Testimonials

We could spend money on flashy advertising, but. we know as well as you do that honest feedback directly from clients is the most reliable and credible way to gauge how good a product or service really is.

Below is a sample of feedback from people who have used Athlete Assessments' sports profiling for athletes, for coaches, and also our specialized workshops and courses.

You can read case studies from sports teams we have worked with, and testimonials from well-known sports legends, coaches, athletes, athletic directors and performance consultants.

Testimonials from Sports Legends

"High performance in sport is similar to high performance in business in that a person must have a good understanding of themselves. Part of understanding yourself comes from self assessment, and part from the input of others. With insights such as those from this assessment, athletes can be sure they have a better insight into their own personality and motivation, and this may then be translated into better performance. Having worked with Bo Hanson before, I have the highest regard for him personally and in the field of sporting endeavors." John Eales, Rugby Union - 86 Tests, 55 as Captain, Dual World Cup winner (as Captain) & Business Leader

"Athlete Assessments gives every athlete an opportunity to review their approach to training and competition - to take the insights gained and really leverage their performance off a new platform. You've done a great job! Congrats." Tim McLaren, Olympic and World Championship Gold Medal Coach (currently USA Rowing Head Coach)

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Testimonials from Athletic Directors

"Athlete Assessments provide our NCAA Women Coaches Academy participants with the CoachDISC profile and the feedback we receive is that it is GREAT information for them to have about themselves as coaches.  Our coaches have benefited from this program and find the Athlete Assessments staff very easy to work with." Celia Slater, Executive Director, NCAA Women Coaches Academy

"I would like to sincerely thank-you for your support and commitment to Netball Queensland's Elite teams in 2009. Athlete Assessments have added a new dimension to our team programs in 2009 and the services provided have been very well received by all involved this year. It is a pleasure to be involved with such dedicated professionals.

In particular, I would like to thank-you for your involvement with the Queensland Firebirds and taking on the 2009 Queensland Firebirds Season Review. Your hard work and professionalism in producing the review for us was much appreciated by the Firebirds team and Netball Queensland. This review has been instrumental in implementing changes and improvements to the Firebirds program for 2010 and beyond to ensure that the team reaches success in the ANZ Championship in the years to come.

Thank you again for your commitment in 2009, Netball Queensland looks forward to continuing working with Athlete Assessments for our 2010 Elite Programs and in the coming years to ensure that Netball Queensland produces the best Netballers in the country." Cameron O'Hara, Chief Executive Officer, Netball Queensland

"Bo Hanson and Athlete Assessments have provided support to our 'Sports Leadership Team' at Churchie. We found the coaches profiles very useful in understanding ourselves and each other, leading to a stronger and more cohesive team of coaches. We also enjoyed and benefitted from team building workshops where Bo facilitated discussion resulting in a commitment to common team behaviours." Barnaby Eaton, Director of Sport, Anglican Church Grammer School ("Churchie") Back to top

Testimonials from Coaches

"No matter how much you know as a coach, the info is only half the story. Communicating effectively - getting your message across - is the key to getting the most out of your athletes. Athlete Assessments makes this process much more straightforward. To be an effective coach you need to know your athletes well - which can be difficult and it can take time. The AthleteDISC Profile is a really valuable tool, in a short survey I can find out the best way to communicate with my athletes - what's most likely to work and what will get the results we all want." Gary Lynagh, Coach (Olympian and three-time World Champion)

"As an ex-athlete and now coach the Athlete Assessments Profile made me more aware of the way I affect others. I was astounded at the accuracy of the survey and how it revealed the mannerisms which make me the person I am. My wife was absolutely amazed at the accuracy of the profile!" Shane Dalziel, Coach (two-time National Champion, World Kayak Champion)

"Athlete Assessments is a must for all coaches who want to be able to coach a range of athletes." Jessie McCartney, Development Manager & Hockey Coach

"Great, learned lots and made me realize that it is important to match the coaching to the athletes' needs at the right time." Nicola Moult, Professional Golf Coach

"Very critical in being a better coach, leader and person." Brett Gordon, Coolum Beach Junior Australian Football Club

"Great information. An asset for all coaches wanting the best of their athletes." Grant Belcher, Maroochydore Surf Life Saving Club

"It's important to understand your own style and then be able to adapt to fit in with the needs of athletes in your care." Peter Venning, Suncoast Christian College

