Teaching Manhood With “Always Fall Forward”

When I got the opportunity to review Always Fall Forward by Todd Gerelds, I had no idea how much my teenage boy would love it.

Always Fall Forward is a set of stories lovingly told by the author of Woodlawn about his father, Tandy Gerelds. Tandy was a coach at Woodlawn High School during the 1970’s in Alabama during the integration movement. His experiences led to his conversion to the faith.

The book is organized into weekly lessons that are perfect for teenagers.

These stories, organized into weekly chapters, focus on each of the lessons that Coach Gerelds worked to teach his team, and his son. Each chapter starts with the principle, for example “Do Your Best, and Let the Results Take Care of Themselves”, followed by a central biblical quote.

Each week’s reading includes a personal moment, lovingly told, to explain how Coach Gerelds taught each principle. Many of these moments take place on the football field and many are heavy in football terminology. But the principles are so compelling and well written that my son insisted that we read a weekly chapter each day.

The author then transitions from a memory of his father, to how he applied his father’s teaching to his professional life, and finally explains its relevance in scripture. At the end of each week is a “To Go Deeper This Week” section with bible readings and some questions for you to ponder.

Each week’s reading is only 4-5 pages, but the impact is tremendous.

If you have sons, you are probably always on the lookout for ways to teach the ways of manhood. Fathers generally do a wonderful job with their sons, but my son hungers for more.

Any teenage boy will enjoy Always Fall Forward. My son frankly does not like the game of football, he prefers to lift weights and program computers. We don’t watch football generally in our house. He hasn’t ever played the game. But he loves this book!

This book has been a perfect activity for him. It opens the conversation for him to discuss ideas of manhood and faith with his father and with me.

If you have a teenage boy, I could not recommend it more.

As the jacket cover states, “Packed with life application, Always Fall Forward challenges men to live the way Coach Gerelds lived – grounded in faith and willing to standup for what he believed – no matter the cost.”

Don’t we all want our sons to grow into that kind of man?

Publisher’s Description

“Make your mistakes full speed.” “Always fall forward.” “There are worse things than dying.”

Todd Gerelds, author of the bestselling book and hit movie Woodlawn, believes the most meaningful life lessons he has learned have been on the playing field. The voice of his coach rings in his head when life gets tough or when his day becomes off-kilter. It just happens that his coach’s voice is also his father’s. His dad was Tandy “The Coach” Gerelds, the subject of Woodlawn and the man who led his team to victory in the racially charged atmosphere of 1970s Alabama. The Coach led his team both on and off the field, always speaking wisdom wherever he went. For him, leading his team wasn’t a responsibility he took lightly. After all, the Coach wasn’t just training these boys to be good football players—he was helping them build the foundation to becoming good men.

In Always Fall Forward, join the Coach’s son, Todd Gerelds, as he reflects on fifty-two of his dad’s most formative “coachisms.” From “Your stance is critical” to “One play at a time,” you, too, will start hearing the strong and encouraging voice of the Coach when life hits you hard. Packed with life application, Always Fall Forward challenges men each week to live the way the Coach lived—grounded in faith and willing to stand up for what he believed—no matter the cost.

You won’t want to forget these lessons—both on and off the field.

About the Author

Todd Gerelds is author of the book Woodlawn, which became a major motion picture that played in theaters across the country. In the book, Todd recounts the events he witnessed as the son of Coach Tandy Gerelds. This true story of hope, faith, and love has made an impact in schools, churches, athletic teams, businesses, charity organizations, and in many individual lives.

Todd has spent over 20 years as an award-winning sales professional, sales trainer, and sales manager with three Fortune 500 companies. Todd is married to Jennifer Morgan Gerelds. They have four daughters: Morgan, Bailey Kay “BK”, Alli, and Maggie Leigh.