How do you read books?

Hello loyal readers,

It's been quite a week so the updates fell off a bit, but things are slowly returning to normal.  Spring season is always a bit hectic at the start and this spring is no exception.  Our first regatta is less than a month away, but it feels much closer than that.  Our spring is rather forgiving to start with our first two regattas separated by several weeks, but after that we're all hands on deck.

With that being said, I'm taking advantage of the down time and catching up on some reading.  That's saying quite a bit.  I have several books started in various phases of completion.  Currently I am reading "Run to the Roar," an excellent book about Trinity College squash written by legendary coach Paul Assaiante.  I've known about this book for several years thanks to my friend Tom Keller, a Trinity alum - he rowed - and was able to get my hands on a copy thanks to my girlfriend.

Let's talk about how one reads a book.  Or more specifically, how I read a book. 

There are two types of books.  Ones for pleasure, and ones for understanding.  And how I interpret either determines how I read them. 

For example, "The Shell Game," the excellent book by Stephen Kiesling is a pleasure book.  A little known fact, "The Shell Game" was the first book on rowing that I'd ever read.  It was loaned to me by a friend in college, and I tore into it.  And then spent the next near 20 years trying to get a hold of a copy.  I read through my own copy inside of a day.

"Run to the Roar" is not a pleasure book.  It's a book of comprehension.  It's a read that requires diving into, an in depth exploration of the subject matter.  Specifically, it is a look inside arguable the greatest athletics program, ever.  That's a heady thing to say but when you understand Trinity Squash and the legacy of the coach, the athletes, and programs, it's not a stretch. 

I should take a moment and step back.  Understand that reading for pleasure and reading for understanding can be one in the same, and yet not.  When I read for understanding, I do take pleasure in the subject, but I am dissecting the book in a way that simply reading cover to cover does not.  It doesn't mean that I do not understand the subject matter while reading for pleasure, nor does it mean that the books I read are somehow less valuable, or less important than others.  It's simply how I approach the books. 

Often, I am asked what I'm looking for when it comes to books.  What am I wanting to pull from a book?  What notes am I taking?  Am I learning anything and is what I am learning somehow influencing or changing my approach to coaching? 

The first answer is that I do not choose books - usually - based on what I can learn from them beyond expanding my intellect.  I don't browse bookstores - significantly, and forever more pleasurable than scrolling on a Kindle - searching for a book that I might be able to dive into.  I simply look for books that peak my interest either through the author, a recommendation - my friend Tom turning me onto this book - or a subject matter. 

The notes that I take in a book aren't necessarily notes that I want to refer back to on a regular basis.  This isn't a college course.  I am not referencing my notes in a book as I go through a season.  I take notes to offer my own two cents about something that is said.  Typically, I am either agreeing with what it is said, or disagreeing and offering why.  Often, the notes are simple touchstones.  I can see where I was in my career - philosophically, mentally, etc. - and see how I've changed and grown.  Sometimes I haven't.  Other times what I wrote seems nonsensical at a later date. 

I don't know how you can read or listen to someone without having them influence you.  I tell my athletes that failure does not exist so long as you learn from an experience.  Do not judge the value of the experience on how much you learned.  It's not a quantifiable commodity.  Some of the best lessons I learned were short, simple, and reinforced things that I already believed.  I find it helpful to get another perspective on a subject regardless of the background of the person talking.  I've ridden in many launches with other coaches, but I've also sought out coaches in other sports.  I've spoken with administrators and professors.  I've found that many lessons learned in sport translate into other walks of life, and vice versa.  I've found that other sports are able to put some perspective on your own sport in a way you hadn't yet considered.  For example, I know that at most programs, you will be short coaches.  You'll find that you have more athletes than coaches.  How do you run effective practices when you feel as though you're a single coach short?  How do you ensure that your message is being delivered?  How do you ensure that the coaches assisting you are sharing the message you're delivering in the manner that you'd like?  I learned much from spending a few days with wrestling coaches, baseball coaches, and football coaches. 

Regardless of why you read, or how you approach books, I find that reading is a way to escape from the current situation, even while you're learning about your own situation.  Reading for understanding or reading for pleasure, simply jogging your mind is beneficial.