Sports Esteem

Most opposing youth coaches have the same goals (with one exception) and problems. Unfortunately, they seldom have much time to help each other. Even if they did, many opposing coaches do not know each other well enough to admit a problem and solicit advice. So, the one group of people who can most help a coach are often the ones least frequently called.

One way for coaches to build these relationships is to introduce themselves to each other before a game and exchange business cards with contact information. This simple exchange of information lets coaches ask questions long after a game and learn how certain things demonstrated by a team were developed by the coach. It lets coaches communicate at their convenience away from the rush of after game distractions. While there may be certain coaches who view these tips as providing a proprietary advantage, the better ones will be glad to see some of their hard-learned techniques passed along.

In most leagues, introductions before a game are not a common practice. When first practiced, some coaches may find the opposing coach surprised. However, over time and as the benefits of improved communication become evident, it is a practice that can improve the game for everyone.

Sports Esteem has put together three packages of certificates that can be used to recognize players and coaches. To download, click the appropriate package below:

Certificates for All Sports (download)

Certificates for Hockey (download)

Certificates for Coaches (download)

On most youth teams, there are players who are physically two or three years ahead of their teammates in size, speed or strength. These players often form a core of talent that coaches can use to their advantage to win games. Especially in youth travel and select teams, the temptation for many coaches is to use this talent more during a game to go for the win. While this method is appropriate at the highest level of athletic competition, it seldom has any place in youth sports. Here are ten reasons why equal playing time is a better strategy:

1. Avoids contention between coaches and parents. Parents will not objectively judge their own child’s abilities. No coach should expect objectivity from parents.
2. Avoids contention among parents. The resentments that can build between coaches and parents can often build among parents for the same reasons. More than a few youth teams have had successful seasons poisoned by hard feelings arising out of a coach’s game decisions.
3. Avoids contention among players. If players feel that coaches have favorites, they may stop trying their hardest.
4. Minimizes player fatigue. In tough physical games, coaches will lack skilled players if the top players are exhausted and lesser players have had limited game experience.
5. Maximizes player development. Without access to playing time and special situations, players cannot learn.
6. Simplifies coaching decisions. Coaches won’t have to guess which players are most likely to play well in a given situation.
7. Recognizes equal investments. Players and parents often make equal contributions away from the game in time and dollars and thus expect equal access to game situations.
8. Improves team chemistry. When players feel everyone is treated fairly, they are more likely to focus on working together. When players feel they can succeed by making someone else look bad or themselves look better, they are learning the wrong lessons about team play.
9. Wins mean more to everyone. When everyone contributes to a win, there are no lingering resentments that will interfere with the celebration.
10. Better reflects coaching abilities. Winning games with kids who are physically more mature is more a success of drafting than coaching. Winning games by developing all the kids on a team is a better test of a coach’s abilities.

In professional sports, players do not get equal playing time. So, when is it appropriate for youth sports to mimic this behavior? One test is when a team is not committed to individual players and rosters may be changed at anytime during a season. When teams exist for the team’s sake and not the players’, as is the case in professional and collegiate sports, then coaches are left with no other choice than to give more time to their best players. However, until that test is true, coaches should make sure their player times are equal.

In the popular card game Yu-Gi-Oh, the goal is to create a deck of cards that allows the deck owner to defeat opponents in a card game duel. Though you seldom find coaches playing Yu-Gi-Oh, you do see them struggle trying to defeat their archenemy - time.

There is seldom enough time in a single practice or enough practices in a season to cover all the material coaches want to review with their teams. Organizing practices before the start of a season gives coaches the best chance of getting the most out of their limited time. Here is one organizing method that coaches may find helpful:

• Pick a limited number of standard drills that will be required for the season.
• Identify activities that the kids will enjoy (such as scrimmages, relay races, etc.)
• Name each drill and activity with something fun and easy for the kids to remember.
• Place each skills drill on a white index card with its name and time requirements.
• Place each fun activity on a colored index card with its name and time requirements.
• Before each practice, pick two colored cards (for the front and back of the practice deck) and then enough white skills drills to fill the time between.
• At practice, as each drill is used for the first time, teach the kids the drill and the drill’s name.
  As the season progress, kids will remember drill details by name, which will save practice time by reducing the time needed for explanation. Practice plans become easy to create by just rearranging or rebuilding the practice deck. More importantly, by starting and ending the practice deck with a colored card, coaches remember to keep fun as a key part of their practices.

