In any movie, if you’re working towards winning a goal, there’s always a great coach right next to you, pushing you along. Below are 15 of the greatest coaches from movies. I came up with 3 things that made these guys great and listed them at the bottom. Maybe you can come up with more.

15. Coach Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) The Mighty Ducks

14. Coach Irv (John Candy): Cool Runnings
http://youtu.be/aaov7DNICPg

13. Pai Mei: Kill Bill

12. Coach Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell): Miracle

11. Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood): Million Dollar Baby

10. Coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman): Hoosiers

9. Coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington): Remember the Titans

8. Splinter: TMNT

7. Batman and Robin

6. Charles Xavier (James McAvoy): X-Men

5. Obi Wan Kenobi: Star Wars

4. Mr. Meogi (Pat Morita): The Karate Kid

3. Mickey: Rocky
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CObJZf2YzDw

2. Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne): The Matrix

1. Yoda: Star Wars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x7fzNZdFSk

Not on the list:

Gandalf

Dumbledore

3 Reasons these guys were great mentors:

1. Presence. In each movie, the coach always spends a lot of time with the person/team they’re training. This is always a great reminder that spending time with people matters! The people we meet with should be able to see us interact in all kinds of situations, not just one hour every few weeks. I’ll admit, this challenges me. In our busy schedules, we need to try to invite the people we meet with into our lives, not just meet with them for an hour during the month.

2. Example. The coach always sets an example. Sometimes he sets a tone in passion or intensity (Miracle, Hoosiers). Other times he sets an example by sheer talent (The Maxtrix, Kill Bill, Star Wars). But, the mentor leads by example and sets an example the person training can follow and work towards.)

3. Belief in person being trained. The coach always sees something special in the one being coached that they don’t see in themselves. He sees what they can become and works tirelessly to help them become that. What do we see in the people we meet with?

If you want to be the best coach, here’s a few bonus items the movie mentors had that could help you: Knowledge of martial arts (Morpheus, Pai Mei, Splinter, Batman, Mr. Meogi). Ability to make memorable speeches (Hoosiers, Mighty Ducks, Miracle, Remember the Titans).  Great facial hair (Kill Bill, Gandalf, Dumbledore). Possibly a bald head (Morpheus, Professor X, Yoda, Mr. Meogi- was getting there). A distinct voice (Yoda, Pai Mei, Morpheus, Splinter, Micky, Mr. Meogi). It appears if you really want to up your game as a mentor- you should probably learn Kung Fu.