Shooting in the Dark: Tales of Coaching and Leadership / Edition 1

by Jim Thompson

Overview

"Shooting in the Dark" is a philosophical and motivational account of Jim Thompson's two year tenure coaching a high school girls basketball team in Northern California. The book also draws content from topics in leadership theory and a course co-taught by the author at the Stanford Business School called 'Learning to Lead'.The author employs effective story telling and narrative to bring to life such practical coaching issues as establishing credibility, managing the outcomes from goalsetting, sharing power with players, celebrating practice, entwining effort and enjoyment, and much more. Throughout the book interludes keep the reader up to date with the progress of the Fremont Women Warriors. Journal Entries spotlight the author's inner thoughts and feelings as he struggles with the challenges of coaching. Each chapter ends with the key points summarized as Take-Aways.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2901886346047
Publisher:	Warde Publishers, Incorporated
Publication date:	07/28/1998
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	191
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

Noted for his hardboiled crime novels, Oklahoma native Jim Thompson (1906-1977) began writing fiction at a very young age, selling his first story to True Detective at age 14. Thompson eventually wrote 29 novels and co-wrote two screenplays. Several of his novels were adapted into films, resulting in the classic noir The Killer Inside Me, After Dark My Sweet, and The Grifters.

What People are Saying About This

Martha Ewing

"Shooting in the Dark" takes the reader on a unique journey into the world of coaching. The author utilizes a story telling strategy that is easy to read, yet rich in detail. The book teaches both the theory (cleverly disguised as common sense) and the practice of effective coaching strategies. This is a book I plan to require of students in my coaching class to illustrate an approach to coaching that is about much more than the coach's record. - Martha Ewing, PhD, Sport Psychologist, Michigan State University

Phil Jackson

"It is no longer just the coach who yells, 'My way or the highway' who gets respect and effort from his players. This new type of coach is one whose leadership is trusted because he shares it with players. "Shooting in the Dark" brings those ideals into focus as the reader travels uncharted highways with Jim in his effort to learn by feel how all this works."- from the Preface by Phil Jackson, Head Coach, Chicago Bulls

Editorial Reviews

For every successful coach or manager who chooses to relate some prized winning strategies to the business world (e.g., Rick Pitino in Success Is a Choice, Broadway, 1997), there is often the flip side, the prominent executive or motivational expert willing to apply his or her methods to the athletic arena. In this case, it is Thompson, an instructor at the Stanford School of Business and author of Positive Coaching (Warde, 1995), who recounts his experiences coaching a high school girls' basketball team over a two-year span. His advice to coaches at all levels is to form partnerships with players, an idea that places a premium on goal-setting and power-sharing. Toward this end, he concludes each chapter with "take-aways," i.e., recommended steps to facilitate the partnership process. Coaches seeking ways to build a rapport with today's athletes should find this chronicle instructive. Recommended for public libraries.--William H. Hoffman, Ft. Myers-Lee Cty. P.L., FL

Library Journal