One of the most rewarding tasks a person can take on is coaching youth sports teams
. A coach plays an important role in the life of a child. Outside of the parental relationship, the relationship a child develops with their coach can have a dramatic impact on their lives. You are not only coaching a sports team, you have the opportunity to impart wisdom and principles to the kids who are participating on your team. It is an opportunity for you to do something great with your time that will create fond memories for the kids. Coaching however is very challenging, so here are a few tips that will help you do your best.
One of the most important characteristics a youth sports coach needs to possess is patience. Many coaches decide to coach a sports team because they are passionate about a particular sport and were highly skilled in participating in that sport themselves, some even at a professional level. The problem here is that many coaches try to treat the children on their team as though they were professional athletes. You need to keep in mind that many of the skills the kids need to learn in order to participate in the sport are brand new to them, and it will take time and much practice for them to develop that skill and get good at it. Be kind and be sure to encourage the children to keep trying and do their best rather than growing frustrated and criticizing them.
Another important tip for coaching youth sports is to try and keep practices and teaching sessions as simple as you possibly can. Again, many coaches who have coached and participated in a sport for many years often get too technical when teaching younger kids. Remember that these kids have little to no experience in the sport, so try not to bog them down with technical aspects of the sport and break things down to help them learn faster and make the practice sessions more enjoyable.
While one of the goals of playing youth sports is to win, you also want to teach the children how to lose graciously and how to be respectful of others. Stress sportsmanship and teach the kids that playing dirty or having a bad attitude are unacceptable behaviors on your team. Teach them to shake hands and congratulate the winning team. Teaching them these things early on will help them cope better with failure or setbacks later on in life.