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Positive Coaching: Building Character and Self-Esteem Through Sports
Positive Coaching is jam packed with information for coaches in any sport. The book includes over 200 coaching recommendations on specific psychological, motivational, and behavioral situations. There is a special focus on the coach as storyteller -- 50 motivational stories can be used to develop strong communication with athletes.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
3 people are currently reading
97 people want to read
About the author
Jim Thompson
91 books3 followersWriter on sports and athletics.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 2, 2020
Great words of wisdom but somethings felt repetitive and I had to struggle through the baseball analogies since it is not necessarily my strong suit.
Page 49 “True mental toughness is exhibited by remaining positive in the face of adversity.”
For athletes and students in relation to coaches and teachers “What we do in practice and in class is planting tomatos plants; but plants that are only watered during practice or within the classroom will not get enough water to bloom. Great athletes and students need to make sure they water and tend to their plants so that they will bear fruit.”
Page 49 “True mental toughness is exhibited by remaining positive in the face of adversity.”
For athletes and students in relation to coaches and teachers “What we do in practice and in class is planting tomatos plants; but plants that are only watered during practice or within the classroom will not get enough water to bloom. Great athletes and students need to make sure they water and tend to their plants so that they will bear fruit.”
March 1, 2017
This is a very informative and thorough retrospect on coaching youth sports for all types of players, parents, and sports. I felt confident about coaching a team after reading and encouraged to keep it positive, fun and instructive throughout the season.
June 16, 2012
Effective coaching and learning starts with a positive approach toward athletics. Thompson provides a guide with theories and examples of how to be a more positive coach for any age and sport. When a coach is successful at positive coaching he or she is developing a successful team without the focus on winning and losing. The first chapter challenges the reader to think of himself as a coach and how he reacts with players. Are you a screamer? Do you think about winning at all costs? He acknowledges that it's hard to be a coach. How do you handle different situations? This helped me reflect on my own coaching skills and change a few things that might make me better.
The succeeding chapters get into more specifics and explain ways to handle parents, different types of players, mistakes, winning and losing, as well as, special needs players. It is practical and general with an abundance of stories that make it easy-to-read. I have been coaching a long time so I did not see anything earth-shattering, instead I came away with a way to reflect on my current practices.
The guts of the book is that coaches strive for players to display full effort, positive attitude, and good sportsmanship in all circumstances. When these character traits are pursued by players they will grow in confidence and mental toughness as they learn to deal with adversity while having fun in a sport they love to play. Players will reach their highest potential maintaining integrity and good sportsmanship as they learn life-long lessons that can be carried into other areas of life.
I read this for a class and would recommend it for coaches but I think the beginning coach is going to benefit more than the seasoned one. Also, the author comes at it from a male point-of-view having coached his son in baseball and basketball. I think the book would have been stronger if it had included a female point-of-view. Girls sports differs from boys sports in some ways and some of the issues are different based on gender differences. But there were only a few instances where I noticed the difference. If you coach, you'll get something out of the read. Building character in ourselves and children is critical to creating good citizens. Good stuff.
The succeeding chapters get into more specifics and explain ways to handle parents, different types of players, mistakes, winning and losing, as well as, special needs players. It is practical and general with an abundance of stories that make it easy-to-read. I have been coaching a long time so I did not see anything earth-shattering, instead I came away with a way to reflect on my current practices.
The guts of the book is that coaches strive for players to display full effort, positive attitude, and good sportsmanship in all circumstances. When these character traits are pursued by players they will grow in confidence and mental toughness as they learn to deal with adversity while having fun in a sport they love to play. Players will reach their highest potential maintaining integrity and good sportsmanship as they learn life-long lessons that can be carried into other areas of life.
I read this for a class and would recommend it for coaches but I think the beginning coach is going to benefit more than the seasoned one. Also, the author comes at it from a male point-of-view having coached his son in baseball and basketball. I think the book would have been stronger if it had included a female point-of-view. Girls sports differs from boys sports in some ways and some of the issues are different based on gender differences. But there were only a few instances where I noticed the difference. If you coach, you'll get something out of the read. Building character in ourselves and children is critical to creating good citizens. Good stuff.
August 11, 2010
An easy-to-read book of great reminders for all coaches. I'm hoping to be a more positive influence to my athletes in the years to come. I'm disappointed in my coaching last year, but trying to move forward and not dwell on the past, as I cannot change my actions and decisions, pressures and concerns, from last year.
I look forward to the future where I will express more positivity, optimism, and just an overall love for the game. We all play sports to HAVE FUN! #1 reason - that is why I am still playing today, many years past "the glory days." :) Because bottom line, it's fun.
This was a good class for me to take this summer to humble and remind me of why we coach.
I look forward to the future where I will express more positivity, optimism, and just an overall love for the game. We all play sports to HAVE FUN! #1 reason - that is why I am still playing today, many years past "the glory days." :) Because bottom line, it's fun.
This was a good class for me to take this summer to humble and remind me of why we coach.
March 27, 2008
Okay, so not necessarily the most spiritually or intellectually enlightening of texts. However, it is a great book for anyone engaged in coaching sports at any level.
April 16, 2010
Good Concepts
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews