Overview
The JAA relies heavily on our volunteers to help run our sports programs. Volunteers and coaches help the children learn life lessons through athletics. Life lessons are being able to win and lose with grace and understand that hard work is necessary to be successful. Success is then measured by accomplishments of goals not by the scoreboard.
We all understand the importance of winning. Winning is a part of life and a trait that you want the children to learn to be successful in life, however, at the youth level, a coach must be concerned more with skill development and player enjoyment. We want our children to grow up enjoying the games they play so they remain involved as adults. Humans are naturally competitive, and many children will push themselves to excel. As a youth coach your focus should be on having the children improve their skills and learn about the game. This focus is lost when the coaches yell at referees, display a negative attitude towards the players, or put too much pressure on the kids to perform.
To assist your team and you as a coach, we have developed the following guidelines in achieving your team’s goals.
- No coach shall leave practice until all players have been picked-up by a parent or guardian.
- A coach should be enthusiastic without being intimidating. He or she should be sensitive to the children’s feelings and genuinely enjoy spending time with them. Remember that youth sports are for children.
- A coach must realize that he or she is a teacher. He or she should help children learn and work to improve their skills. Personal gains are never a consideration. The job does not depend on winning. The best interest of the child transforms into the best interests of the game.
- The safety and welfare of the children should never be compromised. A coach will consider these factors above all others.
- A coach needs a tremendous amount of patience. Don’t push children beyond limits in practice. Children have many daily pressures, and the youth sports experience should not be one of them.
- A coach should care more about the players as people than as athletes. The youth sports program is a means to an end, not an end to itself.
- It is important to remain positive and refrain from discouraging remarks. Negative comments are remembered far more often than positive affirmations.
- Coaches need to remember that the rules of the game are designed to protect the participants, as well as to set a standard for competition. He or she should never take advantage of the rules by teaching deliberate misconduct.
- A coach should be the first person to demonstrate good sportsmanship. He or she should take a low profile during the game and allow the kids to be the center of attention.
- Parents and players place a lot of trust and confidence in the coach. The coach has a vital role in molding the athletic experience of the child.
- A coach can measure success by the respect he or she gets from the players, regardless of victories or defeats. Children who mature socially participating in sports are the best indication of good coaching.
- A coach must always Be Early, Be Prepared and Make It Fun! It is your leadership as a coach that children will remember through the games themselves.
- Coaches are required to keep emergency phone numbers and medical information on their players