Books about Coaching

Rod was the chief architect behind GB Cycling’s Road success. Project Rainbow is the story of how the journey progressed as Rod built the system from the bottom up, which ultimately led to Mark Cavendish’s success to win the World Road Race Championship.

The book is full of coaching snippets, interesting ideas and approaches to developing a pathway and the motivations behind developing the foundations to what is now the British Cycling performance pathway.

Themes this coaching book explores include:

• Development Journeys
• Talent Development
• Holistic Coaching
• Transitions

Dave Aldred is a legend in sports coaching, working in the high-performance environment with many sports. Most notably his work with Johnny Wilkinson during the 2003 Rugby World Cup. The book begins with reframing pressure as a positive force and the importance of focusing on the process not the outcome.

Packed with approaches that can be applied in your coaching, Dave explores the principle of pressure using stories to explore frameworks. Read how to use the ‘ugly zone’ in practice using body language, and the importance of words and language to manage pressure. From controlling the controllables through to developing pre-performance routines, each chapter provides an insight into how the world’s best manage pressure.

Regardless of the sport or physical activity you coach, I can guarantee there will be an ‘ah’ moment for you when reading. An essential addition to any list of top books for coaches.

• Sport Psychology
• Understanding and Managing Stress
• Developing Emotional Regulation
• Performance Skills

Athletic Development provides a hands-on guide to how to develop the athlete. Packed with information, each chapter guides you through understanding the demands of your sport or physical activity and approaches to programme design and progressions. Vern shares his insight and experience over the decades as he busts myths and combines a framework to help you design your programme. Whether new to the area of athletic development or an experienced practitioner, this book has the answers you are looking for.

• Physical Literacy & Athletic Development
• Physical Preparation
• Injury Prevention
• Rest & Recovery

*Please note there is now a fourth addition with an additional author.

Understanding Sports Coaching explores coaching at a deeper level and considers the complex interplay between coach, participant, environment and social context. It is a challenging read which encourages you to reflect and consider your coaching and how it influences and impacts your practice.

Guided by case studies, examples and practical suggestions, the book provides a series of tools to challenge your coaching. Whether you read from page to page or dip into chapters, there is something for every coach.

• Coaching Practice
• Values & Culture 
• Nonlinear Development

A book about coaching written by education experts which has many benefits for sports coaches. The book does what it says on the cover! 42 rules you can implement in your practice to help your participants get better. From creating a culture of practice, through to role modelling, feedback and how to practice, there are ideas that will challenge your thinking, change your practice design, and make a difference to your participants.

My personal favourite is rule #14, Make Each Minute Matter. Wasting time erodes the effectiveness of practice. Identifying what is ‘eating away’ at your practice time enables your practice to be purposeful and effective. Are you wasting time during transitions? Spending too much time discussing things? Long feedback loops? Participants waiting around for their turn because of queues and practice design? Sharpen up each of these and you have an awesome practice.

“The difference between a great practice session and a good one – and often the difference between a great organisation and a good one – is established in systems like these that allow your productive work to be obsessively efficient.”

• Understanding learning 
• Learning Climates
• Practice Design
• Practice Design for the Individual