|
WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR
IN A GOOD COACH?
Some coaches have a difficult time handling the
youth sport atmosphere, and some may underestimate their importance to
their players.
The No.1 reason why kids come back to the same
sport is positive coaching from both parents and coaches. Coaches must
grasp the idea that their role is important. Talk to your child's coaches and define what a successful coach means to you, it isn't
determined by their win-loss record. The coach has to keep the kids
involved.
4 THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN
A GOOD COACH
There are four needs a coach must establish for a
child to keep him or her returning to youth sports.
-
A sense of
belonging. The coach can add to that sense
of belonging by making the child feel like part of the team. This
point leads to the second need.
-
To feel worthwhile. If
the coach relates to the kid as a person and as a member of the
team, it will add to the value of youth sports.
-
A sense of dignity. The
coach's job is to treat the children with respect, and let them
know they will be treated with respect simply for coming out and
playing.
-
A sense of control.
The coach lets the children know they are in control of their own
destiny, and lets them work their way into a role on the team.
HOW TO DEAL WITH UNRULY
PARENTS
The other job of the coach is to control the
parents to prevent a situation from getting out of hand. The first
step is to define unruly behavior.
If you're going to deal with unruly parents,
you've got to have it all spelled out before the season begins. A
preseason meeting with the parents can help prevent any unwanted
situation. Coaches need to tell parents that offensive language, and
the berating of players, coaches and officials are unacceptable. The
coach also must provide consequences for any action considered
inappropriate.
If there is a situation, the first step is to
remain calm, otherwise you can feed the fire.
When a situation occurs, the coach has to have
some way of dealing with it. One way is to have other parents who
participated in the preseason meeting talk to the offending parent to
try to calm him or her down. After the event occurs, the coach must
become the teacher, so the parent understands what he or she did wrong
and why it was considered unacceptable. The coach has to look for the
positives in every situation.
|