Coaching is Teaching - Part 04 - Are you fluent in 'Teenage-ese'?

Published: Fri, 11/06/15

   
Yes!! You're one of the elite parents and coaches who is making winning the right way a habit!
It's tryout season

Lots of tryouts going on right now - it can be a stressful time for coaches, parents, and kids.

Coaches
Be strategic in how you communicate any cuts you need to make. How you handle this can really influence the self-esteem of these kids. Plus  you owe it to them to talk one-on-one and give them specific feedback. Many of them have been working out for months preparing for your team.
Don't:
  • Read names in front of a group
  • Post lists of names or even numbers
  • Pull aside kids and talk to them in the gym while the other kids are still there 
Do:
My son's 7th grade basketball coach nailed it.  He had 51 kids tryout for 14 spots.  On the final day of tryouts he called each kid, alphabetically, one at a time into the locker room, then let them know whether they made the team, and if not he gave them specific feedback on what they needed to work on.  Then they exited out of the back of the locker room directly into the parking lot where their parent was to be waiting. (By the way - my son was the last one cut, and based on the feedback the coach gave him about what to improve - he worked on that skill and has since made his 8th grade team and 9th grade team.)

Parents
If you looking for tips on how to stand out in a tryout, or looking for long-term alternatives to travel sports teams - there are great free tools to help you at: winningyouthcoaching.com/travelmath
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Coaching is Teaching - Part 4 - Are you fluent in 'teenage-ese'?
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One of the biggest challenges when coaching is to walk in the kids' shoes when communicating with them.  Something that seems so obvious to us as grown adults might seem like Chinese to young athletes who are new to most of the concepts we are teaching them.  That is why sometimes it is harder for natural athletes who starred at their sport to teach skills vs. an amateur who may have never even played the sport.  The amateur has to research the fundamentals and figure out what terminology kids will understand to explain how to do the skill.  If you want to hear some funny stories about how this can go wrong - check out Shane Sams on WYC episode 17 - start at minute 7. Some of the funniest stories told to date on WYC podcast. winningyouthcoaching.com/wyc-017. 

'Communicating in a way that the kids understand is your ultimate goal/challenge.  Use analogies with something they are passionate about: Legos, basketball, singing, etc.' – Olaniyi Sobomehin, former NFL running back

'Break everything down into small pieces – A football stance can be broken down into 5 micro-steps. Use visual images, using kid’s terms, so it’s easy for the kids to remember.' – Clint Schumacher, youth sports coach

Jenn Starkey, author of League of Your Own, shared with me the Albert Einstein quote: ‘If you can’t explain it to a 6 year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.'

'Keep everything simple so that your kids build confidence, confident kids play fast, fast kids win games’ – Joe Daniel, founder of joedanielfootball.com

'Great way to make sure you are teaching at their level: Try to teach one your assistant coaches to do a skill with their off hand: i.e. If they are right-handed try to teach them to throw left-handed.  This forces you to break down the skill into it’s most elemental pieces.  Then add in variables a little bit at a time.' – Valeri Garcia, PCA Double-Goal Coach Award winner

So speak their language.  Use funny terms and analogies they can relate to.  They will learn better and remember more.

Next week we'll dive into learning by watching what great looks like.
I'd love to hear your thoughts, if you hit reply it goes straight to my inbox, and I reply to every email. 
Make winning your habit starting today,
​Craig
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Craig Haworth is the founder of Winning Youth Coaching, a site dedicated to helping coaches and parents make youth sports an awesome experience for the the youth and the parents.  He interviews coaches from around the world and posts them on his podcast, which currently has over 60 interviews and has been downloaded over 40,000 times. He writes a weekly note to coaches and parents. He is married to his high-school sweetheart and they share the blessing of 3 children and live in Franklin, TN. You can sign-up for his weekly note here, find him on twitter at @craighaworth1, or visit his website winningyouthcoaching.com.
"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men"
- Frederick Douglass