This is the official coach's guide to Make the Leap: Think Better, Train Better, Run Faster.
Make the Leap is centered around one key idea: Think better, train better. What most athletes lack is a mental framework for thinking about their training. Make the Leap provides this framework in the form of 11 Optimal Training Principles and 4 mental model Spotlights. This coaches’ guide aligns to these chapters and provides:
- A short summary, including why the ideas are important
- The end of chapter "Key Takeaways" from the book
- One or two main charts or diagrams from the chapter
- Overview questions to confirm understanding
- Provocative questions to stimulate thought and debate
- A Team Activity sheet to spark discussion and engagement
Its professional printing and high quality glossy cover make it a pleasure to hold and striking to look at. Printed in 8.5 x 11 inches (US Letter size), it is easy to copy select pages and distribute them to your athletes. It is the perfect coach's counterpart to the more athlete-centered Think Better Workbook.
Wondering how to incorporate it? Reading Make the Leap and using the questions and activities in this Coach's Guide is particularly useful in the following settings:
Offseason Reading
The offseason is a great time to build more than an endurance base. It's a great time to build a new mental base as well! Have your athletes read the book in the summer. Track their progress using the Think Better Workbook or the Team Activity worksheets in this guide. Then when they return, use the questions and answers in this guide to confirm their understanding and get everyone on the same page.
Training Camp
You may not be able to read the entire book in one camp, but you can choose a couple key chapters to focus on and make a short activity or discussion part of each day's training. Camps are one of the best places to introduce these ideas because the environment is conducive to thoughtful consideration and the athletes have a lot of time together to brainstorm goals and systems that align to these concepts.
Mid-Season Refresher
Assigning your athletes to read one chapter and do one activity is a great way to spark a little more engagement mid-season. Whether you want to address a specific problem or simply get your athletes thinking a little more effectively about their training, the occasional mid-season activity can truly boost their motivation and discipline.
Make the Leap can be read as a book or as a collection of independent chapters. You can choose the best way to integrate it for your needs. This guide will help you do it successfully!
Learn more about the benefits of reading Make the Leap as a team at my Team Packages page.
Note: This paperback version is solely for those coaches who wish to have a professionally printed version. See my Team Packages page for more info.
********************************
Coaches, Olympians, and everyday runners agree: Make the Leap will help you think better, train better, and run faster.
“As Bryan Green points out in such engaging fashion, there is so much more to becoming a faster runner than logging miles. Make the Leap is a must-read book for athletes and coaches everywhere, a literal how-to of goals, attitude, and mindset to make better runners.”
- Martin Dugard, 3x California State Champion Cross Country Coach and New York Times #1 bestselling author
"Make the Leap is a pathway book. A mental running clinic in book form, it allows an individualized approach for each person that reads it. It is a book I will read over and over again."
- Ken Reeves, 2x National Coach of the Year, 11x CA State Cross Country Champion at Nordhoff High
"If Make the Leap had been available I would have strongly encouraged the athletes I've coached over the years to read it at the start of each season."
- Bob Larsen, Hall of Fame Inductee; US Olympic Distance Coach, 4x NCAA Coach of the Year
“THIS book belongs on the bookshelf of every competitive athlete and coach...not just running/track and field. It's the thinking man's guide to tapping into one's potential.”
- Mike Fanelli, USA National Team Coach, 1992, 1996, 2000 (read his full review)
“This book is a reminder that so much of our success comes from our mental behaviors. I have been running for 11 years. I wish I had material like this sooner to guide me along the way. With that, I feel like this book is just want I needed to get me out of my personal pandemic funk. As I coach XC and Track teams I will be sharing this book and the behaviors it talks about to all my athletes.”
- Christy Chambless, Runner/Coach, @not_just_christy
See more reviews at: maketheleapbook.com/praise