To Be a Better Coach - (Professional Development in Sport Coaching) by Pete Van Mullem & Lori Gano-Overway (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

This book combines comprehensive research in coach development and hands-on experience to offer coaches and coach developers concrete, practical suggestions to improve coaching performance in youth sport. It speaks directly to coaches working in community youth sport programs, interscholastic sport, and private youth sport organizations.

Review Quotes

Pete Van Mullem and Lori Gano-Overway have taken decades of knowledge, generally reserved for coaches who have learned through constant trial and error, and provided a well thought out game plan for new and continually evolving coaches. To Be a Better Coach provides step by step processes, real life examples, and thought provoking questions that will assist coaches in growing their knowledge and skill-set in the many intricate facets of becoming a positively impactful mentor. Their approach in teaching coaches the responsibility of being a holistic, big picture, and life lesson impactor will serve as a valuable foundation for coaches passionate about the success of their athletes during competition and beyond. To Be a Better Coach: A Guide for the Youth Sport Coach and Coach Developer is an essential addition to you and your organization's collection.

Pete Van Mullem and Lori Gano-Overway's dedication to quality youth sports shows as the authors delve into all of the key aspects of what makes a great coach. To Be a Better Coach: A Guide for the Youth Sport Coach and Coach Developer provides engaging exercises, real-world scenarios and research-backed advice to encourage coaches to improve at their craft. No matter your role in sports, we can all agree that the impact of a coach on a young athlete's experience is unparalleled. This book helps us strive towards better youth sports for kids through better coaching.

This publication provides much needed practical guidance and important considerations for those working with youth athletes. The authors incorporate solid theory about effective coaching and youth development as they move quickly into specific examples and detailed descriptions of application in a variety of settings. These examples will keep the reader focused on how to achieve the multiple goals that coaches should attend to as they work with our young people. Most importantly, as it addresses many of the challenges in the youth sports environment, the book is a motivating reminder about how impactful and fulfilling youth sport coaching can be!

To Be a Better Coach does a great job setting the structure and framework every coach would need to improve their ability to coach athletes in today's culture. The authors show there is more than X's and O's if you want to be your best as a coach.

To Be a Better Coach is a blueprint for coaches on how to create a successful environment for your athletes and program. It is very detail oriented but also an easy to read resource for coaches just starting out or veteran coaches who are hoping to improve their approach and program. To Be a Better Coach is a must read for all coaches!

To Be a Better Coach is a must read for all prospective coaches interested in working in youth sports. The authors provide a well-researched, detailed, enjoyable, and action-oriented resource that serves as a great reminder about the responsibility that all coaches have to inspire, educate, develop, and care for their athletes in the healthiest and safest way possible.

To Be a Better Coach is both an extremely practical and deeply philosophical approach to working with young developing athletes in any sport. Being both a head coach and employer of close to a dozen other part-time coaches, I would absolutely use this systematic and thoughtful pedagogy to create a team culture where athletes and coaches strive to get better every day in a safe, mindful and uplifting fashion. I would recommend this book to any coach who is looking to improve and educate his or her staff as well as reminding all coaches why our job is so important.

To Be a Better Coach is one of those books that has something for everyone, from the novice coach to the experienced coach, coach educator and parent alike. The "In Action" sections and "Coaching Tips" provide an immediate application of the concept(s) for coaching practice. Authentic scenarios and examples support the literature throughout the book that any coach will be able to relate to. To Be a Better Coach will not only make you a better coach, it will help you be a better person.

About the Author

Pete Van Mullem is a professor in movement and sport sciences at Lewis-Clark State College. He has over 14 years of professional experience in coaching and athletic administrative positions at the middle school, high school, small college, and NCAA Division II and Division I levels. He serves on the editorial board for the International Sport Coaching Journal and is the managing editor for PHE America. Van Mullem served as a member of the National Standards for Sport Coaches Revision Task Force. He has authored over 40 articles related to coach development.
Lori Gano-Overway is an assistant professor and coaching education minor program director at James Madison University. She has been involved in coaching education for over 20 years and is an AASP certified mental performance consultant. Gano-Overway serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, and the International Sport Coaching Journal, and is the editor for the Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal. She is a board member for the United States Center for Coaching Excellence and serves as their accreditation chair. Gano-Overway is also a member of the Virginia High School League coaching education committee and serves on the National Advisory Board for the Positive Coaching Alliance. She is recently chaired the task force to revise the National Standards for Sport Coaches for SHAPE America.