The Director's Manual: For the Coach Who Just Got the Job, Wants the Job, or Is Looking to Improve

Coaches are typically trained to become great assistants. Very few are prepared to be great directors. The Director's Manual was written to close that gap.

Nick DiMarco spent nearly a decade building the performance program at Elon University from the ground up, and several years before that learning and operating inside one of the most well-run programs in college football at the University of Iowa. What he learned in those buildings, about leadership, culture, staff development, organizational systems, budget management, and the daily reality of running a peak performance department, is what this book is about.

This is not a programming manual. There are no periodization templates or exercise prescriptions inside. What you will find is an honest, experience-driven guide to every dimension of the director role that nobody teaches and most coaches learn the hard way: how to manage up, build a staff, develop people, navigate conflict, advocate for resources, and lead an organization that outlasts any single person in it.

Written for the assistant coach preparing for their first director role, the new director finding their footing, and the experienced director looking for a framework to sharpen what they have already built, The Director's Manual covers the full scope of what this profession actually demands. The technical knowledge that earns you the job is only the beginning. What builds a career, and a program worth being proud of? That is what you will find here.