Summary
A Coach's Influence: Beyond the Game is a book written by Grant Teaff. Teaff is a coach, a player and an executive director of the American Football Coach Association. Teaff’s book contains three parts; the introduction, part one and part two. The book talks about the power of influence from the coach. It is a book that discusses issues affecting the youth and solutions to these issues. The book celebrates how football coaches learn from each other through the life of Teaff. Teaff’s book gives coaches and teachers knowledge, experience and techniques to use in solving social issues facing the youth.
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In the first part of the book, Teaff explains the changes in the society, issues the teachers and the coaches are facing. It also consists of stories of inspiration from people whose lives have been changed by the power of influence from the coaches. In chapter four of part one, Teaff explains how one can use mind control in mastering the pillars of success. He mentions effort, self-discipline, attitude and the capacity to care as the pillars of success. He further discusses how self motivation can be learnt through self-evaluation and goal setting which later helps in the success of the players. While talking on motivation, he gives the four basic types of human motivations which are self-motivation, incentive, fear and need (Teaff, 46). He enlightens that, a self motivated coach will instill the same motivation to the people he is coaching. Teaff insists that the success of the player is determined by their efforts, self-discipline and their attitude towards what they are doing. The last chapter names loyalty, fairness, dependability, diplomacy, endurance, enthusiasm and decision making as essentials to effective leadership (Teaff, 42).
Part two of Teaff’s book explores the main issues faced by the youth and the solutions to the problems. The issues facing the youth explained by Teaff are poor parenting, peer pressure and being brought up in fatherless homes. The book explains that peer pressure makes the youth indulge in pre-marital sex, drugs, alcohol, gangs and other criminal activities. Peer pressure causes lack of self-esteem and emotional damage to the youth. Teaff clarifies that coaches have the ability to create positive peer pressure in the youths through football. It is the duty of the coach to build confidence and self esteem in the players who have lost it through peer pressure. Lastly, he talks about character and respect.
What I like best in the book
Teaff’s book is good for both the players and the coach. The best thing I like about this book is that it explains the problems encountered by the youth and how they affect their performance. It talks about problems like drugs and alcohol use, involvement in gang activities, pre-marital sex and other criminal activities which are true. When most youths read through the book, they will notice that these are the real problems they are facing and the book offers the best advice to them and helps them learn to refrain from these bad habits. The book will help them desist bad habits and improve their performance through football. Furthermore, another thing i like best in this book is that it talks of respect and goes beyond by explaining how the coaches, teammates, parents and other youths should respect each other. Another positive thing about Teaff’s book that i like is that it teaches about character. Most youths lack character and despise each other. This is rampant especially in players who always treat the less talented players as less than. It also talks of dishonesty, untruthfulness and lack of values in the youth but later gives a solution to all these negative vices.
Teaff explores the keys to success in this book whereby he teaches the youth self-discipline, having a positive attitude, putting a lot of effort in whatever they do and lastly, he advices them to care of themselves and others and this will make them successful. What I also like best about this book is that it not only explores the problems facing the youth but it also gives out ways on how these problems can be overcome. Through the inspiration stories in this book, the youths are able to learn that for them to be successful, they have to be honest, truthful and have good values and attitude towards others (Teaff, 66).
Critique
The first critique about this book is where the writer tells us that most of the youth’s suicides reported are from fatherless homes. I disagree with Teaff because most suicides reports are from youth who have both parents. To some extent, most youths from single parents always commit suicide due to lack of basic needs and parental love but it is not right for the writer to exaggerate it by saying that most suicides are from fatherless homes. Most youths brought up without a father will always engage themselves in drugs and alcohol and criminal activities to fend for themselves thus they do not commit suicide but exhibit behavioral disorders. In addition, mothers who have raised their children single handedly and in a fatherless environment have brought up leaders in America, good fathers and good husbands so not all children brought up in fatherless homes exhibit bad character. Teaff’s book only talks of winning and becoming successful but does not clearly explain to the youths to learn to keep their wins and losses.
The youths should be taught not to blame their team mates when they lose and should also treat each other with equality and stop treating the less talented as less than since all people are not talented equally but this book does not handle that. The book puts main focus on blaming fatherless homes and poor parenting on the bad habits in the youth forgetting that it is also an individual’s responsibility to put their lives in order. It is a person’s responsibility to build their character and strive to excel in whatever they do despite of how they are brought up: be it with a single parent or both.
Application
Teaff’s book clearly explains that coaches influence the lives of the players both in the field and the outside world. The book should be presented to all players and youths so as to change their attitude and performance. Coaches also need the book since it explains the leadership traits and skills one needs to have in order to be a leader and put leadership in action as coaches are leaders. The book can also be applied to team mates because when they learn what is in the book, they will be able to respect each other and put more effort in their performance so as to emerge on top of the game. It also applies to schools, homes and institutions with fatherless youths and the youths who experience poor parenting because it will help them build their character and become responsible youths in the society. Additionally, it will help them overcome the challenges they are facing as youths and become strong people. Youth who are in homes and on the streets will be able to reform and keep away from criminal activities, substance abuse since the book restricts them from these behaviors.
Teaff’s book is very important for teachers, coaches, parents and youths. This book gives coaches resources to teach best practices to the youth as the next generation coaches. It gives teachers and parents guidance to teach the youth on the good values, building a good character, having a positive attitude and avoiding criminal activities. This book is important because it teaches about accountability: if players become accountable in their lives and everything they do, this will change their lives for good. Teaff also expresses that when a young person is taught to become of character, it becomes a solution to the social issues they are confronting. It teaches the players to treat others as they would want to be treated and also to always make a difference in whatever they do. The youths learn to respect the people around them and on how to put a lot of effort in whatever they do so as to become successful. This book is very helpful to the youth especially the players since it has all they need to know in order to become on top of the game not forgetting the first principle of respecting their coaches. This is an inspirational book for the youths especially players since it teaches them to be accountable, set their goals, be honest and respectful focus on what they are doing and be of good character.
Works Cited
Teaff, Grant. A Coach's Influence: Beyond the Game. NY: American Football Coaches Foundation. 2012. Print
