THE COACH’S GUIDE TO TEACHING

VIDEOS DISCUSSED IN THE BOOK

Frazier teaches every student Intro, Ch. 4

Ace math teacher Denarius Frazier gathers data intentionally about every student’s progress and this allows him to reinforce relationships as well. See a further discussion of this clip here.

Pete Carroll focused feedback Intro, Ch. 3

One of the NFL’s top coaches talks about building culture. “We’re really disciplined as coaches to always talk about what we want to see, the desired outcome, not about what went wrong or what the mistake was. We have to be disciplined and always use our language to talk about the next thing you can do right.”

Tony Romo perceptive efficiency Ch. 1

During an NFL playoff game, Tony Romo, the former Cowboys quarterback, reads visual cues that tell him what’s likely to happen almost as soon as they appear. He is able to read “at the speed of sight.” Advance to 0:53 to see the “motion and run out wide to the right,” one of dozens of such moments from Romo’s broadcasting career.

Perception and decision-making Ch. 1

A study of two pianists’ eyes while they play. Neither is especially aware of what their eyes do. Surprisingly, the more expert musician takes in less information, but the right information. Expertise is knowing where to look.

Emphasize perception w/ feedback Ch. 3

In which Cristiano Ronaldo’s eyes are studied—what does he look at while dribbling? Can he finish a cross in the dark? Coach’s feedback and questioning can build athlete’s awareness of where to look and what to look for.

Clear, common language Ch. 1

Building background knowledge by framing and naming key principles of play will help players to see key actions when they occur and learn more from looking. You can see more of John Leonzo’s basketball coaching videos on his blog.

Dwyane Wade ball handling Ch. 3

Practicing fundamentals enables creative problem-solving—even for one of the world’s best basketball point guards. Coaches can always help players get core things right.

John Burmeister fast feedback Ch. 3

In the course of the video, Anna plays the trill 11 times in various ways in response to John’s precise and affirming feedback. The focus is always on using the feedback right away.

James Beeston stays focused Ch. 3

To make feedback more effective, focus athletes on one task. Focus yourself on watching for and reinforcing their focus on that task. His language is always consistent.

Dick Bate encodes language Ch. 3

Bate encodes a verbal cue—“Get out and get down”—that he can use to remind players of what they’ve practiced. The consistency of the cue helps players commit their actions to long-term memory. The role of this in culture is discussed in Chapter 5.

Kelvin Jones positive framing Ch. 3, 5

Culture building at his finest. The subtleties of Kelvin’s language as he helps his players improve makes them eager, responsive, growth-oriented learners. Every player feels like he belongs and is included.

Chris Hayden positive framing Ch. 3, 5

Subtleties of language help Chris frame his feedback so relationships are fostered and growth is accelerated. The feedback is constructive, firm and clear.

Signal and noise: Kerr and Curry Ch. 6

Even at the highest levels, the coach’s job is often to help the player attend to the long-run signal—What will make you successful?—more than the momentary noise—You have missed a few shots.

Pep Guardiola direct feedback Ch. 3

Even the world’s top athletes return, briefly, to a more novice-like status when talking about something new. In that case, it’s fine to offer direct instruction, as Pep Guardiola does with Raheem Sterling here. Coach novices differently than experts.

James Beeston high ratio Ch. 3

James Beeston’s players are mentally locked in. His participation ratio is high during questioning—every player thinks about every question—and so is the think ratio—the level of thinking. Coaches can get more out of their feedback and questioning.

James Beeston roll-out speech Ch. 3

Here, James explains how players will be expected to participate during questioning and why. This is called a “roll out speech,” and it explains why his players are so engaged mentally.

Steve Freeman questioning Ch. 3

Steve puts players in functional groups like those they will be in during the match to discuss his questions. He teaches them in practice how to communicate during competition.

Kika Toulouse data tracking Ch. 4

Kika tracks data to better understand her players’ actions and shows it back to players so they can analyze it.

Steve Covino affirmative checking Ch. 4

Steve makes sure to assess his young players’ progress methodically. He has planned well, so every player gets time on the ball, and established habits that help them focus.

Doug McCurry paper passing Ch. 5

Doug models how to build a routine out of a procedure to make his classroom a more efficient learning environment. These norms become part of the culture, and leave more time for practice and growth.

Steve Covino start and stop Ch. 5

Steve uses consistent and sometimes playful cues to make sure he has a strong and efficient procedure for starting and stopping play. Socializing attentiveness helps coach and player.

Katie Kroell keeping attention Ch. 5

What we look at tells students what we care about, and as Katie’s student shows, this causes them to make different decisions about their own actions. Coaches can show athletes they notice and care who is paying attention.