Some books are written in a few months. Others take a professional lifetime.
I’m excited to announce that my upcoming book, Coaches as Educators: It’s More Than Just a Cartwheel, is nearing publication.
The anticipated publication date for the English edition is late November 2026, with an Italian edition expected in early 2027.
I feel like I have been writing this book my entire professional life.
For more than 40 years, I’ve been coaching, teaching, traveling, consulting, learning, making mistakes, and hopefully getting a little better along the way. Throughout those years, I’ve accumulated countless little notes to myself. Sometimes they were reminders of something that worked particularly well. Other times, they were observations about something I could have handled differently. How could I explain that skill better? How could I reach that athlete? What could I do differently the next time? How could I become a better coach?
Those notes eventually became something much bigger.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with gymnasts and coaches around the world. I’ve coached national team athletes, worked alongside outstanding coaches, taught courses, attended countless clinics, and experienced the highs and lows that come with spending a lifetime in this profession. I’ve also learned that some of the most important lessons in coaching have very little to do with gymnastics.
Coaches as Educators is not a book about collecting more drills or finding the secret technique that will make every gymnast successful. There are plenty of books and videos that can help with that.
This book is about the person doing the coaching.
It’s about understanding that coaching is teaching. It’s about relationships, communication, leadership, creating an environment where people can learn, and recognizing the responsibility we have to the athletes who walk through our doors.
And while I wrote much of this book with gymnastics coaches in mind, its message extends well beyond the gym. Anyone responsible for developing people, leading a team, or helping others reach their potential can find something here. That includes coaches in any sport, teachers, business managers, and organizational leaders.
One thing I’ve learned: athletes don’t come with instruction manuals. Unfortunately, neither do coaches.
We have to keep learning.
I hope this book encourages coaches to question some of the things they’ve always done, reconsider how they teach, and perhaps make a few changes. Not because everything they’ve done is wrong, but because there is always room to do it better.
After all, the goal was never simply to teach someone a cartwheel. It was to help them become a little more capable, confident, and prepared for whatever comes next.
I’m looking forward to finally sharing these thoughts, notes, experiences, and lessons with you.
English edition: Anticipated late November 2026.
Italian edition: Anticipated early 2027.
More information about publication and availability will be coming soon.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of this professional life. You’ve probably contributed to this book more than you realize.
— Tony Retrosi
Gym Momentum International
