Proactive Coaching

So you volunteered to

be a coach, now what?

Each season thousands of parents across North America sign their children up for sports in their community hoping their child will have a wonderful experience and be fortunate enough to have a great coach. More often than not, sport associations struggle to find coaches and they often ask parents to get involved and fill this role. If you have taken on this challenge, congratulations, you are about to embark on an amazing journey with your child. As a bonus, you will be joined by his or her peers, and of course, their parents. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for this challenge.

Preparing for the upcoming season

You have agreed to coach, your child and your community thank you, but now you need to decide what kind of coach you are going to be. First start by developing your coaching philosophy; what are you trying to achieve with your players this season? Do you want them to have fun, develop skills, learn a love for the game, exercise, learn to be competitive, or something completely different?

Think of this new coaching assignment as a new career. What would you do to prepare for a new career, especially if it were something completely new to you?  You have accepted the role as coach, now you must make the commitment to be the best coach you can be. Here are a few things you should consider:

  • Are you knowledgeable about the sport you are about to teach to these kids
  • Do you know how to best communicate with the parents of the children – very important
  • Do you understand the league rules and policies – you need to know this stuff
  • Do you see the big picture? You are developing children first, the sport second
  • Where can you go to get more information to help yourself prepare?
  • Do you have any other coaches you can learn from, lean on and ask questions?
  • Remember, every decision you make should focus on what is “best for the kids”

10 critical points to the season

There are 10 critical points in your season. If you prepare for each of these well, you will have a great chance of having a fantastic year. “Your success or failure as a coach will be in direct proportion to your ability to plan, teach, relate, motivate and to create a positive team climate.” Bruce Brown

  1. Make a commitment – educate yourself, get certified,  take care of necessary paperwork
  2. Plan the season – practice days, how will you plan your practices, schedules, team standards
  3. Meet with the team and parents – do this ASAP, hopefully before the games begin
  4. Your first team practice – set the tone for the season.
  5. Second and third practices – consistency and define your team culture.
  6. The first game – be prepared, know the details, have your team and parents ready.
  7. The first win – how to be gracious, how to celebrate, how to enjoy it.
  8. The first loss – how the deal with adversity, great learning opportunity.
  9. The last game – how do you finish your season?
  10. The end of season wrap up – do you have a wrap up event, hand out awards, say goodbye

Coaching credibility

Good coaches understand the game. Great coaches understand the game and their athletes and how to teach both. Teaching is the key to skill improvement.  Your credibility as a coach will come from your ability to teach. You will be judged this season and you will be remembered, by your players, the parents and the association you coach for. As a coach you need to understand the 5 areas you need to master:

  1. Knowledge – do you know the sport you are coaching (Beginner, advanced, pro)
  2. Preparation – do you plan and prepare for your practices, games and team events
  3. Professionalism – do you treat all officials, opponents, players with respect
  4. Consistency – can you be consistent in the way you run your team and treat your players
  5. Caring – do your players feel that you care about them as individuals

Coach as an educator

Can you learn to coach as an educator? It is great if you can plan all your practices and games but can you also teach what you have planned? Great coaches can teach it, correct it and persist and see that it is done correctly in practices and games. The great UCLA basketball coach John Wooden has 8 laws of learning:

  1. Explanation
  2. Demonstration
  3. Imitation
  4. Repetition
  5. Repetition
  6. Repetition
  7. Repetition
  8. Repetition

Coach as a motivator

Your players also need you to be a motivator at times.  Good coaches encourage and motivate; great coaches motivate through love and get every ounce of attention and energy from their athletes. As a coach you must decide what is important to you and then find ways to make those things important to your athletes. Things that get rewarded get done and they perpetuate themselves. Look for positives and reward them, kids can live on a compliment for a month.

Be the best coach you can be

Remember to plan your season, stick to your plan, and continually look for ways to learn new things. Lean on others for advice, be a student of the game and love what you are doing. A happy coach leads to happy players. And above all else, be the coach you would have liked to have played for.

Contact us

If you would like further tips on coaching take a look at our website and our coaching materials at www.proactivecoaching.info. Here you can find our booklet on Youth Coaching “Four Keys to a Successful Season”. Our coaching staff is sought after across North America and we may be in your city soon. If you would like to have one of our coach’s visit your club or school for a presentation contact Dana Brown at: dana@proactivecoaching.info

 

Proactive Coaching

 

Jon Bey
Proactive Coaching LLC