Be The Ultimate Sports Coach (Paperback) | Released: 12 Apr 2016

I wrote this book for every child who ever participates in team sports. I firmly believe that every coach's top priority when coaching should be the betterment of the kids he coaches. If the information in this book helps some coaches better help their players, then the book has served its purpose. I did not write this book as an, "ABCs," directive to coaching, because coaching is like a marriage or raising children in that there can't be a perfect instruction manual. While I believe very firmly that some of the things I preach are absolutely correct in the coaching arena, I realize that everyone's coaching situation is different. For anyone to be adamant about exactly how to handle every aspect of coaching would be terribly naïve and shortsighted. What you will read is a series of vignettes describing various coaching situations I have encountered and how I handled them. In some cases, I relate situations that I have watched other coaches deal with; some good and some not so good. In those instances, I help you to see options that will get the best results out of the players. (That's the goal, right?) You will see that I follow the same set of principles in all that I do. From that, you will determine what I deem to be the most important aspects of competitive athletics and why. While I take the responsibility of coaching very seriously - you probably have not met a more competitive person than I - I do not take myself too seriously. Much of what you read will have my offbeat sense of humor injected into it. Hopefully, that will make this an easy read while still being helpful as you prepare to embark, or continue, on your coaching journey.
About the Author: Allen Buck was born in Southern Indiana, the product of a high school principal and a stay-at-home mom who later taught math, English, and whatever else was needed to help adults to attain their GED. His coaches were firm taskmasters and the principles he learned from his parents and coaches serve as the basis for his approach to coaching. He has two adult sons. When they were three and seven, he and their mother divorced. She moved several states away so he gained custody and raised his sons. He recognized very early that these were not quiet, mild-mannered children so he channeled their ample energies into athletics. Naturally he followed and that was the beginning of his love affair with coaching. He has coached football, basketball, and baseball for over twenty years, with players ranging in age from 6 to 18 year old seniors in high school. He also provides radio commentary in football, basketball, baseball, and softball. Game knowledge and the ability to communicate it serve him very well in coaching and broadcasting. He was lucky to have coaches whose messages beyond the sport dovetailed nicely with the principles he learned at home. He has passed these along to many players over the years but he has seen too many coaches who did not grasp the concept. That is the reason for the book. It is his hope that this book will benefit kids by helping coaches everywhere to understand that the best coaching involves more than just the "X"s and "O"s.