APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2021 , Vol . 7
Book review : Coaching Athletes to be Their Best : Motivational Interviewing in Sports
Book by Stephen Rollnick , Jonathan Fader , Jeff Breckon and Theresa Moyers
Reviewed by Tom Hartley
Like most coaches , I am constantly trying to create and build strong , meaningful relationships with the athletes in my practice . I have always been certain that understanding more about their aims , thoughts , feelings and beliefs is a central cornerstone to make a positive impact on and off the field of play . This is why I was drawn to this book . As coaches , one of our challenges is to help the people in our care fulfil their potential and to be their best .
From the outset it is clear that this book is something that a coach could keep in their kit bag and take with them to every practice , event or fixture they have . The blend of information , scenarios , examples , tasks and reflective questions encourages you to jump back and forth through the text with the opportunity to adapt and apply in your own coaching context . This style of writing makes for a travel-journal style approach where you can zoom in on themes that are of interest and applicable to the challenges you face in your coaching world right now .
In the chapter ‘ Connecting Rapidly ’, placed in the motivational interviewing toolbox section , some of the reflective questions that challenge the reader to think about their own environment ( page 91 ) include :
• When you address problems with your athletes , how often do you listen and connect first ?
• How could being too friendly with athletes interfere with your effectiveness as a coach ?
• How might you ask athletes what they need ?
• Do you talk fast ? If so , how might this interfere when you want an athlete to reflect about some issue ? Can you slow down when it ’ s needed ?
First and foremost , this book is about forming meaningful coach-athlete relationships . It also shines a spotlight on the foundations of coaching language ; how we as coaches talk to each other about athletes , and the way we help them be the best that they can be . This book acts as a guide for coaches who want to have better and more meaningful discussions with their athletes and provides the structure and scaffolding so any coach can be confident to practice these skills on a regular basis .
Central to this book is the notion of motivational interviewing and how this approach is rooted in behaviour change , lifting motivation and helping athletes to look forward .
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