Reading List
Reading List
All of these books I have personally read, and feel they will have a great impact on coaches, and their understanding of athletes and the game. I believe that professional development doesn't ever stop, and am very happy to be able to create this list and provide another way to help try and develop the game I love. Each book will have a link to a site where it can be purchased, and almost all of these I have found at Barnes and Noble for reasonable prices. It's been a great way to continue to learn and see where we've come from and where we're going as coaches.
Weight Lifting and Athletic Performance
Weight Lifting and Athletic Performance
This information is a great way to build a program based off of you and your needs. With Alternative exercises and an extensive set of videos for every single exercise with coaching cues this resource proves itself to be extremely valuable. Although it's more expensive than others the video library and coaching tips given are things you can apply directly to your program.
This was the first of the 2 books by Eric Cressey that I read, it was really interesting to start to change my perception of how we lift, and how being strong is the first part of the puzzle. Without the initial strength the refined skill movement will only get you so far.
This book and programs were made for coaches that want to build athleticism and strength in the weight room. Filled with information about why exercises are chosen, and the purpose behind each exercise. With Regressions and Progressions for each of the Big 5 Patterns Zach Dechant gives you everything you need in order to build a weight lifting program to meet your athletes needs, and if you don't want to build one, there's some templates inside as well.
Team Culture and Coaching Philosopy
Team Culture and Coaching Philosopy
With the mental game being one of the least approached aspects in youth and high school athletics Mind Gym provides you with over 35 exercises for your athletes to start building the necessary mental fortitude this game requires.
Of all the books I read this past summer I beilive that "The Pack" is a must read for any coach that wants to have a greater impact on their players. This won't give you the best bunt coverage, or hitting routines, but it will provide you with a foundation of character to build your team. Matt Deggs gives you a blueprint to help get your teams "culture" set to create high character people.
Real World Baseball and Application of New Data and Tools
Real World Baseball and Application of New Data and Tools
If you aren't an avid follower of new data in baseball this book will completely change everything you've thought. There isn't a single idea that will not be challenged scientifically, and it will open your eyes to new technology and philosophies that don't accept "we've always done it this way"
The 2017 World Series champs didn't happen overnight, it actually started during the seasons of 100+ losses and this book follows the journey that it took in order to get to being world series champs. Astroball is an aggressive data approach at the professional level and the road it takes to becoming World Series Champs
Everyone gets a little nervous when a pitcher grabs his throwing arm. We've all seen the face of pain and fear that it's the worst possible outcome. Tommy John has become too common a phrase in today's game, and it's important to understand where it started and the exponential increase that has happened. We as coaches can help curve this trend, but it takes an understanding of what the causes are in the first place.
One of the best books I have read as far as a true understanding of the kinematics, the biomechanics, and actual science behind the art of pitching. It's a complete analysis of everything pitching, including workout plans, and everything Driveline does. Only negative is it's extremely expensive for a book, although it was definitely worth it.
With all the data and all the new terms and metrics that are being thrown at us it's very easy to lose sight that you're still coaching a player. This book takes you to back to the nuts and bolts of coaching players. Using data, but not overloading, finding ways that can build players without defining them with a single number. A great read for anyone who is getting too caught up in the numbers side of the game.
Although it is short this book did provide information relating to how to better approach attack angle, and how it is more than a 2 dimensional problem. We have to completely understand the complexity of the swing before we attempt to fix 1 thing. In order to do that we have to understand attack angle isn't just simply knob angle of approach. It's much more than that. I wouldn't purchase this one over the other recommendations, but for a new perspective it definitely helped.
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