Essays on Coaching Athletes: Advice for Athletic Administrators and Coaches of All Sports

by Gene Strusz

Overview

Coaching student-athletes is an art. Experience is most often the best teacher. If you can follow advice from someone who has had experience, it will save you time in becoming better as a coach. Gene Strusz learned many coaching lessons through his personal experiences. If he failed, he came back trying something different. Strusz also learned much by observing other coaches. Some coached in a manner or skill set that was to be emulated. At other times, Strusz learned by not doing what other coaches did. Either way, Strusz advises coaches to be an observer. Strusz taught 43 years as a math teacher. At the age of 25, Strusz became the school's athletic administrator. He kept that position for 39 years. During Strusz's early years, he was a varsity assistant track and football coach. After 11 years, Strusz became the head football coach which he held for 21 years. All these positions were at the same school. Having the longevity of 43 years gave Strusz the chance to learn from older coaches when he was young and from fellow coaches in later years. As athletic director, Strusz had the opportunity to observe coaches within his school and those from opposing schools. He saw coaches retire and he saw new coaches replace them. As athletic director, Strusz was afforded the opportunity to oversee the coaches in our school. Being in charge, Strusz learned. Learning from other athletic directors and our state association workshops was also unbelievably valuable. Strusz's hope for young coaches is for them to learn from his experiences. If you are a veteran coach, you might gain one or two skills from his advice. Or you might see in this book something that has always worked for you. This book might reinforce the way you do things. Strusz always found reinforcement valuable when attending coaching or administration clinics. The order of the essays in Strusz's book are not ranked by importance. They show the lessons he has learned through experience and observation over 43 years as an educator and coach. Jump around as you see topics of interest to you. Hopefully, every coach will find something in this book that hits a home run for him or her.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781666222777
Publisher:	Barnes & Noble Press
Publication date:	12/16/2020
Pages:	126
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.27(d)

About the Author

Coach Gene Strusz, a member of the Wisconsin Football Coaches Hall of Fame and a Certified Athletic Administrator, had a long career as both a coach and athletic administrator. Spending his entire adult life at one school in Appleton, Wisconsin, he coached for 32 years and was athletic director for 39 years. In this book, he compiles essays on coaching. His essays are meant to help coaches in the do’s and don’ts of coaching. He wishes to give advice and educate readers by sharing his insights gained by experience and observation. In being both a coach and an athletic administrator, he was afforded the opportunity to see athletics from two different views. Coach Strusz won only a single state championship in his 21 years as a head football coach, but when he reached the pinnacle near the end of his career, he had learned much.