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Catch Them Being Good: Everything You Need to Know to Successfully Coach Girls

tony dicicco colleen hacker charles salzberg

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This guide to coaching female athletes of all ages shows how to build a team and provides invaluable advice on the differences between coaching males and females. The authors include exercises that foster teamwork and develop essential skills. They also answer parents' most common questions, such as how to tell if the coach is doing a good job and what to do if a child wants to quit. Filled with stories about the Olympic and World Cup championship teams, this useful handbook is infused throughout with DiCicco's philosophy that at every level playing soccer (or any sport) is about "playing hard, playing fair, playing to win, and having fun."

240 pages, Paperback

First published August 26,2002

This edition

Format
240 pages, Paperback
Published
August 26, 2003 by Penguin Books
ISBN
9780142003350
ASIN
0142003352
Language
English

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About the author

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tony dicicco

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Rating(4 / 5.0, 19 votes)
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19 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
Meiiyyu
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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This was without a doubt one of the very best books that I have ever had the pleasure of reading!



In fact, I was so impressed with its content that I ended up highlighting approximately half of the entire book. This way, I can easily refer back to those important passages and ideas whenever I need to.



It is an absolute must-read for parents who have children involved in sports. It provides valuable insights and practical advice on how to support and encourage their kids in their athletic pursuits.



Additionally, it is equally beneficial for coaches of any level or sport. The book offers a wealth of knowledge and strategies that can help coaches enhance their coaching skills and get the best out of their athletes.



Overall, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is truly a gem that will have a positive impact on anyone involved in the world of sports.
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luhn
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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I read this book when I was coaching a girls' competitive soccer team. It had a profound impact on my coaching style and, as a result, the girls achieved greater success. The knowledge and insights I gained from this book were truly invaluable.


If I were still coaching, I would definitely keep a copy of this book to re-read. It contains a wealth of useful information that can benefit anyone who works with girls in any sport. Whether you are a coach, a parent, or a mentor, this book has something to offer.


The author provides practical advice on how to build confidence, develop teamwork, and improve performance. The strategies and techniques are easy to understand and implement, and they have been proven to be effective. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in helping girls reach their full potential in sports.

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popcornfantasy
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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A great coaching philosophy/psychology book is truly a valuable asset. I have had the opportunity to read and utilize several such books for different classes that I have taken. However, this particular book stands out as the best and most succinct one I have come across on this topic.


I coach soccer, and while this issue doesn't directly impact me, it's important to note that this book mainly focuses on girls' soccer and not necessarily other sports. Nevertheless, it can still be beneficial to read as it offers valuable insights. Just keep in mind that all the examples provided are soccer-related.


Another aspect to be aware of is the repetition of stories. The author mentioned a few stories more than once. In such cases, it's advisable to simply skip them. Overall, this book is very good and can provide coaches with useful guidance and strategies for their work.

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AudioTuned
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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Having coached for 34 years, I have come to realize that there is still an abundance of knowledge to be gained. However, this particular book has truly made a remarkable difference. The transition from negative coaching to positive coaching has yielded substantial benefits.

The book is a wonderful collaboration between a sports psychologist and a national level coach. Some might assume that the techniques they employed to inspire players would not be reproducible. Nevertheless, the truth is that the lessons and methods presented in the book are capable of building the confidence of every kind of player.

If you find yourself in the role of a coach, I can think of very few books that I would rate more highly. It offers valuable insights and practical strategies that can enhance your coaching skills and have a profound impact on the performance and well-being of your athletes.

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Lavenwhisper
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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I truly believe that I discovered this book rather late. Published back in 2002, it was among the very first to zero in on coaching women and girls specifically. At this stage of my career, a great many of the ideas put forward by DiCicco and Hacker have become far more common than they were when the book was first released. I consider myself fortunate to have gleaned many of these valuable lessons from other sources, and I credit DiCicco, Hacker, and others of their ilk for these teachings.


Even though this book might have come too late for me, it has the potential to make a significant difference for numerous new coaches in youth sports, especially those coaching girls. I firmly believe that many of the ideas and lessons are applicable not only to coaching youth of both genders but also to coaching women. The book can serve as an extremely valuable resource for coaches who are striving to develop good coaching habits. Many of the chapters contain crucial ideas regarding building relationships with athletes, which is of utmost importance for a coach's success in ultimately assisting the athlete to improve.


There is, however, one potential area of distraction within the book, namely the sections that follow each chapter. These sections consist of team building exercises (by Hacker) and soccer-specific coaching concepts (by DiCicco). If the reader is not a soccer coach and/or not interested in the team building exercises, these sections can easily be skipped over. Skipping these sections will not, in any way, diminish the overall utility of the book.


On a side note, I was extremely fortunate to attend a lecture by Dr. Hacker in the winter of 1996, just a few months after the Olympic Games in Atlanta that are prominently featured in the chapters. It is really cool to observe some of the ideas she expounded upon in that lecture make their way into this book.
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cringeylazy
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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May is just around the corner, so the Accidental Soccer Dad is making an effort to gear up for Spring soccer once again.

Although a significant portion of the focus in this book is on the more elite levels of the game, as opposed to the Rec league that I coach in, the basic principles are relatively universal and extremely helpful.

The team building exercises and chalk talks at the end of each chapter could potentially be very useful when it comes to planning one or two practices. However, the real substance lies within the chapters themselves.

They offer valuable insights and strategies that can be applied to improve the overall performance and experience of the team.

As the Accidental Soccer Dad, I am looking forward to implementing these ideas and seeing the positive impact they have on my team during the upcoming Spring soccer season.
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nessiesmith2012
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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I am not a fan of soccer. However, after a guest discussed this book on my podcast regarding coaching and leadership, I decided to give it a read.

What an amazing book it turned out to be! I coach youth sports and have a highly successful basketball team consisting of incredible girls. This book truly reminded me of the power of our coaching approach. We should coach them to reach their fullest potential, but do so in a way that supports and encourages, rather than hinders their growth.

Each chapter of the book is filled with profound insights that can benefit anyone who coaches or mentors others. I am determined to apply many of these ideas to my coaching practices. There are also some excellent team challenges that can inspire new ideas about being a great teammate and leader, along with some thought-provoking reflection questions for both players and coaches.

This book is not just a theoretical read; it will lead to actionable steps and help me become even better at what I love to do, which is coaching and guiding these wonderful young athletes.
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Ennys
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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This book is truly a great read for soccer coaches. It is filled with a plethora of practical tips that cover both the mental and physical aspects of the game.

As a soccer parent, I have found this book to be extremely valuable. It has given me a newfound appreciation for the many different elements involved in coaching and playing soccer.

Moreover, I have also learned numerous techniques from this book that I believe will be beneficial to me in my role as a manager, even in non-sports domains. The principles and strategies presented can be applied more broadly to enhance leadership skills, motivation, and team building.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone involved in soccer, whether you are a coach, player, or parent. It offers a wealth of knowledge and practical advice that can help you take your soccer experience to the next level.
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