I started my coaching career as a voracious reader, going through pretty much anything I could get my hands on in terms of making athletes better. This came out of my time as an athlete, scouring the internet for anything to do with vertical jump and sprinting. Back in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, there actually wasn’t much! In some ways, this was a blessing, as I had to go through the school of hard knocks to find what worked and what didn’t, on myself and my athletes. In this regard, the burnt hand taught best.
These days, my learning is very much a balance of books, both sport related and general, being directly coached and mentored, listening to podcasts, and running my own. I’ve learned over the years that relying too heavily on just one method of learning will create shortcomings and ceilings. Of course, training athletes, training yourself (highly underrated amongst many) and then being coached by others, is a crux of any learning process. The final means I listed takes lowering one’s ego to the point where the highest growth is possible. I’ve heard Christian Thibaudeau mention a point that will always stick with me here, which is that he’ll listen to anyone about their training process if they are passionate about it and have gotten results, even a guy off the street.
In the world of books, however, there are 8 in particular that have truly formed the way I think about training and coaching from a “book smart” stance. The top 4 or 5 I revisit at least once a year. I’ve read plenty of books that have made me think a lot while reading, but weren’t quite impactful enough to keep coming back to regularly. In order from last to first, here are my top 8.
8. The Track and Field Omnibook by Doherty and Kernan
When it comes to training, often the first step is to pay respect to the past, as this is a historical book of training means. Many athletes who achieved good marks were “getting it done” with old school methodology. It is always interesting to look at stories such as Renaldo Nehemiah and how much volume he did, yet how fast he was still able to run. This isn’t to say that this is the optimal program for athletes, but the history of event specific training in all events gives a good idea of where training has come from. Also great here is the history of strength training in the throwing events, which is really the first “sport” to take on an outside “sport” as a huge component of training, and achieve success. In my experience, without knowing where sport has been, one will appreciate, and understand the future less. This book is also guaranteed to invoke plenty of thought processes when looking at the training means of those who learned their craft outside of the internet age.
7. Legacy by James Kerr
Team culture has been something I’ve been learning more and more about each year since taking on a full-time strength and conditioning role. Humans are relational beings, and the spirit of a team carries more weight than one’s technical ability to execute a squat or clean (not that those things don’t have good value). I’ve listened to the audio edition of this book, as well as read through it, and I’ll carry the stories and standards of the All Blacks, the most winning professional organization in sport, in whatever aspect of sport or life I find myself in.
Points I’ll always keep with me:
Sweep the Sheds
Keep a Blue Head
No #$^! heads
6. Theory and Application of Modern Strength and Power Methods
Christian Thibaudeau is a coach and author I’ve always known of and respected, but as most of his work was for T-Nation, I had simply associated him with bodybuilding for years. This couldn’t be farther from the truth: Christian is a master of speed and power training methods, and his book on their application is one of the most impactful reads I’ve had in the last 3 years. On top of this Christian’s neurotyping method has completely revolutionized the way I assess athletes and adjust their training. If you think French Contrast is cool, then this book is one you’ll be needing to make a frequent pilgrimage to.
5. The Greatest Sports Training Book Ever by ???
Half of the greatness of this book is the sheer mystery of who in the hell wrote the damn thing. I don’t think there is a guy actually named Deitrich Buchenholz who seems to know much more about baseball training than someone in a secret compound in Germany should. Maybe it was Jay Schroeder in disguise or perhaps Brad Nuttall. In reading the “DB Hammer emails”, the guy who wrote it really was on another level. This stuff is light years ahead of a lot of current training, but the rub is if you can deal with the methodology and abbreviations (which almost gets to mind-numbing accountant-esque status as times). Either way, it was the first book that gave light to some (not all) of Jay Schroeder’s methods or ideals, although the bracketing system wasn’t something that Jay did. Either way, this was the first book I read that truly allowed me to understand the concrete differences between the world of standard “up and down” barbell training and the huge universe of training that existed outside of that which could transform athletes who had stagnated on standard training means. Sadly this book isn’t available anymore, so for those of us who have a copy, be jealous!
4. Sky High: How to Increase Your Vertical Jump by Alex Vasquez
I would have to say, the most under-appreciated training book ever is this work by Alex Vasquez. It is another book that has some Jay Schroeder/Inno-sport type methods in it, but is presented in a very clear and simple manner. Athletes who have gone through the methods have achieved some great results, and I’ve probably gone through this book 10-20 times in the last year configuring training phases that include long duration isometrics and related methodics. It’s kind of like “Best Sports Training Book Ever”, understandable and practical edition. Kudos to Alex Vasquez on this one.
3. Triphasic Training for Football by Cal Dietz and Chris Korfist
Triphasic training would be on my top list of books, if not for this rendition by Chris and Cal. Cal Dietz had put out a modern classic, along with Ben Peterson in the original Triphasic Training, but with the “French Contrasty” version here by Cal and Chris, I realized just how far the system could reach. Ever since reading about 3 years ago, this book as formed a model for a great deal of my training programs aimed at speed and power production, even swimming. I can say, I don’t know if I’ve seen athletes gain vertical jump as fast as when doing this type of training (so long as it fits your neurotype.
2. Explosive Power and Jumping Ability for All Sports: Tadeusz Starzynski
This book is an absolute, freaking gem. Hard to believe it has so few reviews on Amazon, but I think that it is possible not to fully appreciate this one unless you’ve been around the block in training so to speak. Also, if you think some modern training methods are really that modern, ol’ Starzynski was way ahead of you about 30 years ago! From a plyometric array that should be a modern standard, to a speed-lifting protocol that has given jumpers outstanding results, this book is a must read for any coach interested in jumping.
When I first started Just Fly Sports, I decided that I really didn’t read enough books and spent far too much time on the internet reading random articles. I wasn’t too familiar with many current authors and experts in the field, although I had heard of Dan John and Pavel Tsatsouline. It was actually a recommendation from Anthony Mychal that I saw that prompted me to get a kindle on my teeny phone and start reading books on the way to track meets and while waiting for events, so I started here. This is the first real book I’d say I’ve read on strength and power training, and I have gone back to it every year since. Between the practical wisdom of Dan John, and the dissection of otherwise unknown Russian sport science by Pavel, I don’t get 2 pages without remembering some aspect of training I can utilize. This is honestly the best book on training I’ve ever read, I can’t recommend it enough. I am completely aware of the mental anchoring effect, and even though this was my first Kindle book, it still stands alone against all others.
Summary
So there you have it, 8 books that have shaped me as a coach. I am a true believer that good reading is not how many books you read, but how you find those that truly define you, and how you leave those pages written on and earmarked. These are mine for training, what are yours?
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