Off the Bench: A Perspective on Athletic Coaching

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Summary: A "spiritual and philosophical" guide to coaching
Review: Wondering why you're coaching? Wondering how you should approach the job? Coach Tong draws on his 30 years of collegiate teaching, coaching and parenting to contribute this very thoughtful and inspirational extended essay on the various aspects of what it really means to be a good athletic coach. He explores all the tough issues -- how much to emphasize winning, how to inspire responsibly, the relationship of modern American athletics to issues such as racism, sexism, and drugs ... all with the aim of presenting what is essentially a philosophy for improved coaching in these days of big money and high pressure college athletics. What comes through loud and clear is Coach Tong's commitment the athlete's full development, both on and off the field. Instead of just extracting what we can from the athletes that play for us, he shows how to create an athletic environment that provides lasting lesson's for the athlete's entire life.