Customer Reviews

Positive Coaching: Building Character and Self-Esteem Through Youth Sports

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I coach volleyball in grade school and junior high school, and I usually get the "B teams" (the leftovers who are not as talented as the girls on the "A" team.) Therefore, if there ever was a crying need for a book on how to coach these types of athletes, this book more than served its purpose for me. Actually, this book had a positive effect on me since it saved my coaching career.

Don't get me wrong, though, this book will turn around any coach's career whether he has an A or a B team. I coached a group of 13 and 14 year old softball players the year that I purchased this book. At the beginning of the season, the only team these girls could beat was themselves; in fact, that was primarily the reason they were losing was the fact that they were beating themselves! Well, after one mediocre game, I sat the girls down on the bench and instead of reading them the riot act, I took to heart a suggestion by the author. I emphasized all the positive aspects of the game they played just to show these girls that they were capable of doing some positive things. I did this after each game from then on, win or lose. Wouldn't you know it, these same rag tag girls lost the last the last game of the season: the city championship game by one run (to a team that annihilated them by 12 runs in the first game of that season.) This was an example of positive coaching, and I've used everything in this book to my advantage to become a successful POSITIVE coach. Thanks Mr. Thompson for turning my career around!

The reader from Trenton, Michigan missed the point of this book. Readers of that review should carefully consider the source and its use of hateful ideas and language. This is an excellent book for amateur coaches of kids. It teaches how to interact with kids and how to motivate them to do their best without resorting to screaming and put-downs. If you are a coach or parent, this will be both fun to read and useful to learn from.

You wouldn't think "profound" is a word to use in connection with a book on coaching youth sports, but Jim Thompson's "Positive Coaching" left me deeply affected. And for the right reasons. There is so much practical information on how to be a great coach that I have just finished it and cannot wait to reread some key chapters. Of course Mr. Thompson will help me win more Little League girls softball games, but, much more important, I will be better able to communicate with my players, and help build their character and self esteem, lofty but eminently appropraite goals for any coach. The capper for me was one of the final chapters where Mr. Thompson examines his personal motivation for coaching in terms of his own unfullfilled dreams. We all have demons. By sharing his, Mr. Thompson made me better able to deal wiht mine. The difficult part of coaching is not the plays and the stratigies, but how to deal effectively with the people - the players, their families and the league - to this area Mr. Thompson brings a wealth of reading, years of experience and deep and sensitive interest.. He is beyond expert.

I found it to be a great book to remind you of what is important in coaching young athletes and gives you ways to accomplish the goals he presents. I highly recommend it!

This book is helpful for human interaction in general. Whether parenting, sitting at a bar, meeting in social clubs, working with customers, employees or employers the perspectives in this book can be helpful. I have outlined a review of every chapter in the book and what is covered.

Chapter 1 explains why coaching is difficult.
Talks about the worst in parents, coach's self-portrait, conflict of interest and hang-ups.
Describes inappropriate role models and commitment frustrations.

Chapter 2 presents the idea of watching for teachable moments.
Describes how to keep track of positive developments for each team member and communicating observations.
Describes how to deliver constructive critism during teachable moments with a track record of positive developments
Endores a high ratio of positive comments to few constructive criticisms.

Chapter 3 shows ways in using teachable moments to maximize benefits.
Encourages use of inspirational stories, metaphors, vision and using emotion to motivate.

Chapter 4 discusses engaging the minds of team members during teachable moments.
Helping team members to think for themselves, having team members coach each other and setting nurturing goals.

Chapter 5 describes a coach's role in building self-esteem.
Relates self-esteem to performance, competence, self-worth and self-endorsement.

Chapter 6 talks about character building.
Describes what the coach's most important character trait is.
Gives an overview about positive character traits to be reinforced.
Encourages character building during off-season activities.

Chapter 7 asserts that mistakes are forgivable and are valuable learning experiences.

Chapter 8 shows how to make practice time productive and fun.
Covers topics such as overlearning, recognizing challenges, making a commitment to learn, being prepared and building around a core.

Chapter 9 depicts the best coaching practices during competitions.
It is best to coach as a cheerleader, help them deal with pressure, emphasize character and preparing them well for the game.

Chapter 10 is about handling parents.
Documents incidents of improper parenting and how to help the team member and parent.
Presents the things that parents need from the person coaching their child.
Sets guidelines on how parents can best help the child and the coach.
Describes a parents impact on character development and how to intervene if necessary.

Chapter 11 puts "winning" into healthy perspective.
Asserts that winning is not the only thing that matters in competitions.
Warns against setting standards that are too high and worrying too much about other people's opinions.

Chapter 12 outlines the valuable lessons that come with losing a competition.
Explains how to handle the disappointment of losing and what to do when things go wrong.
Losing provides an opportunity to assess the competition and getting on the comeback trail.
There is a certain amount of freedom and appreciation that comes with losing.

Chapter 13 talks about nurturing outstanding individual competitors.
Defines the characteristics of an outstanding competitor and self-efficacy.
Coaches are told what they can and cannot do when coaching an outstanding competitor.

Chapter 14 wants coaches to make sure individuals can perform in the context of a team.
Describes awards that can undermine team spirit and how coaching can work to neutralize negative attitudes among team players.
Many ways of encouraging a team effort are discussed.

Chapter 15 recognizes the need to coach the many special team members.
The superstar, the large body type, the weak athlete, antagonistic members, unlikeable members, loners, handicapped, younger siblings, scapegoats, the uncoachable, the coach's (your own) child are examples of special cases that a coach might have to help.

Chapter 16 proposes how the end of a coaching season should be handled.

Chapter 17 encourages the coach to move the league in a positive direction.
Describes three kinds of adults that might be encountered in a supporting sports organization.
The positive impact of the parents and coach working together is discussed.

Chapter 18 approaches touchy topics in the "dark side of coaching"
Basically it explains that much like parents, coaches can unhelpfully project feelings of their own inadaquacy toward their team members.
This chapter helps work through some of the potential pitfalls.

Chapter 19 encourages coaches to teach team members to be positive coaches.
Emphasis is placed on making "unspecial" team members feel special.
Effective coaching will pass the torch of positive coaching onto future coaches.
A key to this is being the kind of coach you would have wanted to have helping your development process.

The book ends with references to sports organizations.
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I have found this book very helpful, it also confirms a lot of things that I already apply to coaching my kids. It definitely worth a ready.

This book has completely changed my viewpoint on coaching youth athletes. It is an absolute must-read, in my opinion, for all coaches and parents.

This was recommended by our baseball coach. My husband read it and said it will be very helpful!

The Author has a background that provided him with examples for each of his methods. He has Coached at many different Sports & Physical Abilities.
The book is all about BEING POSITIVE in all your contacts with Athletes & Parents. Nearly 400 pages long, it covers most of the situations Coaches face in their Career. The one I broke a smile on was describing how to deal with NEGATIVE PATENTS. He advises that you stay positive; continue to demand that they be positive & sooner or later, they will leave for another team. A negative person is just NOT HAPPY unless they can be negative. I bought 5 used books & handed them out to my fellow High School Coaches & my neighbor who coaches 12 year old Boy Basketballers.
This book is one you can keep on the top shelf & refer to it as the need arises.

I got this book just as I was about to coach a new teeball team and found its insight very helpful. Not a book about what drills to use but about motivation, handling people and protecting peoples love of the sport. More cerebral than I would expect in a coaching book. I used much of the material in my business career. Now I am starting his next book, "Shooting in the Dark".