A Teen's Game Plan for Life

by Lou Holtz, Matt Smith (Foreword)

The highly successful Notre Dame football coach, Lou Holtz, provides a game plan for today's teenagers to deal with the many choices and decisions they must make which have adult consequences.

Genres: Nonfiction

Paperback

First published June 29, 1995

About the author

Louis Leo "Lou" Holtz (born January 6, 1937) is a retired American football coach, and active sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker. He served as the head football coach at The College of William & Mary (1969–1971), North Carolina State University (1972–1975), the University of Arkansas (1977–1983), the University of Minnesota (1984–1985), the University of Notre Dame (1986–1996), and University of South Carolina (1999–2004), compiling a career record of 249–132–7. Holtz's 1988 Notre Dame team went 12–0 with a victory in the Fiesta Bowl and was the consensus national champion. Holtz is the only college football coach to lead six different programs to bowl games and the only coach to guide four different programs to the final top 20 rankings. Holtz also coached the New York Jets of the NFL during the 1976 season.

Over the years, the slender, bespectacled Holtz has become known for his quick wit and ability to inspire players. In 2005, Holtz joined ESPN as a college football analyst. On May 1, 2008, Holtz was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. Holtz is a master motivational speaker and a former analyst for CBS Sports. Lou Holtz and his wife, Beth, are parents to four grown children.

Reviews

[Rorro Quira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro ME CAMBIÓ LA VIDA! Definitivamente una lectura sencilla y amena, en la que se destacan aspectos importantes de las buenas conductas y hábitos que toda persona debe de llevar a cabo para tener éxito en la vida. No es una receta, es una guía de recomendaciones. Must read para adolescentes y jóvenes.

[Tricia Wade · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars. Let me preface that this is a book from 2002 and is easy to read in about 30 minutes. Unless you are a huge Lou Holtz fan, you can read the back cover 5 bullet points and get enough info - choose your attitude, make sacrifices, get rid of excuses, understand what you're trying to do, and dream big dreams. These are the 5 sections of the book. Then they just tell non-relatable football stories throwing around names of players and teams that are now pretty outdated. The points could have been made in more general stories (even still about football), but a huge focus on specific player names, coaches names, USC, OSU, Notre Dame, game scores, etc. The 5 core messages are decent, but nothing mind-blowing. I'm sure this was a great book in the era of Lou Holtz and Regis Philbin. Now it seems quite outdated.

[Edgar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sacrifice and Self Confidence we all need them to succeed

[Carlos Rodriguez]

This book is nice, it opens your eyes to new things in the world. With this book, you can be successful.

[k$ · Rating 4 out of 5]

ez read. good message, very applicable. back of book really says it all. overall not dense, ez read for kids / teens.

[Drew F · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Teen’s Game Plan for Life is a book written by Lou Holtz. This book is good for any teen. Lou Holtz was a football coach for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This book is a nonfiction book containing a lot of information that is relevant to teens. In this book Lou Holtz provides viaducts for teens to accomplish important things. Not very many tips through the story are incoherent with how teens feel during this period of their life. He does a good job of connecting his events with those of teens. Lou takes experiences that he has had during his life and tries to apply his lessons learned where he thinks they may be applicable in a teen’s life. Lou Holtz believes in four main concepts to create his great play book for teens. The first of these concepts is to get rid of excuses. Excuses are a way to blame someone else for your own ability to not do your best. It also is allowing a person to think it’s okay to not be able to complete their job or jobs. When people start to make excuses they also pin things on their teammates or friends. The second of the four concepts is you need to have a good attitude to succeed. Without a good attitude people can dis courage others and end up having a negative effect on the people around them. When one person has a good attitude it spreads to the people they are working with and makes it easier to cooperate. The third concept of the four is to be confident. When a people are confident they can make better decisions for the people around them and for themselves, which is good in working on things because the task is done faster. It also gives a person higher self-esteem by being confident in themselves. The fourth and final concept of Lou Holtz four concepts is to dream big. Dreaming big does many things for a teen one of which is it gives the teen a goal to achieve their goals. It also allows the teens to be more creative in finding a way to accomplish their goal as well as establishing a good work ethic.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST BOOK EVER
I read the book "Teens Game Plan for Life", by Lou Holtz. It is about setting goals in life and being who you are. In the book it talks about your attitude, he says that having a positive attitude is of primary importance. Lou Holtz talks about being a dreamer and dream of it then do it. He goes on in the book telling us readers that working hard does pay of in the end, you have to stick with it and never fail to give up. The book inspires me to be a good person and be out there even if it is not what everyone else is doing. Personally I loved this book, it has helped me put what's important first and help me to see what's best.
It seems that this book is being marketed towards teenagers but anyone older or younger would enjoy this book as well. It is well written
and its easy to read. I think anyone who likes motivational books would love this book.

[Meeghan Kummer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great guide for everyone. Formula for success with rules/plays. Play1-choose your attitude.A positive attitude is a choice. Play #2-Make Sacrifices. Remember every decision you make sets the stage for different results. Practice to the best of your ability. Play #3- Get rid of excuses. As long as you find excuses you do not have a chance. Are you going to stay down or GET UP. Play #4-Understand what YOU are trying to do. Play #5-Dream Big Dreams. Dreams come true with a series of smaller daily choices. Actually might read his other book.

[Olivia McCloskey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a required summer reading book, and the advice felt generic, repetitive, and disjointed at times, parroting blatantly obvious tips and tricks without adding any originality. I also wasn't familiar with the author and didn't enjoy the sports-related analogies that were far too prevalent throughout the book.

[Sandra]

So think before you complain, especially about things that require some sacrifice. Complaining is the sign of a loser.”
― Lou Holtz, A Teen's Game Plan for Life
tags: page-28
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“He called on me to save him as I had promised. And I did the same thing that you might have done if you were in my situation. I tried to pretend that I couldn't hear him calling to me.

[LaNiqua · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was okay not something i usually read

[Dpalange44 · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good for teens ( and adults!) to focus on who they want to become and who they are on track to becoming.

[Serena]

My mom is making me read this. If it's good, tell me.