Good coaching can give youngsters skills they'll use for life. Poor coaching can drive children away from sports. Parents can help ensure that their child's experiences with sports coaches are positive ones.
Make Sports Fun for Kids
Sports encourage discipline, leadership and time management skills. Playing a sport can help children establish healthy habits to stay fit for life. But having fun is perhaps the most important thing for young kids. Noah Fink, coach of The University of Texas men's lacrosse team, said in an interview that, according to the Positive Coaching Alliance, the first goal of the coach of young players should be to work on developing a team culture where players feel good about being part of the team and want to help their fellow players succeed.
Coaches make that happen by emphasizing and expecting effort and a positive attitude, and by allowing mistakes. A coach must clearly and consistently tell members of team this philosophy, and put it into practice. Teaching good sportsmanship should be an important part of the coach's approach. Above all, a coach should make the sport fun, both at practices and at games.
Questions to Ask Youth Coaches
Before committing to any league or team, parents should take some time to evaluate the coaches. The best way to do this is to observe a coach in action, at several practices and games. Look especially at how the coach responds to player mistakes, and to losing.
Then, initiate a conversation with the coach. Ask these questions:
- "What is your coaching philosophy, play to learn or play to win?" A coach should be enthusiastic. He or she should reward effort as much as achievement, and create an environment that encourages kids to try new skills. Keeping score and tracking wins and losses are adult influences. Young children just want to play.
- "What coaching experience do you have?" It's best if a coach has experience specifically in the sport he or she is coaching, and with children of age of the current players.
- "What was your playing experience?" A coach's playing history and experience will tell a lot about his or her general philosophy about the game, youth sports, and competition. At the beginner level, a coach knowledgeable about the particular sport is important, so that youngsters can learn proper basic skills and techniques. But, given a choice over a coach with professional experience and a bad attitude, and one with a great attitude and a so-so playing background, go for the latter.
- "Do you have first aid and CPR training?" Some leagues require this, while others have trainers or volunteers with medical training on hand for all practices and games. Accidents happen, and it is important to have trained adults prepared to respond. The appropriate equipment, including a defibrillator, should be on hand as well.
- "Does your organization perform background checks on staff?"
Parents as Coaches
Without parents volunteering as coaches, many recreational leagues for young children would have a hard time fielding teams. Parents who played a sport themselves can pass on that wisdom and ability to their children. When children are first starting out in a sport and the emphasis is on having fun and learning, having a parent as coach can be a great idea.
As kids get older, though, and the competition more serious, it is usually best to have someone other than a parent as coach. Parents can continue to provide guidance for their young athlete, especially in helping them remember that it is just a game and that things like teamwork, good sportsmanship and effort are always worth more than winning at any cost. Parents can continue to play a sport in a casual way with their child and, of course, should continue to be involved as positive and enthusiastic spectators.
Kids who participate in sports develop good, lifelong physical fitness habits. Sports can teach kids positive skills such as cooperation, self-improvement, perseverance, good sportsmanship, and leadership. They can also, with the right coach, be a lot of fun. That will make kids more likely to continue with a sport or sports for life.
Melissa Gaskill - An independent journalist for 16 years, Melissa Gaskill holds degrees in biology and journalism and writes about travel, nature, outdoor ...
