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Last Word: On Coaching, Winning, Motivation and Inspiration.
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published October 1, 2008
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April 14, 2023
Jack Gibson is the giant upon whose shoulders all modern rugby league coaches stand. The first rugby league coach to look not only outside the game but also overseas for insight and knowledge.
Modern day rugby league coaches are jetting around the world learning the systems and processes of elite sporting organisations, they have more information at their fingertips than ever existed in Gibson's time, and more than they could ever use.
Meanwhile Gibson invented the tackle bag and watching video footage, he's just from a different world.
Unfortunately this book isn't great. The title is quite apt, The Last Word. It's basically every memorable quote that Gibson has written down over his entire life and probably even contains the last word he ever spoke. He clearly decided to compile all his papers and publish them before he ascended to that great rugby league heaven in the sky.
His work here consists largely of substituting the word coach for leader or ruler. Here's famous Chinese philosopher coach Lao Tzu on coaching.
The Superior coach gets things done with little motion.
He imparts instructions not through many words, but through a few deeds.
He keeps informed about everything, but interferes hardly at all.
He is a catalyst, and though things would not get done as well if he weren't there, when they succeed, he takes no credit.
And because he takes no credit, credit never leaves him.
-Lao Tzu
I cannot stress enough how this is just a big book of quotes. One really has to ask what Ian Heads role was in the creation of this book because other than swapping in the word coach there's little to no editing work done here. There's a few glib observations on some famous players but that material is very thin.
I turn to the advice of Scottish Poet and Aphorist Don Patterson for advice on how to read this book (I've substituted aphorisms for quotes).
"Reading a book of quotes diligently in the sequence they appear makes about as much sense as eating a large jar of onions diligently in the sequence they appear; and no one should try to finish either in one sitting."
Modern day rugby league coaches are jetting around the world learning the systems and processes of elite sporting organisations, they have more information at their fingertips than ever existed in Gibson's time, and more than they could ever use.
Meanwhile Gibson invented the tackle bag and watching video footage, he's just from a different world.
Unfortunately this book isn't great. The title is quite apt, The Last Word. It's basically every memorable quote that Gibson has written down over his entire life and probably even contains the last word he ever spoke. He clearly decided to compile all his papers and publish them before he ascended to that great rugby league heaven in the sky.
His work here consists largely of substituting the word coach for leader or ruler. Here's famous Chinese philosopher coach Lao Tzu on coaching.
The Superior coach gets things done with little motion.
He imparts instructions not through many words, but through a few deeds.
He keeps informed about everything, but interferes hardly at all.
He is a catalyst, and though things would not get done as well if he weren't there, when they succeed, he takes no credit.
And because he takes no credit, credit never leaves him.
-Lao Tzu
I cannot stress enough how this is just a big book of quotes. One really has to ask what Ian Heads role was in the creation of this book because other than swapping in the word coach there's little to no editing work done here. There's a few glib observations on some famous players but that material is very thin.
I turn to the advice of Scottish Poet and Aphorist Don Patterson for advice on how to read this book (I've substituted aphorisms for quotes).
"Reading a book of quotes diligently in the sequence they appear makes about as much sense as eating a large jar of onions diligently in the sequence they appear; and no one should try to finish either in one sitting."
Displaying 1 of 1 review