"Highly recommend for any coach at any level. A vital tool in your kit bag." Helen Glover, Redlands Sea Dragons

"My wife and I read my personalized report together, we were amazed at the accuracy of its content." Greg Steele, Hockey Coach

"Comprehensive, no nonsense, and useful information." Norbert Gaulton, Brisbane River Dragons Club

"This is a must for every coach no matter how young, old, experienced, or inexperienced." Helen Glover, Redlands Sea Dragons

"Very interesting on both a personal and business level." Jackie Hall, Samford Swimming Club

"Great workshop with great resources. Very well presented." John Graham Hooper, FIH (World Hockey) High Performance and Development Coaching Expert, Level 3 England Hockey Coach

"Coaching techniques that will bring more clarity to what you do and why." Ali Tuai, Victorian State Manager, Touch Football Australia

"Great Workshop. Learned lots and opened my eyes to new information." Nicola Moult, Professional Golf Coach

"Any coach that wishes to bring out the best in their athletes and themselves, should attend a Bo Hanson course." Kerry Pearce, Special Olympics - Gold Coast

"I now know why some things, and kids, act the way they do. After learning this, I look forward to putting it into practice." Phil Clayton, Kurrawa Surf Life Saving Club

"The best knowledge gained in a workshop for a long time. This answers a lot of questions about how athletes' behaviors affect their training and results." Chris Wood, North Burleigh Surf Life Saving Club

"Excellent workshop, great for coaches of all abilities." Scott Barnes, Griffith Uni Colleges Knights RUC

"Entertaining as it was informative, another tool to assist elite athletes." Gail Torrens. Tenpin Bowling Association of Queensland

"Well presented, not like any other sporting workshop I have been to before." Robert Taylor, Buderim United Churches Soccer Club

"Liberating what you have shared." Keith Lelisi, Caloundra Rugby Union Club

"Any coach who wishes to engage their athletes in a positive way should attend a Bo Hanson workshop." Kerry Pearce, Special Olympics Gold Coast

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Testimonials from Athletes

"Terrific! Fantastic! Never experienced before... to learn more about me as an athlete, and how to train more affective" Dean Mercer, Iron Man Champion (and Surf Sports Legend), Mooloolaba Surf Club

"The Athlete Profile itself was useful and then being able to pick your own strengths, weaknesses and put them on to one page created a strong and effective method of self assessment and feedback. I think it is impressive that the test only takes 10 minutes - I believe that many players I know would not participate if they had to sit for 40 minutes and do this. By keeping it short and concise it means that both participants and observers are more likely to do without some external factor forcing them." Dean Mumm, Lock/Flanker for NSW Waratahs Rugby Union Team

"Thank you so much for the AthleteDISC test. The results were concise and helpful, especially the constructive suggestions on utilizing strengths and strengthening shortcomings. I will be bringing it to my coach to discuss the results!" Pat Sullivan, Athlete, Northeastern University (USA)

"The process of completing the Athlete Assessments questionnaire was so simple and easy 10/10. After completing the questionnaire, the return speed of the assessment was just great." Dan Sowden, Australian Championships Surfboat Rower

"The AthleteDISC Assessment is exactly the tool that any serious competitor should utilize. In particular, the 360 provides the sort of non-biased feedback that can be incorporated into your workouts from day one, which means immediate results." Chip McKibben, USA Olympian and World Champion

"My AthleteDISC Profile gave me an amazing insight into how I see myself and how others perceive me. I intend to really break down the points made in the assessment to improve my training, preparation and performance." Sarah Brown, Athlete

Testimonials from Performance Consultants

"In working with high level racing drivers from my UK base, I need a range of tools to assess and measure all my clients. When appropriate to the driver, Athlete Assessments allows me to get a better understanding of how to communicate with and coach them so they take the best action for their improvement. After all, it's not about what I say, it's about what my clients do. The service, support and system behind Athlete Assessments are awesome. The best feature is the fact that my clients get their own secure login to their own data and can forward the test onto other people within their team that can validate the measure as an 'observer'. Nice one!" Mike Garth, Sun1400

