I really like this book.
One, it’s an actual physical book with pages, and I’m old so that puts it right in my wheelhouse.
Two, it’s laid out in a user-friendly way that will appeal to both new and veteran coaches.
It was produced by the folks at ThrowsUniversity.com, with Dane Miller and Trevor Stutzman credited as authors. Those two gentlemen have accumulated a ton of coaching experience at the high school, college, and international levels, and they do a nice job of distilling what they’ve learned into an easy-to-digest eighty pages.
They’ve broken down each throw (rotational shot, glide shot, and discus) into various phases, and have identified anywhere from two to four faults common to each phase.
Each fault is illustrated with a photo like this…
…with the facing page containing three possible solutions to that particular error.
Anyone who has coached more than five minutes will be familiar with these flaws. I had to ice my neck after reading it, so vigorously did I find myself nodding in recognition.
The corrections offered are generally simple and reasonable. For example, if a coach notices a rotational putter pulling out of the back of the ring with their left shoulder, the authors advise cuing the athlete to focus on a.) shifting their weight to the left foot, b.) rotating the left shoulder around the left foot, or c.)pushing down the right foul line on entry.
If you are new to the business, you’ll find it helpful to be offered three possible solutions for each problem. If you’ve been coaching for a while, you’ll probably be familiar with a lot of these cues, but it’s still nice to be reminded of them and to have this solid advice laid out in a simple, common-sense manner.
My only quibble with this book is that I disagree with some of their cues regarding the glide. For example, the authors recommend that the right heel not touch down in the power position, and I don’t think that works for most gliders. The key, in my opinion, is to get that heel up again as quickly as possible.
But here’s the thing. We have won a lot of football games at my school with a 4-3 defense. Does that mean that the 3-4 is not an effective front? Or that a coach in a 4-3 system cannot benefit from learning about the 3-4?
No, it does not.
In my case, disagreeing with the author’s approach to the glide made me think more deeply about why I use the cues that I do, and that’s a healthy exercise for any coach.
Cues and Corrections: Fixes to Common Technical Errors goes for $24.99 and can be ordered from the Throws University website.