A bi-weekly journal focusing on current events and scholarly work in the worlds of Education and Coaching.

“Quiet,” by Susan Cain, is a book that I wish was written thirty years ago for the very selfish reason it would have made me a better coach. Even though the book is not written for coaches, there are so many coaching nuggets that would have impacted every aspect of how I interacted with players of all personalities, especially those who tend to be introverted.

Contrary to popular belief, multi-tasking is a myth. Newport details what is necessary to move forward in the New Economy. “There are two abilities for thriving in the New Economy; 1. The ability to quickly master hard things; 2. The ability to produce at an elite level in terms of quality and speed.” Deep Work is a roadmap to improving the ability of a coach to produce quality work in the most efficient manner.

Chip Kelly is currently the head football coach at UCLA. As I write this note, the Bruins are undefeated and are competing for a PAC 12 championship. What intrigues me about Kelly is how he runs his practices. The tempo, the designed distractions, the limited amount of talking by the coaches, and the use of post or pre-practice video are all items that can be transferred to other sports. Kelly presents a coaching model worth considering.

I’m generally an avid reader of non-fiction books. But, when needing an escape, I’m somewhat hooked on novels by Jack Carr. The novels are a sequential accounting of the kick-ass activities of Lieutenant Commander James Reece. A Navy Seal by trade, Reece begins the saga by exposing a government plot that costs the lives of his family. The sequence involves plot twists and turns that will keep the reader involved in “what’s next”? So, if you need a diversion from practice planning or something to do on long bus rides, check out this series.