Every coach I know who keeps improving has one thing in common.
They read.
Not just coaching manuals or session plans - though those matter too. They read books that challenge how they think about the game, about learning, about development.
In our coaching community, certain books come up again and again. These aren’t recommendations from Amazon algorithms. They’re the books coaches actually talk about, quote from, and credit with changing their approach.
Here are the ones worth your time.
The Books That Change Thinking
Intensity by Pep Lijnders
One coach in our community described it perfectly: “Incredible book. Love Lijnders and Klopp’s approach to training, man-management and football. Simply outstanding.”
This is an inside look at Liverpool’s training methods during their most successful period. How elite teams build intensity. How sessions are designed. How culture is created daily.
What you’ll take away: Training intensity should mirror match intensity. If your sessions are comfortable, your players aren’t being prepared for the discomfort of competitive football.
The Coach’s Guide to Teaching by Doug Lemov
“Quite simply the best book I’ve read for helping to understand how players learn and how to teach them. It’s a game changer for how you deliver training sessions.”
That’s not my quote - it’s from a coach in our community who’s been coaching for over a decade. Lemov applies educational research to sports coaching. How to explain clearly. How to demonstrate effectively. How to check for understanding.
What you’ll take away: There’s a difference between “I taught it” and “they learned it.” This book closes that gap.
Making the Ball Roll by Ray Power
“I’m reading ‘Making the Ball Roll’ and it has been a real eye-opener at times - it has certainly made me think.”
Ray Power’s book on possession-based football philosophy with clear implementation guidance. Not theoretical waffle - practical approaches you can use.
What you’ll take away: Possession isn’t about keeping the ball for the sake of it. It’s about creating opportunities through patient, purposeful play.
Inverting the Pyramid by Jonathan Wilson
The tactical history of football. How systems evolved. Why 4-4-2 dominated English football. How Total Football emerged. Why formations change.
Some coaches dismiss tactical history as irrelevant to grassroots. I disagree. Understanding why tactics exist helps you make better decisions about your own team.
What you’ll take away: Current tactics aren’t inevitable or permanent. Understanding history reveals possibilities you might not otherwise consider.
The Barcelona Way by Damian Hughes
Culture creation lessons from Barcelona’s most successful era. How environment shapes development. How values translate into daily behaviours.
What you’ll take away: The environment you create shapes development more than individual coaching interventions. Culture isn’t a poster on the wall - it’s what happens when no one’s watching.
Legacy by James Kerr
The All Blacks’ approach to culture and sustained excellence. “Sweep the sheds” has become shorthand for character and humility in sport.
What you’ll take away: Character underpins success. Teams that maintain standards in small things maintain them in big things too.
Soccer Tough by Dan Abrahams
The mental side of the game for players and coaches. Understanding confidence, focus, and resilience.
What you’ll take away: Technical ability without mental strength limits player potential. Psychology isn’t soft - it’s fundamental.
How to Actually Use These Books
Reading coaching books is easy. Changing your coaching because of them is hard.
Here’s how to make reading count:
Read Actively
Don’t just consume pages. Have a notebook. Write down ideas that strike you. Plan how you might implement them. Challenge what you disagree with.
Passive reading is entertainment. Active reading is development.
One Book at a Time
Finish before starting another. Let ideas settle. Try things before moving on.
The coach who reads ten books but implements nothing from any of them hasn’t developed. The coach who reads one book and changes three things about their practice has.
Discuss With Others
“They’re all worth a second read. I think you pull something different from them every time.”
That quote applies to discussion too. Talking about books with other coaches reveals angles you missed. Their questions highlight your assumptions. Their applications spark your ideas.
Implement Something
For every book, identify one thing to try. Just one. Then actually try it.
Books without action are entertainment. Books with action are transformation.
The Reading Habit
The best coaches I know have a book on the go constantly. Not because they’re trying to impress anyone - because they’re genuinely curious about how to get better.
A book costs less than a coaching course. Takes less time than a weekend workshop. And often delivers more lasting change than either.
Start with one from this list. Whichever title grabbed you as you read the descriptions. Order it today.
Then read it properly. Take notes. Try something. Discuss it with someone.
That’s how reading becomes development.
What’s On Your List?
Coaches in our community regularly share book recommendations. The titles above are the ones that come up most often - but they’re not the only valuable reads out there.
If you’ve read something that changed your coaching, share it. The best recommendations come from coaches who’ve actually applied the ideas.
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