Sports can build character. But it doesn’t happen automatically. And good intentions are not enough. PRIMED to Compete: Coaching for Character is the definitive book for coaches who want to optimize young peoples’ experience of competition and promote their character, performance, and overall well-being.
This engaging new book brings cutting-edge research and practical sport experience together in an easily accessible and digestible framework. PRIMED to Compete provides a powerful way for coaches to turn the challenges of competition into opportunities for promoting positive character.
The three authors bring together a century of expertise in professional and collegiate sports, youth coaching and coach education, and developmental and sport sciences. Building on Marvin W. Berkowitz’s highly acclaimed PRIMED model of character education and David Light Shields’ influential model of True Competition, PRIMED to Compete offers a comprehensive, user-friendly guide to shaping sports environments that build healthy relationships, fair and collaborative mindsets, and core values and virtues. Rooted in science, it provides practical guidance for building team cultures that support both optimal sport performance and character growth across multiple dimensions.
Table of Contents:
PART I
Character and Competition
1 Mapping the Territory
2 Shots Fired
3 Two Mindsets
4 Coaching with a Wide-Angle Lens
PART II
Coaching for Character
5 Introduction to PRIMED
6 Principle 1: Prioritization
7 Principle 2: Relationships: Person to Person
8 Principle 2: Relationships: Whole Team Culture
9 Principle 3: Intrinsic Motivation
10 Principle 4: Modeling
11 Principle 5: Empowerment: Leadership
12 Principle 5: Empowerment: Team Meetings
13 Principle 6: Developmental Coaching
PART III
PRIMED for Competition and Character
14 PRIMED-2C: Putting It All Together
About the Author :
David Light Shields, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized researcher, writer, and speaker on sports and character development. Formerly, he was Co-Director of the Mendelson Center for Sports, Character, and Community at the University of Notre Dame, and is currently Professor Emeritus of Teacher Education at St. Louis Community College, where he was the 2017 recipient of the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Marvin W. Berkowitz, Ph.D., is Co-Director of the Center for Character and Citizenship at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. His scholarly focus is on character education and development, and he has authored more than 100 books, book chapters, monographs, and journal articles. Dr. Berkowitz has received numerous honors, including career achievement awards from Character. org and the Association for Moral Education. He is also the Co-founder of ComedySportz and two-time Missouri Senior Soccer champion.
Pete S. Paciorek, Ed.D., is a global leader in character development in sport and serves as the Head of Leadership and Character Development at IMG Academy. With a background as a professional baseball player and a recognized family legacy in professional sports, Paciorek has dedicated his life to cultivating character in youth through sports. Founder of the non-profit Character Loves Company, Paciorek also teaches graduate-level courses in character and ethics at the University of Florida.
Review :
"I have long believed that nothing is as practical as a good theory. PRIMED to Compete: Coaching for Character has plenty of both: important theory that backstops an amazing number of compelling examples and tools to enable coaches to use the cauldron of competition to build character.
PRIMED to Compete is a book for every coach’s bookshelf. I think you will be amazed at how often you refer to it to help you navigate the ups and downs of building character into the fabric of your coaching. This is a book that will last."
-Jim Thompson, Founder, Positive Coaching Alliance
"Finally! A transformative book for coaches, athletes, organizational leaders and other sport stakeholders has arrived! If you buy only one book on coaching, this is the one to get. PRIMED TO COMPETE is a user-friendly, research-based guide for anyone who cares about the future of youth sports. It is replete with practical strategies and advice so don’t be unnerved by the authors’ academic credentials. It’s a down-to-earth discussion of how character education and a “competition mindset” help kids win in sport and in life. Readers will be surprised, challenged, and most of all delighted by what they’ll find in these pages. PRIMED to Compete unpacks the tools every coach should have in their toolbox and lays out an impressive “coaching game plan” for optimizing both character and performance. The wisdom in this book is worth double its weight in gold medals."
-Colleen M. Hacker, 7-Time Hall of Fame Coach & Athlete
"If you're a coach who cares about your athletes becoming better people, you’ve got to read PRIMED TO COMPETE. The book is full of practical tips and strategies to build your team's character muscles."
-Dr. Arthur Schwartz, President, Character.org
"PRIMED to Compete offers invaluable insights on competing with integrity both in sports and beyond; something impactful to my career as a four-time Olympian. Drawing from decades of research, the authors emphasize the power of sport to change the world, manage conflict, and cultivate intrinsic motivation. A must-read for all coaches seeking personal and professional growth."
-Richard Thompson, 4-Time Olympian, Gold Medalist and 2-Time Silver Medalist, Youth
Sport Coach and Mentor
"Don’t even think about coaching without reading this powerful book and implementing its practical, inspirational advice."
-Mariah Burton Nelson, former pro basketball player, author of Embracing Victory, and columnist, Stronger Women on Substack
"The world of sports has never been in the spotlight more than it is today. And this is what we have been waiting for! PRIMED to Compete is nothing less than a revolutionary, highly practical book that every coach of every sport at every level should read and implement."
-Fred Claire, World Series Champion GM for the Los Angeles Dodgers
"As a former professional athlete and character educator, I could not be more excited about “PRIMED to Compete: Coaching for Character.” To have three of the foremost experts in the field come together for this impactful book is truly special. I encourage every coach and parent to read what should be a part of every athletic program."
-Kim Nuxhall, President of The Nuxhall Foundation
"The idea that sport can build character is undoubtedly true, but there aren’t many resources that so directly and eloquently articulate what, why, and how we can use the vehicle of sport to develop strong character skills in young people. PRIMED to Compete is grounded in principles and practice for coaching and leadership. I wholeheartedly recommend it."
-Dr. Angus Mugford, Sr. VP Player Development & Performance, New Jersey Devils
"PRIMED to Compete reads like a much-needed primer for coaching in today's mixed up youth sports world. Focusing content on motivation, character and the duality of roles between individual and whole team learning, moves us in the right educational and developmental direction. Bravo for an integral approach!"
-Betsy Mitchell, Olympic Swimmer, Gold & Silver Medalist, College Athletics Director
"The book PRIMED to Compete does a tremendous job of taking decades of research around youth character development and making it relevant and applicable for coaches. This book is for coaches who want to go beyond the Xs and Os and make a long-term impact on their players' character."
-Ernie Logan, 10-Year NFL Veteran, Long-Time Youth Coach/Mentor
"Character education is not another thing on a coach’s plate. It is the plate on which all athletic and personal development is built. In your hands you have the key to helping your athletes as well as yourself become people of excellence in athletics and life."
-Phil Vincent, Educator, Author of The 6 Rs: Foundations for a Flourishing School
