Some reflections and thoughts for parents and youth coaches to keep in mind

Every once in a while we engage in a bit of “tweeting”! The following are some of the comments we have shared that reveal a little bit about the values we hold in the work that we do at Taking you Beyond the Game.

For Coaches

1. At the very least, the one thing youth coaches should never do is to kill the love a young player has for their sport.

2. Youth coaches should always keep conduct, character, commitment and communication top of mind.

3. Surely the job of a youth sports coach is to build the spirit, not damage the spirit, of the young people they interact with.

4. Can youth coaches actually help build character and confidence in young athletes? They can indeed, but they can also destroy confidence.

5. Kids may remember some wins and losses, for sure, but they'll really remember, more than anything, how you made them feel.

6. Are you the best youth sports coach you can possibly be? If not, step back and assess how you can be even better. The little things matter.

7. Have you ever asked your players, individually, why they love the sport? That knowledge can help make you a better coach.

8. Discipline and expectations are important, but if we're not building confidence in our players, we're not doing our job.

9. How often do you ask yourself: "What is my real priority as a youth sports coach?"

10. The real opportunity for youth coaches is not building a winning team; it's building the character in—and confidence of-all your players

For Parents

1. More than being a good player, parents need to teach their youngsters how to be a good teammate.

2. Setting mutual expectations with your child's coach before the season can save significant frustration later.

3. The car ride home is a telling sign of how you are doing-and how healthy your relationship with your son/daughter is.

4. If the youth sports experience is really "about" the kids and "for" the kids, why do so many parents and coaches behave as they/we do?

5. Our relationship with our children will last much longer than their "career" in youth sports-what memories do we choose to create?

If even one of these thoughts can help parents and youth coaches to reflect a bit, and perhaps do some things a little differently, a little better, great.

Our Twitter account is -  http://twitter.com/YouthSportsTYBG.

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