"With our business Champions Toolbox, we believe that Champions are built, not born. It's crucial that before we coach athletes, coaches, or teams to become Champions, that we identify their individual behavioral styles. Many athletes and coaches often spend most of their time out on the court/field working on their skills and techniques, or in the gym working on getting stronger, fitter and faster. Many don't take the time out to work on themselves, on their mindset, identifying what influences their behaviors, or improving their communication with team members, all of which dramatically influence performance. The Athlete & Coach Assessments are perfect tools for us to help build Champions in sport and will help any athlete or team go to the next level. This is ground breaking stuff, the way of the future for any athlete, coach or team!" Selina Scoble, Champions Toolbox

"I was not asked to write this recommendation, but I just felt everyone needed to know what a great job Liz does for Athlete Assessments. I have worked with many different assessment groups over the years and have to say that Liz provides the best customer support I have seen in the industry! I discovered them through a contact and emailed them off of their website, I was called the same day about my interest in their product. She has been very generous with her time, information, and support in getting my links and market set up. Her slogan at the end of every email sums it up! "Providing the very best support and service is what I aim to deliver, so please let me know how I can assist you." If you need help or want an example of customer services ask Liz, she is amazing! I feel privileged to have the opportunity to work with her and their team. The work that they do will transform the experience of many athletes of all ages in the world today! Keep up the hard work! You are appreciated." Pam Brooks, CEO of Cornerstone Consulting Int. March 20, 2009

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Sports team case studies

Missouri Bears Softball Team

(NCAA Division 1 USA College) 2008-2009 Season

Holly Hesse | Softball Head Coach | Missouri State University

2008-09 is Holly's 21st season leading the Bears' program. In 2007, she joined an elite group of coaches who have 500 NCAA Division 1 coaching victories in softball.

Holly is the most successful coach in Missouri State history with a 529-501-2 record. Her tenure includes two regular-season MVC titles, four MVC tournament crowns and four NCAA Tournament appearances.
Her team includes: three assistant coaches and 20 softball players in the squad

How was Athlete Assessments used?

• Work with Athlete Assessments included three phone consultations with Bo Hanson, use of the assessments with all players and coaches and access to the included coaching resources.
• An Athlete Assessments Coach login was set up for Holly. Players and coaches were sent their assessment surveys using the automated invitation capability within the coach login. Each person received an individual email and completed their assessments online (in about seven minutes).
• Holly organized a team meeting to discuss the concept of behavioral profiling. The goals were to create a more cohesive team, to help athletes understand their own communication and motivation style, and to identify their respective strengths and limitations in the context of their sport.
• Using a presentation provided by Athlete Assessments, Holly explained the AthleteDISC model. Players quickly understood the core behaviors of each of the four styles and were able to self-select which style they thought they were likely to be (prior to accessing their own results). Back to top
• Each player was then provided their personal report to review and to build on their self-awareness. With the aim of creating greater understanding of each other's personalities, and to minimize behavioral conflicts and misunderstandings, players shared their personal profiles with each other.
• As an ongoing exercise, different pairs of players meet each week to better understand each other. This is reinforced at regular team meetings where players learn more about the team and team goals. The long-term goal is to create stronger emotional bonds on three levels, being the bond between players, the bond to the team's goal and the bond to the team's identity.
• Another component of this process was directed towards the coaches, who also completed their own assessments. The information within their personal profiles gave each of the four coaches a better understanding of their preferred coaching style.

What was achieved? Results and Outcomes:

• Within six weeks, players have become more aware of their own sporting behaviors and very aware of the impact they have on each other. An example is in the relationship between the freshman catcher and senior catcher (who is also her mentor). The senior catcher is a 'high D' (task focused, fast paced) and the freshman catcher is a 'high S' (people focused, slower paced) - basically opposites within the AthleteDISC model. The two were becoming very frustrated with each other and conflict was apparent. Holly, using their Athlete Assessments showed them their conflicts over the speed of completing tasks and doing them right. Once the two realized their differences, they created a strategy to make respective adjustments and to value these differences.
• Within the team there exists even greater respect for the diversity of the players' personalities. Players and coaches now know that to get the most out of each other and the team, they must treat each team member as an individual and according to how that individual would like to be treated. This is helping to build even greater respect within the team.
• The final critical component relates to the coaches' coaching styles. The concept of Situational Coaching Styles was used and shows how the coaches could be more relationship focused to balance their degree of task focus. During consultation sessions, 'Athlete Engagement' was a key area for ongoing work. This is largely related to the coaches' style of coaching and being able to tailor their style to suit the situation and the specific needs of their individual athletes. This has lead to creating an atmosphere at training where players feel more valued, and they want to be part of the team. At the Missouri Bears this is done to an exceptional level and is a model for other teams of all sports. Find out more about Holly and her team at www.thediamondofsuccess.com
• At the time of this publication, the Missouri Bears have just played and won all first eight games.
  
