In my travels this summer I’ve heard lots of young coaches talking about how their schools don’t have the budget for them to go out and get to clinics or meet coaches to ask them questions and learn more. My suggestion each time is to Google any coach in any sport that they’re curious about.

You can learn a lot about a coach by researching articles in magazines, newspapers and online. Almost every article or book I read teaches me something. There are many coaches I’ve not yet personally met, but I’ve learned a lot from them through my research. I have files on a number of coaches filled with articles that have taught me new concepts, philosophy, or the motivation of coaching.

Don’t settle for saying you can’t do this or you don’t have that. Even Bill Belichick has an assistant who is always on the look out for articles or stories about opponents. So the same principle can be applied here. Search, read, investigate on your own. There’s more out there than you think!