BOOKS
Some might say that books are in danger of taking over the house, which makes it challenging to choose favourites. However, you’ll find my top picks for coach developers below. For additional reads, you might also enjoy this post
Winkelman, Nick. (2021). The Language of Coaching (The Art and Science of Teaching Movement). Human Kinetics.
After providing a background including some insights from cognitive science, Nick goes on to provide a very useful instructional model that differentiates between different types of instruction for different phases of the teaching – particularly in the moment before the athlete attempts the activity/skill.
Gray, Rob. (2021). How We Learn to Move. Perception Action Consulting & Education LLC.
This book looks at the key ideas behind constraints based coaching and other alternatives to traditional instructional approaches. While the book is chockers with skill acquisition terminology, Rob uses many practical coaching examples and metaphors to lighten the reading load.
McCarthy, Liam (Ed.). (2025). Sport Coach Education, Development and Assessment (International Perspectives). Routledge.
Liam and authors from around the world have made a significant contribution to our understanding of the assessment of coaches. The title says it all. Assessment is something that needs to be deeply integrated with the teaching and learning.
Gould, Dan and Mallet, Cliff (Eds.). (2021). Sport Coaches’ Handbook. Human Kinetics.
Leading authors contribute to a broad sweep of the perennial challenges in coaching.
Callary, Bettina and Gearity, Brian (Eds.). (2020). Coach Education and Development in Sport.
This is a useful handbook for coach developers seeking perspectives from around the world.
Lemov, Doug. (2020). The Coach’s Guide to Teaching.
Doug has been at the forefront of innovations in teaching and learning in school settings. He also has done significant work with American soccer.
Doug is part of a growing band of authors promoting an understanding of cognitive science to the practice of coaching and coach development.