Coaching Youth Sports in a Recreational League
Coaching youth related activities is often a challenge and a reward. You will have many different levels of playing ability in a group of 10-20 kids and you will be responsible for the outcome of the season. Win or lose you are still a role model and still in the position to make or break each player that is assigned to your team. Often in coaching our frustrations materialize when the losses become greater than the wins and we forget to take into account the overall improvement of each player and the team as a whole.
When coaching youth sports it is important to remember that each child does not have the same background and history with the sport. Some players may have been participating since early childhood and some are just beginning to enjoy the sport. Either way finding out how to reach them is the challenge and being able to provide a well rounded ratio of self esteem, fundamental basis of the sport and enjoyment is up to you.
Patience is a huge factor in this. You have to be patient to see the fundamentals applied from practice settings to the game environment. It is not an overnight success and does take some determination on your part to provide the necessary encouragement allowed to see this fulfilled. So many times coaches may focus on their stronger players capabilities and build the team around that, which is not necessarily right or wrong, however you are limiting your performance to these stars and in turn might be forfeiting future stars of the team. By basing your defense and offense on a few select players you are also limiting potential stars from shining to their fullest potential. When doing this you are taking the chance of discouraging those not so great players and also downplaying their contribution to the team or their self respect of what they are able to contribute. They often will be left feeling less important and their self esteem will drop as their importance is minimized. They may lose their love of the game which is the main reason they wanted to participate to begin with.
Coaches might try to make it a point to work on the lesser skilled players fundamentals and build up their self esteem to avoid this. There is nothing that can compare to seeing the joy in the eyes of a child who accomplishes something new or something they never thought they would be able to accomplish. As their self esteem improves their love of the game grows as well as their interest in the sport. Incorporate your practices to be well blended with the skilled and unskilled players held at the same level. Do not over praise the more skilled players. Do not underpraise the lesser skilled players. Balance it out according to the needs of the child in particular.
Learn the fundamentals for the game you are coaching. Make sure you are in fact teaching the correct way to perform the task at hand. Fundamentals are the basis to any great team. A team that has good fundamentals is more likely to prevail in the overall win loss ratio. Also when a child learns the proper fundamentals they will be able to build upon their abilities more quickly than those children who have not been taught the fundamentals. Applying fundamentals in a game, often referred to as “playing small ball”, can be the difference in a mediocre team or a championship team regardless of win/loss records.
Remember the reason you are coaching to begin with. You are not there for your own personal glory. You are there to teach these kids and allow them to have fun with the sport they are playing. So many times coaches forget about this or it is only a small fraction of why they are coaching. Watch the other coaches in your league and their interaction with the kids. You will be able to single out coaches who coach for the wins from the coaches who coach for the total aspect of the game. Your team should not fear the coach and never ever should walk off the field with their heads hung in shame. Pitchers, quarterbacks, forwards, goalies all can feel more pressure and take on the responsibility of the loss because of their role in the game. As a coach the responsibility lies within you to make sure to emphasize that these are team sports and that the team as a whole incurs the loss or the win, not one person. You emphasize the good and you practice on the not so good. When a child assumes the responsibility for a loss and is allowed to do so, their love of the game will eventually become diminished lessening their interest in continuation of the sport through later years.
Practice often and regularly. Repetition is the best form of learning. Have a set schedule for your practices when possible. It is easier for the parents and children to participate with the sport if they know what is going on. Random practices and last minute practices are harder for your team to attend and you are less likely to have the entire team there to benefit from the whole concept of being a team. You cannot have a few here and a few there when practicing for a team sport then on game night expect them to be able to perform as a team. A good way to find out what are good practice times is to speak with the parents of your team. Granted you will not be able to please or accommodate everyone but if you request their input and work with them then you are displaying to your team that you are a team. Also by allowing parents to provide input you are more likely to have the parental cooperation required for the team to succeed as a whole.
Ask for help. When you are not sure about a specific area or are stronger in defense than offense do not be afraid to ask for help. Often you will find another parent or coach who might be stronger in your weaker areas and will be willing to assist with the team. Don’t be afraid of not knowing everything. Just know that there are resources to help you in the areas you are weaker and utilize them. That makes you a smart coach and also provides the team with a total understanding of the game they are playing.
Remember that on and off the field you are a role model. If you are a smoker refrain from smoking around the children. Refrain from swearing. Refrain from arguing. You are not only their coach, you become someone they look up to and may some day want to emulate. Parents are entrusting their children in your care and want to know that they are in good responsible hands and that their children are not going to be exposed to elements they would not want them exposed too. If you are a parent try to treat the players how you would expect anyone to treat your own children.
Last but definitely not least, Have Fun!!! Games are meant mainly for that purpose. Children are more likely to perform better when they are having fun. Coaches are going to enjoy the overall coaching experience when they are having fun. Laugh with your team and play with your team. If something funny happens allow them to laugh. I have seen coaches who chastise their teams for laughing and even talking. Remember they are kids. Kids do that. You are not paying these players the salaries of the major leaguers and you are not expecting major league capabilities from them. Enjoy watching your team learn and grow and enjoy watching the accomplishments of each and every player no matter how small or large.
