 7 min read
Nate Baker's Newsletter #139 "The coaching education newsletter for those dedicated to helping their people pursue their potential." The Culture Rep Essential Reading for All Developers The Thank You You Never See Coming: Environment Creation 101 September 19, 2025 | Read on my website | Read time: 5 minutes It’s impossible to know the impact you will have on your players’ lives. Even those who decide your environment is no longer for them. I was forwarded an email from a former player who...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
Nate Baker's Newsletter #138 "The coaching education newsletter for those dedicated to helping their people pursue their potential." The Culture Rep Essential Reading for All Developers The Most Underrated Coaching Skill Is Hiding in Plain Sight September 12, 2025 | Read on my website | Read time: 6-7 minutes Most coaches, parents, and leaders fall into the same trap. We fixate on winning and miss the real signs of growth that matter more. The scoreboard, the win-loss record, the press...
about 1 month ago • 6 min read
Nate Baker's Newsletter #137 "The coaching education newsletter for those dedicated to helping their people pursue their potential." The Culture Rep Essential Reading for All Developers The “Inner-Player” That Lives Within Every Coach September 5, 2025 | Read on my website | Read time: 5 minutes 15 years ago, I played my final match as a pro. It was at Kickers Stadium in Richmond, Virginia. I showered, jumped in my future wife’s car, and drove straight to Adams Morgan in Washington, DC. I was...
about 2 months ago • 7 min read
Nate Baker's Newsletter #136 "The coaching education newsletter for those dedicated to helping their people pursue their potential." The Culture Rep Essential Reading for All Developers Preseason Isn’t Just For the Players August 29, 2025 | Read on my website | Read time: 4 minutes We lost 5-0. Twenty minutes later, I hadn’t left–I just sat in my car, staring into the parking lot. I had coached three matches in less than 24 hours. The performances provided evidence of the many areas we need...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Nate Baker's Newsletter #135 "The coaching education newsletter for those dedicated to helping their people pursue their potential." The Culture Rep Essential Reading for All Developers I Run to Coaching August 22, 2025 | Read on my website | Read time: 5 minutes I feel most at peace on a training pitch with my players. Period. It’s the place where I feel most useful. Where I am in flow most often. The place where I can help my players get just a tiny fraction better on the day. It’s the...
2 months ago • 6 min read