Did I really just do that? - Being a great gameday coach Part 8 of 8

Published: Fri, 02/26/16

   
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​​Being a great gameday coach
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Part 8 - Did I really just do that?

Being a coach is such an amazing opportunity to be engaged with and influence young people. Billy Graham once said:

'A coach will influence more people in 1 year than most people will in a lifetime'

Yet it's so easy to get caught up in the moment and lose perspective when in the heat of the moment of the game. In the podcast interviews I do with coaches, I always ask about their biggest 'cringe' moment from their coaching experiences - and the vast majority of answers I get involve their behavior towards officials, other coaches, or parents.  The reason we regret these type of actions so much is that we know there are a bunch of little eyes watching us, and those kids will emulate what they see. You can give all the speeches you want to the kids about character and integrity, but what really will influence their behavior is how you behave. Here are a few simple things to focus on to make sure you are acting like the type of person you want the kids to emulate:
  • Be present. In practices and games. This starts as soon as warmups begin. Turn off your cell phone. This isn’t time to chat with the parents or referees or former players, that can happen afterwards, you need to be focused if you want the the kids to be focused.
  • Do you yell at the referees or your players?  Then don’t be surprised when the kids you coach yell at their teammates and/or referees.
  • Recognize greatness – on both teams.  Tell a kid from the other team ‘nice shot’ when he goes by your bench. This is contagious.
  • Be excited to be there, have passion for the game, relax and enjoy the experience.
I hope you've enjoyed this series, I'd love to hear your thoughts, shoot me a note on this topic or let me know any others you would be interested in.  If you want to see any of the previous posts in this series you can check them out on the blog at: winningyouthcoaching.com/blog

Next week we'll launch a new series - until then keep making winning the right way your habit!
 
Not satisfied with your kid's sports season?
 
We're in the middle of lots of sports season - it can be a stressful time for coaches, parents, and kids.
 
Parents
If you looking for tips on how to stand out in a tryout, or looking for long-term alternatives that produce superior results to travel sports teams - there are great free tools to help you at: winningyouthcoaching.com/travelmath
 
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Make winning the right way 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 youth and the parents.  He interviews coaches from around the world and posts them on his podcast, which currently has over 70 interviews and has been downloaded over 55,000 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