Doug Lemov's field notes

Reflections on teaching, literacy, coaching, and practice.

02.13.21 Ben Kamara-Adams: How to Coach a Rondo

Ben Kamara-Adams is a Pre Academy Coach at Shrewsbury Town FC in England and an ambassador for Albert Puig’s APFC soccer. He and I met last year when I did a workshop for the club and have kept in touch as he spends a lot of time thinking about how best to develop players through his…


06.18.20 Tiny Little Post on Perception, Batting Practice & Goalkeeping

Had the opportunity yesterday to spend an hour taking with a group of female soccer coaches from around the country who are part of a mentoring program put together by Columbus State coach Jay Entlich. The theme of the session was perception and one of the things we discussed was how to coach players in settings…


05.22.20 Excerpt: The Coach’s Guide to Teaching

I’m closing in on my manuscript deadline on my new book, The Coach’s Guide to Teaching. The sense of urgency–some might call it desperation–is palpable. But I’ve just finished Chapter 4, which is about Checking for Understanding. Here’s an excerpt to whet your appetite. Hope you enjoy John Wooden was among the greatest coaches of the…


04.14.20 Zack Ohlin on Developing His Athletes’ Perception with Virtual Workbooks

Last week I posted an article about using quarantine as an opportunity to improve young athlete’s capacity to learn by watching. My post described how you could set a singular and focused observation task, but it seems that Zack Ohlin was a couple of steps ahead of me. Zack’s a tennis coach in Vancouver, BC with…


04.10.20 Developing Athletes During Quarantine. Some Thoughts

So you’re trying to figure out how to help your athletes continue to develop and stay connected during the COVID downtime. One of the most productive things you could do would be to teach players to perceive the game better. The quality of an athlete’s perception is among the most under-rated determinants of their performance. You…