Coaching Young Athletes--by Guest Writer Chuck Willig

I am always interested to see how coaches coach. I have been exposed to the high school coaching scene for over 25 years and I have to say I've met some outstanding coaches. I have also seen a lot of coaches who have donated their time to coaching our young athletes in youth programs. There are some good one's there too. I do however, see a lot of coaches who are under trained and lack the resources and support in their efforts to handle today's athletes. We need to educate ourselves constantly. We, as coaches, never stop learning. This is critical if we are to impact our kids for their future. That is the primary task a coach has in his duties. Building good men and future leaders.

The one area that I think needs focus is that of dealing with different personalities, ages, social and economic backgrounds, and learning curves. We tend to focus on the sport we are coaching and sometimes forget that the true nature of youth sports is teaching Character, Leadership, and Team concepts. The teaching of these elements combined with the competitive nature of sports can offer valuable life lessons. These lessons can be used not only for the individual success of the athlete but the future leadership roles that society desperately needs.

Understanding how kids think and react to societal pressures and role models is a good beginning. What are the societal goals that kids are influenced by? Well, simply put society puts a huge emphasis on "How much money, popularity, athletic accomplishment, bling, and sex" they have as a measuring stick to their success. This is an enormous factor as to how kids see their standing in the social world. Just look around at what the images of success are on t.v., movies, and media, that these kids see everyday. The "good guy" stories are hard to find. The extravagant and the negative stories are everywhere.

My take is this...The better athlete a kid is the more responsibility he has to be Empathetic to those who don't have the God given abilities that they have been blessed with. This means that these athletes must be thankful for the gifts they have been given and act like Champions in their social lives. They often have the strength and popularity to be stuck up, self centered, and even dismissive of those with less. They should be compelled to lend their status toward helping others. The strengthening of the TEAM occurs when the weakest links are built up and feel integrated into the "group". Everyone on the team gains a sense of responsibility to something outside of themselves.

Kids want to feel like they belong to something socially. When the less talented kids feel like they are an important part of a team they tend to raise their expectations of themselves. They tend to fear failure less when the more gifted kids act caringly about them. When the more gifted kids see this it usually inspires them to higher aspirations. This "Empathetic" relationship can spurn great synergy. Everyone is working for everyone else. The goal is a sense of undying responsibility to each other.

So, in a quick overview. Create an environment of respect between your players. Make it clear that the no one athlete is worth more to the team than another. This takes discipline from the coaches. Coaches need to recognize if they are facilitating a double standard. It's easy for coaches to get caught up in promoting or protecting the needs and behavior of the "stars". We must be aware that "Star" athletes can win games for sure but an overindulgence in coddling them creates a less cohesive team. Great Teams win Championships when facing teams with comparable athletes.

Winning is fun. Winning with character is a great example. We need to "build men for others". We need to see the big picture and understand our responsibility to the future of our charges. Make an example of "bad behavior" when it shows up. Consistency is the key to changing behavior. Don't just say it, DO IT." The more consistently you address certain behavior with consistent consequences the faster the behavior changes. You all are charged with a huge responsibility. Don't shy away. Your commitment is invaluable to the future generations of our kids. Remember, most coaches spend more time with their players than any other individual in their lives. Read more, watch more videos, go to more clinics, listen to other coaches, seek out help.
You are a Coach. Love it!