Department of Kinesiology
Wade Gilbert, Ph.D.
Professor, Coaching Minor and Sport Psychology Coordinator
Dr. Wade Gilbert is an internationally renowned coaching consultant and sport scientist and an award-winning professor in the Department of Kinesiology at California State University – Fresno. Gilbert holds degrees in physical education, human kinetics, and education, and has taught and studied coaching and talent development at the University of Ottawa, University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA), and Fresno State. He is author of the highly acclaimed book Coaching Better Every Season and Editor Emeritus of the International Sport Coaching Journal. Recognitions of his contributions to the field include the Dorothy V. Harris Memorial Award from the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, the Kristen Marie Gould Endowed Lecture on Sport for Children and Youth at Michigan State University, and the Cal Botterill Legacy Lecture at the University of Winnipeg. In addition to serving as consultant to many Fresno State and local high school coaches, Gilbert is a long-time advisor to the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) Coach Education Department and is the lead author of the USOPC Quality Coaching Framework. Gilbert has counseled coaches and sport organizations around the world spanning all competitive levels and in every sport imaginable including groups such as US Soccer, the Texas Rangers, Hockey Canada, USA Water Polo, US Ski & Snowboard, Softball Canada, Irish Rugby, Cricket Australia, the International Ice Hockey Federation, and World Wrestling Entertainment. Wade currently also serves as the mental performance coach for the Canadian Women's Softball team that will be competing in the Tokyo 2021 Summer Olympics.
Author, Coaching Better Every Season
Lead author, USOCPC Quality Coaching Framework
https://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOPC/Coaching-Education/Quality-Coaching-Framework
Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, International Sport Coaching Journal
Co-editor, Routledge Handbook of Sports Coaching
Follow me on Twitter @WadeWgilbert
Educational Background:
Post-doc, University of California, Los Angeles (Talent Development, 2000)
Ph.D., University of Ottawa (Psychopedagogy, 1999)
M.A., University of Ottawa (Human Kinetics, 1995)
B.P.E, University of Ottawa (1993)
Featured Presentations:
Coaching Better 3-Part Breakout Session Series (July 2020):
Session 1: Relationships and Winning Your Team's Trust
Session 2: Winning Your Practices and Athlete Learning
Session 3: Winning Your Game Day Coaching
2018 Badminton World Federation Global Coaching Conference Opening Keynote
2018 Cricket Australia Coaching Better with Wade Gilbert - Preseason
2017 Gaelic Athletic Association Coaching Conference
Download a PDF copy of Dr. Gilbert's GAA presentation
2015 New Zealand Connecting Coaches Conference
Download a PDF copy of Dr. Gilbert's New Zealand presentation
2013 USOC Coaching Conference
Download a PDF copy of Dr. Gilbert's USOC presentation
Featured Podcasts and Interviews:
Episode 178: How to Overcome Disruption and Build More Team Unity. Way of Champions (July 2020).
Engineering Your Environment – Coach Your Brains Out by Gold Medal Squared (February 2020)
Coaching is Teaching. BLEAV in Athlete Behavior (September 2019)
Wade Gilbert on Coaching Coaches. Intentional Performers with Brian Levenson (December 2018)
Episode 16: The Coach Doc, Dr. Wade Gilbert. Earn Your Edge (October 2018)
Gaincast Episode 121: Coaching Better. Gaincast with Vern Gambetta (June 2018)
Episode 42: Wade Gilbert - Small Towns, Environmental Engineering, and Developing Better Coaches. The Athlete Development Show (December 2017)
Episode 33: Best Selling Authors Wade Gilbert and Jerry Lynch Discuss What Quality Coaching Really Looks Like. Way of Champions Podcast (October 2017)
Episode 15: Coaching Better with Dr. Wade Gilbert on SmartercoachingLLC (February 2017)
Episode 158: Dr. Wade Gilbert on Whistle and a Clipboard (December 2016)
Episode 34: Coaching Better Every Season on The Rugby Coach's Corner (December 2016)
Recent Publications:
Milius, I., Gilbert, W., D., Alexander, D., & Bloom, G. A. (in press). Coaches' use of positive tactile communication in collegiate basketball. International Sport Coaching Journal.
Ruser, J. B., Yukhymenko-Lescroart, M. A., Gilbert, J. N., Gilbert, W., & Moore, S. D., (2020). Gratitude, coach–athlete relationships, and burnout in collegiate student-athletes. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology. Advance online publication. 10.1123/jcsp.2019-0021.
Falcão, W. R., Bloom, G.A. Caron, J.G., Gilbert, W. D. (2019). Youth sport student-athletes' perceptions of humanistic coaching. International Journal of Sport Psychology. 50(6), 523-547. doi:10.7352/IJSP.2019.50.523
Allain, J., Bloom, G. A., & Gilbert, W. (2018). Successful high performance ice hockey coaches' intermission routines and situational factors that guide implementation. The Sport Psychologist, 32, 210-219.
Graduate Classes Taught:
KINES 264 - Psychology of Coaching & Talent Development
KINES 265 - Psychobiology of Sport and Exercise
Current Project(s):
High performance coach development through communities of practice
Multi-dimensional brain priming for skill development and performance readiness
Quote I live by:
“Everyone is a teacher to someone” (John Wooden)
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I’ll spend four sharpening my axe.” (Abraham Lincoln)
Contact Information:
Phone: (559) 278-5170
Email: wgilbert@csufresno.edu
Office: South Gym 128