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Why sport coaches should read novels

Labours of Sport Coaching: The Science and Art of Coaching, Motivation, and Self-Determination

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Episode  ·  24:22  ·  Dec 5, 2025

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ACCESS MY NEW PUBLICATION:Challenges-and-opportunities-for-community-sport-coach-development-1.pdfWhen we talk about coach development, most roads lead to the same familiar places: NGB awards, scientific theory, and on the job learning. These are of course valuable, but they're also predictable (or 'samey-samey' as I like to put it), and keep coaches learning within the same narrow corridors of knowledge. Enter fiction and novel reading as a creative, fun and enriching alternative for unlocking new learning for coaching. In this episode I break down how novels can: 1) sharpen emotional intelligence (both for understanding and managing ourselves as well as others) through complex characters and nuanced relationship told with rich vocabulary; 2) widen our perspective by transporting us to different culture, contexts, and ways of thinking; and 3) offer escapism from the 24/7 mental load of coaching. I also offer practical tried-and-tested tips for how to pick your first novel and create a habit of benefiting from this overlooked resource.Learn more about your host and access services and added resources:Consultancy – Mark J Carroll

24m 22s  ·  Dec 5, 2025

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