After writing several times about The Pressure Principle I just wantes to write a summary of my thoughts. I found this book insightful and educational. It is clear from, both, the book and Dr Alreds coachees the performances of his coachees that his coaching philosophy is grounded in years of diliberate practice.
Dr Alred is something of a legend in rugby circles. He has worked with kickers and fly halfs for decades. His most famous coachee being Jonny Wilkinson. However, Dr Alred has gone out and done what many coaches dare not do, cross sporting boundaries. It is safe to say he has worked with the whos who of striking sports. Golf, polo, rugby and football he has worked within them all.
The sections of the book build a picture of the fundimentals of his practice. Reading the behaviour and enviroment sections gave me ideas for my teaching practice while the language and anxiety sections opened my mind to the personal development opportunities.
I don’t know whether this was intentional but I felt like Dr Alred was managing the learning of the reader at all times. It read as if Dr Alred was planting seeds rather than painting pictures. Not much is written about stratergies. Rather Dr Alred focuses on supplying frameworks for you to dress with your own content. In so doing, the content is easily applicable to a whole host of settings.
In fact, as a former teacher you can link many of his practices to teaching. After all coaching is just another form of teaching. Unlike many books on similar topics it is not weighted down by psychological theory. Rather Dr Alred gives real life examples of his frameworks in action. From his years of experience at the top end of eilte sport his stories from a range of sporting arenas demonstrate his effectiveness.
At the end of the book I reflected on his coachees Wilkinson, Sexton, Donald and molinari. It grabbed me that success is not a short term project. Dr Alred has worked with all these elite level sports men for many years before they reached their ultimate. All the athletes display one similar charateristic, a determination to continually improve. In a few cases this determination could be deemed an obsession.
It is easy to see how working with Dr Alred could encourage this mindset. His passion for continual improvement and success is infectious. At one point he questions an why an ex-coachee who did not enjoy the year he secured the number 1 world ranking spot. In fact, there is not much talk about lifestyle balance in the book.
I would suggest this book to a coach, teacher and manager looking to get the most out of their team. The key points and frameworks will significantly improve your own practice and the practice of those around you. I would offer this method of reading, stop for a day or two after each section and reflect on what you have just read. Think about how you can adapt what has been written to your own enviroment. Enjoy!
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