There are many who find extreme pleasure in both a sport and perhaps in coaching their child’s team. This might be a netball team after-hours using local facilities, a football team at the school, perhaps you’re a volunteer at the tennis club in your town. This can not only be a great way to exercise yourself but to pass down your professional knowledge to those who are hungry to learn and enjoy the sport themselves. Perhaps you can enter your team into local leagues, and to that end find pride and bring glory to your area.
But of course, this is all in the name of fun. To that end, it’s important to care for the experience of your team rather than all the trophies they might bring home. You can do a lot of good with a project like this, such as helping certain teens stay off the streets or give them an outlet to express themselves. Sometimes, you might lay the foundations to build skill in a child, even helping them get a sporting scholarship to college at a later date.
But first, hard work is needed. Here’s what that might look like:
Consider The Facilities
While facilities do not necessarily determine a team’s success, they can certainly be useful. Ample toilet space for both genders, separate changing rooms, facilities that are continually clean and in a state of repair is important. An access point for water is essential during exercise sessions. Also, spare appropriate defensive kit, the apparatus of the game, and smaller elements such as safety cones and field dividers can prove useful. On top of that, lock boxes for valuables such as mobile phones can help your team focus on the game at hand. Not only that but a building in good repair, such as having its epoxy flooring replaced, can be a massive benefit. If you aren’t in a position to make those decisions, heavily recommend them to the faculty.
Encourage
It’s essential for you to be behind your team, no matter if they lose every single match in a league, or if they win every single one time after time. Remember, youth sports are important, but they’re not life or death. This means it’s much better for you to encourage the confidence and athletic ability of a team member over criticizing them without anything constructive behind it. Many get into sports to evade a difficult home situation, or because it helps them enjoy something purely visceral compared to how they might be struggling with school work. Many just do it for a love of the sport. You can affect how all that is felt, from now into the future, by simple encouragement.
Give Your All
It’s important to give all of yourself to this role. These kids will often be in their formative years, and so learning your techniques, asking for help and expecting you to be punctual will all factor in. A good coach is as much a guide as a teacher. To this extent, consider your behavior even outside of the sporting frame, and how that might reflect on those you teach.
With these tips, you’re sure to be a fantastic child’s sporting coach.
