EP161: Coaching is Not Telling & Yelling

The world of youth sports is crazy. You can go to a sport field on any given weekend and see great examples of coaching and you will also see poor examples of coaching. If I had to break down three areas of improvement that come up often with coaches and parents it would be the following...

As coaches, we need to develop a holistic approach and focus on building great human beings. When we emphasize qualities like being a good teammate, having a good attitude, and playing with great effort, good things are going to happen. You don't need sport skill to do any of those things. The kids will prioritize what you prioritize so choose wisely.

The next step is to build a caring and trusting relationship with each athlete. This takes time. It will never happen over night. You build rapport by asking questions, listening, and caring about what each kid has to say. Remember the adage, they don't care what you know until they know that you care.

Finally, you need to have a relationship with the parents so that they can continue to build on the qualities established at practice. The focus should be on improvement, not wins and losses. We want to foster a love of sport and we can do this by giving each kid an opportunity to be themselves, to practice and explore things on their own terms. Give them space, allow them the opportunity to work problems out, and ALWAYS have their back!