As in Yu-Gi-Oh, building the right deck helps coaches overcome their opponent (time). As coaches refine their deck with new or better drills, it is conceivable that coaches could even “trade” their cards with other coaches so that everyone can win.

For most coaches, winning is always one of the goals of every game and a win by one point or by ten points counts the same in the record books. However, if a team wins by more than a few scores, a coach has often missed an opportunity to help the team grow even more.

Youth games are team practices as well as competitive tests. When coaches have a game comfortably in hand, they should start thinking about the other things that players can learn in the time remaining. In these situations, coaches can improve team skills by setting certain rules for the remainder of the game, such as asking players to:

• Play different positions.
• Pass more between players to set up better shots.
• Implement new defensive or offensive strategies.
• Attempt more challenging shots or plays.

When winning is almost certain, coaches can use the time remaining to help their team gain skills and the right kind of confidence. To keep things the same and run up the score can give players a false confidence in advance of the next game against a tougher opponent.

Just like players, coaches are developed through education that is tested and refined in actual situations. Unfortunately, there are no practices for coaches where they can master their skills before actually applying them. This lack of practice forces coaches to take responsibility for their own education and improvement. Here are 10 suggestions.

1. Search the bookstore and the Internet.
2. Talk with other coaches.
3. Get feedback from parents.
4. Get feedback from players.
5. Attend training sessions.
6. Watch other youth games.
7. Videotape practices.
8. Ask a parent to help with non-coaching tasks.
9. Organize and plan ahead.
10. Have fun.

While coaches often start with sports knowledge, transferring this knowledge into the heads of young players may pose a new set of challenges. Coaches may sometimes feel that their problems are unique. However, with over 2.5 million volunteer youth coaches and over 30 million kids in youth sports, every coaching frustration is repeated many times over. This experience base is available to any coach who actively seeks it out

There is plenty of research that shows kids quit playing sports when they stop having fun. But what about coaches? Not all coaches have the option of quitting when coaching stops being fun. A commitment to coach a child’s team or a commitment to others to stick it out for the season can leave a coach in an endurance contest to season end. When this occurs, coaches should rethink their focus and consider coaching for their own enjoyment.

In youth sports, coaches have a difficult time controlling wins. Different players have varying commitments to hard work and consistent play is based on other factors in their lives. For coaches trying to put together a winning season or to please demanding parents, these challenges can quickly unravel a season. By returning to the fundamentals of youth coaching, coaches can take control of their situation and increase their level of enjoyment. These fundamentals are:

• Enjoy teaching - Watch for and enjoy the progress of individual players or the team.
• Enjoy learning - There are plenty of books and videos that give coaches insights. Experimenting with different approaches and drills can make things more interesting for everyone.
• Enjoy being a role model - Get to know the players better and try to build relationships that will last past the season.
• Enjoy working with others - Opposing coaches can be more than competitors, they can also be mentors and friends who are dealing with the same issues.
• Enjoy friends - Coaching often exposes everyone to new people and opportunities for new friendships.

Coaching at the youth level should be enjoyable. When it isn’t, coaches should make sure they are driving their own efforts toward these fundamentals. Not only will coaches have more fun, but it also increases the likelihood that the team will have more fun too.

Coaches of recreational, select and travel teams can all be statistically certain of one thing - they are not coaching any future professional players. With that possibility out of the way, coaches can then ask, Will the lessons I teach make sense when my players go on to be lawyers, bankers, accountants, police officers and other people who make up my community?

Coaches should try to determine the impact of their lessons on the adult professions that kids are more likely to have. For example:

Youth games are not adult competitions and the goals are quite different. Each time coaches fail to ensure that competitions are played fairly with larger goals than winning at stake, they teach lessons that can have unintended consequences in their players’ adult lives. If coaches want to live in a great community in the future, they will lay the groundwork with every young person they influence today.

Over time, coaches build their list of standard phrases they use to talk with players. These phrases become verbal shortcuts that players come to understand mean more than the words themselves. Most phrases deal with game or practice situations, but some concern attitude - either the player’s or the coach’s. One of the best of these is “Hi! Glad to see you.”

Ideally, players would be motivated from within to play their best in practices and games. However, coaches often need to help players tap into inner strength. This help doesn’t have to wait for game or practice time. It can start from the first contact a coach has with a player. While a simple “hello” will suffice, a more enthusiastic greeting gives players a boost even before they start.

Making players feel welcome and wanted gives them a break from other childhood pressures. These feelings also give them encouragement to be there and try their best. Sometimes the most effective coaching techniques are also the simplest.