Have you ever wondered what the elite coaches read each month?
My friend, Dr. Paul Schempp, at the Sport Instruction Research Laboratory at the University of Georgia, recently polled the top expert coaches in their sport and asked them to send in the most influential reads in their lives. This list is amazing and with each blog I will personally share with you a book from the shelf of the great coaches and teachers of all time.
Coaching the Mental Game, Leadership Philosophies and Strategies for Peak Performance in Sports–and Everyday Life, by Harvey A. Dorfman. Taylor Trade Publishing (October 25, 2003)
From the Publisher
For the first time, a book has been written that provides coaches of all sports with the tools to enable them to more effectively teach the mental game and lead athletes to a winning way.
Library Journal
Leading sports psychologist Dorfman (The Mental Game of Baseball, The Mental ABC’s of Pitching, and The Mental Keys to Hitting) here advocates a “meat and potatoes approach” and the use of common sense in coaching techniques and strategies. Nicknamed the “Sigmund Freud of Baseball” by GQ magazine, Dorfman discusses leadership philosophies and strategies for peak performance by coaches and athletes in sports as well as in everyday life. His A-Z list of impact terms for coaches and athletes should be of great assistance for anyone in sports. Dorfman emphasizes that “everything a coach says or does becomes a message that the athletes receive, interpret, and respond to mentally.” Coaches need to realize that they are perceived by athletes as leaders, teachers, and mentors, and therefore they must think before speaking, be clear communicators, speak with clarity, be consistent yet flexible, and learn to establish a connection to all team members. In short, this is a book about the dos and don’ts of coaching and leadership. Recommended for sports collections.-Tim Delaney, Canisius Coll., Buffalo, NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.