Become a kids soccer coach

The wheels are already in motion, right now, soccer organizations across the country are happily organizing a record number of youth soccer teams. With this record growth comes the need for more and more coaches to take teams of younger, less experienced players and train them to succeed in the sport while creating a positive sports experience for them. It would be really nice if each of these teams of aspiring athletes had a paid, professional coach to guide them along the path to success. However, with cost and availability constraints this is just not possible. What this means is that soccer clubs are relying more and more on parent coaches to prepare tomorrow’s soccer stars to meet their destinies. This is a hefty challenge for many of us who didn’t even get to play the sport in high school, but it is one we can, and should, take on.

You CAN do it Better

How many times have you listened to other parents complain that their kids’ coach didn’t have a clue, or that he/she didn’t know how to motivate the kids, or was downright abusive to the little darlings? How many times have you felt that way yourself? While we have all had experiences with less-than-perfect coaching, as parents who weren’t stepping up to the coaching plate, we really didn’t have the right to complain. To be fair, most bad coaches really mean well, they just don’t have the knowledge they need to perform good skills transfer and motivate their teams to succeed. But knowledge can be gained, and motivation can be attained if you apply a simple, basic coaching philosophy that accomplishes the following:

* Enforces personal responsibility and commitment
* Teaches a team perspective rather than a me perspective
* Allows athletes to be active participants in their season
* Uses positive reinforcement along with constructive criticism to change any unwanted behaviour

Sound like a familiar strategy? It should, it’s called good parenting. Good coaching and good parenting are really based on the same things. It’s when we think they’re different that we get into trouble as coaches.
My next post will outline some tips on how to get started, once you've made the decision to coach a kids team. Stay tuned!