I rarely recommend books, esp S&C books because most are horrible…but if you work in sport, performance, or leadership, The Director’s Manual is non-negotiable
Most people in “high performance” spend years trying to figure out how to lead a department, manage people, communicate across disciplines, and build systems that actually function under pressure
This book shortcuts a lot of those lessons
Reading it felt like reliving a lot of the mistakes, challenges, politics, and growing pains I experienced over the last 10-15 years across college athletics, the NFL, and now building Blueprxnt
The reality is most coaches are taught how to coach…but very few are taught how to lead, organize, communicate, and operate at a high level inside a department
That’s the gap this fills
Whether you’re an S&C coach, RD, ATC, sport scientist, or someone trying to move into leadership, there’s something in here that will make you better at your job
Good books are like appreciating assets
The best ones keep revealing new lessons every time you revisit them
Shock method does not need to be limited to the lower body. When preparing for contact the shoulder and neck need to be prepared to rapidly brace for impact, and shock method strategies can be usefully applied.
It’s become trendy in soccer ⚽️ to chase and discuss outputs. Truthfully it reduces the amount of coaching required, so 🎯. But speed coaches with LTAD as a priority understand real speed development is built on what lasts. “The aerobic system is the foundation of performance.”
Scapular depression is an undertrained yet important aspect for overhead/throwing athletes. Chronic scapular elevation can cause athletes to have a tough time depressing the scapula in rowing patterns. This band allows them to easily feel correct positions & patterns
“Eat at your own restaurant” @WSWayland
Training yourself is one of the most important things you can do as a performance coach. It’s a chance to easily build buy in by having skin in the game, learn and test new training ideas, and keep yourself in great health.