Review of The next Steps

21 Aug 2021, 05:03

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The next Steps" by Chris Freestone.]

3 out of 4 stars

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THE NEXT STEPS: Continuing Your Coaching Journey by Chris Freestone provides coaching guidance for less experienced football coaches to bridge the gap between the coaching qualifications. Freestone boasts over 25 years of experience within the football industry as a professional player and a coach. He provides a well-balanced and holistic approach to coaching 11v11 football by implementing a player-centered approach.

Freestone focuses on the practical aspects of football by equipping coaches with technical and tactical skills to enhance individual player and collective team performance. The book addresses critical components that contribute to the overall success of the team. These components range from on and off-pitch performance, individual player performance, team performance, nutrition, and injury management.

The book has six chapters. Each chapter begins with motivational quotes, followed by detailed discussions of a topic and a task. These tasks give the book an interactive edge and prompt the reader (coach) to identify a challenge in their team and devise ways to address those challenges using the guidelines provided in that chapter.

There are several positive aspects to this book. It is compact and comprehensive, with only 91 pages. Freestone incorporated visual illustrations of the pitch area depicting the areas of focus in each chapter. The topic that appealed to me the most was the 5W (what, where, who, when, why) root cause analysis tool. Under this topic, Freestone shows readers how to apply the 5W tool to address common football challenges.

The book has a logical and well-structured format which allows for a smooth transition from one chapter to the next. The content covered is well-researched, practical, and suitable for both novice and experienced coaches.

Another round of editing is recommended for this book as it has many glaring grammatical errors that were hard to overlook.

There was nothing to dislike about this book. Freestone’s approach is comprehensive, all-encompassing, and exhaustively detailed. For these reasons, I am rating the book 3 out of 4 stars and withholding one star because of the errors.

This book is suitable for coaches who desire to take their teams to the next level by sharpening their coaching skills. Readers who aspire to become coaches in the future will also benefit from this book. It is also ideal for football players from all levels, as it will equip them to broaden their scopes, teach them a holistic approach to the game both on and off the pitch, and give them a competitive advantage.

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The next Steps
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Raluca_Mihaila · Post by **Raluca_Mihaila** » 23 Aug 2021, 00:18

It looks like an interesting book because coaching skills are useful in so many areas. Great review!

Kaushiki Parihar · Post by **Kaushiki Parihar** » 23 Aug 2021, 06:10

Football players and coaches will find this book helpful. However, I am not interested in football, so I'll just pass this one. Thanks for the wonderful and objective review.