you are looking for simple and effective principles about how to be a great coach, they are here waiting for you in this book. But it goes beyond sports. I believe this inspirational book can also make you a better person, and someone who can make others better. Although both my sons were lucky enough to go on to play in the NFL, they learned lessons from Martin that could be used beyond the playing field. His coaching style taught them valuable lessons for winning in the game of life, too.
Whether you consider yourself a coach or not, you will be able to use the information in this quick and easy read to help people. If I could coach you how to use this book, I would challenge you to immediately apply the lessons while they are fresh in your mind, because as Coach to Coach will remind you, it isn't enough to know the lessons, you also need to put them into action.
It is my hope that every coach around the world reads this book. And you should hope so, too. Because not only might one of those coaches be in charge of your country, but one of them might also be a very influential part of your child's future.
Phil Simms
Super Bowl XXI MVP
Inside the NFL analyst
CBS lead sportscaster
Introduction
The world needs better coaches.
Whether you believe it or not, you are a coach. You don't have to be in charge of a sports team or business to earn the title. If you are a parent, teammate, co-worker, or friend, you are a coach in some way to someone else every day.
Unfortunately, like money, marriage, and parenting, coaching someone else doesn't come with a rule book or manual. It is my hope that this short, yet powerful parable in some way becomes one of those manuals for you.
I believe being called a coach is the most honorable title you can earn. When someone calls you “coach,” he or she is handing you the reins to some aspect of their life. They give you control, hoping you are the one who cares enough to show them the way to where it is they want to go.
This book is not about current science or the technical knowledge about running a practice or helping someone win a game. The ideas are much simpler, but also run much deeper. This is the softer side of coaching we know exists, but rarely gets a glimpse in today's arena.
I believe we are all waiting for a person like the old coach in this book to show up and help us fix a number of the problems in our lives. My hope is that after reading this book, instead of continually waiting for that person to magically appear, you go out into the world, use the lessons he had to teach, and become that coach for someone else.
I promise if you just take away the “Golden Rule” from this book and apply it, your life and the lives of others around you will improve. And that is because the real way a coach becomes richer is by enriching the life of someone else.
I also invite you to share your own inspiring coaching stories or how you have used some of the ideas from this book to improve the life of someone else. You can reach me at [email protected].
How do I know applying what you read in this book can forever change your life? Because it worked for me.
Martin Rooney
Cornelius, NC
2020
1 The Tunnel
AND THEN HE WAS THERE.
Things really couldn't get much worse. Another loss for the team, and as Brian Knight made his way toward the locker room, he realized he couldn't be more alone.
As he walked from the field into the tunnel, he thought about slipping out a side door and going home. Not only did he really not feel like facing the team or the other coaches, but he also felt his job was in jeopardy.
But if he snuck back to his house, things wouldn't really be better there anyway, he thought gloomily. His kids would already be asleep—a reminder of another day missed with them. And quietly slipping into bed next to his sleeping wife would only remind him of the growing distance between them.
Bills and stress were piling up. Maybe it was time to give up on coaching and get a “real” job.
“Not your best day, huh, Bri?” came a hoarse voice from what seemed out of nowhere.
Brian turned around to see an older man about his height, maybe in his mid-60s, standing with his arms and palms against the cool wall of the tunnel.
“Excuse me?” said Brian, in the kind of tone that let the man know he was offended.
“I said, it didn't seem to be your best day out there,” replied the old man. “It's pretty obvious the defense was the reason the team lost out there tonight. Not much to be proud of.”
This got Brian's attention and angered him. Now agitated and arms crossed against his chest, he retorted, “Look, man, I don't know who you are or how you got in here, but you picked the wrong guy to piss off tonight.” With that statement, Brian took a half-step closer to the man.
The old man, seemingly amused by his apparent aggression, stepped away from the wall, kept his hands at his sides and moved right within a foot of Brian. “Calm down, kid. Seems things are worse than I remembered. I'm not here to bring you down. I'm here to build you up.” And with a smile that seemed to disarm Brian a little, he added, “And besides, I really don't think you want to lose twice tonight.”
Looking into the old man's eyes, Brian saw a confidence and peace of mind that intrigued him. He could also feel something else. It wasn't aggression. The closest thing he could equate it to was compassion. The old man understood. This feeling and the smile on the old man's face actually made Brian crack a smile, too.
With the tension eased a little, the old man said, “Don't worry, kid, everything has a strange way of working out.”
At that moment, the locker room door burst open and the head coach yelled out, “Knight, get in here. We're about to address the team.”
Brian turned back to offer a quick apology to the old man, but he was gone. Brian paused, puzzled about where this man had come from and how he knew his name. But before he could process the exchange or his sudden disappearance, he heard his name yelled again and quickly headed back to the locker room for the usual postgame duties.
The rest of the night was the usual except for one thing. Yes, there was the review of the game, the plans for next week, and the long drive home. But instead of going to sleep feeling helpless, for the first time in as long has he could remember, Brian had a strange feeling of optimism that things could indeed work out just like the old man said.
2 The Grind
Every day was starting to seem like wash, rinse, and repeat. And not on a good cycle.
Getting up early for so many years had become natural to Brian, but that didn't mean it was easy. In fact, the morning knot he had in his stomach was getting tighter and putting his feet on the floor at 4 a.m. was getting tougher. More and more days started with him wishing he could just stay in bed.
Brian's
