5 Books To Grow Your Coaching Skills
- danielluna05
- Sep 13
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 22
Want to know what the most successful people in the world have in common?
They read. 🤓 And they do it a lot.
Whether it’s top athletes, elite coaches, or business leaders; books are their secret weapon. 🥷 And in the world of cheerleading, where performance, pressure, and people skills all collide, having the right mindset and leadership tools can completely change how you coach (and how your athletes perform).
We loved being present in the cheer community this summer, attending three amazing coaching conferences over the summer, all filled with passion, growth, and collaboration:
The energy was contagious. We all want to level up and bring the sport to a higher standard!
It inspired us to share some of the books 📘 we’ve been reading and loving, so you can grow with us and bring that same fire back to your gym. 🫶
This post is packed with 4 powerful 💪 book recommendations (plus a bonus listen!) for cheer coaches looking to lead stronger, communicate better, and grow their team culture. These reads are especially powerful for cheerleading coaches navigating leadership, transition, and growth.
📚 Why These Books Are Gold 🥇 for Cheer Coaches
Because they will provide you with the tips and tricks to...
Shape your leadership style: stunting needs trust, routines need confidence and team culture thrives on strong communication.
Grow your influence: between parents, athletes and gym owners, knowing how to lead with vulnerability and clarity is key.
Stay motivated, stay coached: you deserve mentorship too. These books give you proven tools from high performers mentors.
The Line‑Up: Books That Will Literally Change How You Coach 💯
Relentless by Tim Grover
Want to go from “good” to “great”? As the mental coach behind Michael Jordan, Grover teaches what it takes to push past limits. Every cheerleader’s moments in practice, every athlete’s late night, every coach’s decision… this book helps you lean into the mindset of “greatness” on and off the mat!
How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Communication is everything in cheer. Not just with your team, but with parents, fellow coaches, and even judges and your cheerleading apparel providers! This classic offers tools to handle difficult conversations, motivate your cheer squad and create a positive gym culture where everyone feels heard.
Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
Leadership with heart. Dre Brown teaches vulnerability, courage and how values shape how you lead others. Those strong traits make you who you are and translate directly into better trust from your cheer team. When athletes feel safe to fail, get feedback, or ask for help, performance and morale jump… High!
Be the Boss Everyone Wants to Work for by William Gentry
Transitioning from athlete to coach (or stepping into a larger coaching role) is full of challenges. Gentry gives concrete methods to lead smoothly, build respect, delegate smartly and avoid burnout. If you ever feel stuck or unsure about your role off the mat, or if you’re resonating into this period of transition from a role to another, this one will guide you through.
Mindset by Dr. Carol Dweck
This book is a total game-changer for anyone working with athletes, especially youth. Dr. Dweck explains the difference between a fixed mindset (“I’m either good at this or I’m not”) and a growth mindset (“I can improve with effort, the right support and repetition”).
For coaches, this is pure gold. It gives you tools to praise effort over talent, reframe failure, and create an environment where cheerleaders feel safe to stretch beyond their comfort zones, and to do so without fear of judgment.
We believe in this mindset so much, we’re now starting to share uplifting, growth-oriented quotes regularly on our page (@cheeraction.ca) to help cheerleaders, coaches, and parents stay inspired and keep reinforcing the kind of environment where athletes thrive. Follow along if you want to keep that positive energy flowing into your team culture!
🎉 Bonus Read! 🎉
You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
A perfect pick for putting the audio version on the gym speakers during stretches or warm‑ups. Listen together or ask to do it as homework. It reminds your athletes that mindset matters and that maintaining high belief leads to high performance! You will feel absolutely limitless and so badass listening to this!
Want to suggest these titles to your coaching partners? Click down below for a downloadable PDF!
How to Start a Cheer Book Club 📰
Try this format to build accountability, start (and finish) a self-improvement book and grow with coaching peers:
Step 1: Pick a book | Rotate who chooses: “Relentless” first, then maybe “Dare to Lead”. One to two books per year is totally manageable! |
Step 2: Read one chapter a week | Slice the book into sections that will be achievable to the group you’re doing this with. Make sure it fits into a busy coaching schedule! A chapter per week or 2 weeks will most probably feel right. Other option: Ask the coaches to come to the gym half an hour ahead of their practice time and let them read in a quiet corner of the gym! |
Step 3: Meet or discuss | Share takeaways, successes, challenges. Use Zoom, Facebook, Messenger, Whatsapp, Band or meet after practices! |
Step 4: Implement one small habit | After the debrief, choose a small action you can implement right now. Those snowball. |
Step 5: Watch your team flourish and progress mentally! | Notice how more productive and confident you feel in your coaching! Your team will surely progress faster and better. You’re on the right track! |
How Do These Books Relate to Cheer Uniforms, Cheerleading, Your Gym?
Being confident wearing your uniform ✨starts with mindset: When coaches believe in hard work, it flows into performance and yes, even into how athletes carry their uniform. Pride in uniform comes from pride in leadership and vision.
Team identity & branding: Communication and culture help you treat your gym like a brand (uniforms, routines, everything else) in sync with your values.
Retention & recruitment: Athletes and parents choose gyms where leadership is strong. When you grow as a coach, your gym gets stronger, attracts better talent, keeps people longer.
Do YOU have a favorite book that has impacted you as a cheer coach and that you want to share with us as a community?
Most importantly... Take action today!
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