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Western Australia's State Men's Softball Team

"Working with Bo definitely increased my appetite to utilize AthleteDISC, not only as a tool to communicate and understand my athletes better, but also myself and how I communicate to individuals. I used this opportunity to understand and acknowledge the team's current playing style and assist in identify the challenges of changing the thinking of individuals within the team, to enhance the playing style and attitude of theirs and other individuals within the team. Winning national championships is a long road, but working with AthleteDISC has certainly smoothed the way." Gary Butler, Head Coach

This team's head coach and assistant coach wanted to better understand the individuals in the team, and the team dynamics. Both the coaching staff and all of the players used Athlete Assessments, with every athlete completing the AthleteDISC profiling survey.

The assessments helped the coaches to get a better understanding of their coaching style and how they could best meet their team's needs.

Issues discussed with Bo Hanson included:

• Analyzing the style of play the team was likely to display given their team dynamics profile.
• Creating strategies to more effectively communicate and coach certain players with more complex profiles.
• Understand likely leadership candidates for the leadership within the team.
• Strategies to become a closer bonded team who play for each other and the State they represent.
  
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Case Study and Testimonials: AFL Qld Level 2 Coaches Course

(Australian Football League Coach Accreditation Course)

AFL Queensland - November 2008
Coaches Course | Level 2 Accreditation

This course was for coaches involved at a higher level (rep teams, development squads) with an aptitude and genuine interest in improving their coaching skills. It was conducted through practical, hands-on involvement. The focus was on preparing a coach to plan, prepare, conduct, review and adapt a yearlong coaching program.

How was Athlete Assessments used?

• Prior to attending the coaching course, all of the coaches completed their own Athlete Assessment profile, to better understand their own sporting behaviors and coaching style. Their reports revealed their preferred styles of behaving, motivation and communication preferences, strategies to capitalize on their personal strengths and recommendations to address development opportunities. There was also the optional capability to invite others (i.e. other coaches, players) to answer a survey about them, as they see them, providing a full '360 degree' review and direct feedback to their behavior in the sporting environment.
• Bo Hanson (the developer and founder of Athlete Assessments) also presented a 75-minute session at the coaching course. The session was titled 'Coaching the Individual Athlete' and provided the coaches with a debrief of their own profile results and the application to coaching the players in their teams. The session included understanding the role personality plays in sport, an overview of the DISC model, the different styles of athletes and how to be most effective with communication and motivational strategies as the coach.

What was achieved? Testimonials from AFLQ coaches who attended:

"My personal Athlete Assessment profile, gave me a clear insight into myself as an athlete/coach and how I behave, interact and give back information. The session with Bo helped me understand the different personalities and how best to manage their interaction with each other, to best benefit the team as a whole. It turned a light bulb on for a few individuals in the teams I coached this year, even without them doing an assessment, I have a better understanding of why they behaved and reacted the way they did and how to address it better next year." Daneal Todkill, Coach at Brisbane North AFL Club

"Bo's session, gave me a further realization of just how important it is to remember we deal with so many different profiles and personalities within a group, and we must consider this when communicating to our team to obtain the best results and understanding of the individuals." David Freeman, Coach at Sandgate AFL Club

"The Athlete Assessment profile is a very good tool for coaches. It helps the coach to understand what motivates each member of their team. What was of most value for me from Bo's session was when being involved as a coach/mentor to athletes, all are different and we need to recognize athletes as individuals and also recognize that they have different trigger points and approach their sport in a range of different ways, and this does not mean that they are not all motivated toward the same goal." Bruce Beaumont, Coach at Coorparoo AFL Club

"What I got from the Athlete Assessment was it made me look at myself and the way I talk and communicate with those I coach. It's always good to listen to someone who has been competing at Olympic Games level to know what is required in coaching." Terry Jensen, Coach at Maroochydore AFL Club

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Now it's your turn.

If you want to experience improved performance and great results like these satisfied clients, or simply want to find out more about Athlete Assessments' sports profiling products, visit the information for coaches, information for athletes or information for performance consultants sections.

Or please contact us directly to discuss how we can help with your particular requirements or questions. We are passionate about performance and are here to help YOU.

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