Coach's Corner

Just about every coach has spoken (or shouted!) these words at some point. The problem is, most athletes have never been taught what leadership is. We can help our athletes become stronger leaders by clearly explaining what leadership means. Here is one job description to consider.

Your job as a positive team leader is to elevate the team in ways that build trust. The best team leaders do five things:

This kind of leadership can be practiced by anyone, from the team captain to the star player to the role player on the end of the bench. This same kind of leadership is valuable not only in athletics, but in all kinds of settings. Learn these five winning practices and you will become a valued leader in athletics and beyond.

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The Lasting Value of a Good Coach

A good coach can influence an athlete for a lifetime

Coaching is one of the greatest vocations to which anyone can aspire. Regardless of whether they are paid or a volunteer, full-time or part-time, coaches have the opportunity to elevate young people in a lasting way. This opportunity is grounded in the educational value of sports, and the distinctive role of the coach as teacher, leader, and role model. What coaches do with this opportunity will determine their impact on their athletes and their value as a coach.

The Educational Value of Sports

Sports provide a distinctive classroom for educating young people. For one thing, sports require a wide range of personal competencies. Successful athletes need not only athletic ability, but also healthy lifestyles, positive character, self direction, teamwork, and leadership. For another thing, sports provide immediate and public feedback on performance. It is hard to think of anywhere else in society where young people get to apply such a diverse array of skills in a such a public setting. That's why organized sport is perhaps the most powerful vehicle we have for teaching young people positive competitive values in a team environment. We do not always live up to that potential, but the potential is still there.

The Power of a Coach

Coaches hold tremendous power over young people. Coaches are teachers, leaders, mentors, and role models. Coaches decide who plays, where they play, and how much they play. Coaches also decide who gets taught, what they get taught, and how they get taught. It is hard to think of anyone in society, outside of parents and the media, who holds this much power over young people. Some coaches use this power to lift kids up. Other coaches use this power to tear kids down. Anyone who has been around youth sports has seen both kinds of coaches. This is why athletes and parents value good coaches so much.

The Value of a Good Coach

Good coaches use their power to elevate their athletes. They coach everyone on the team, not just a chosen few. They care about their athletes as people, not just performers. They relate to their athletes with trust and respect. They want their athletes to do well, and they will do anything they can to help their athletes reach the next level. They show idealism, enthusiasm, determination, dedication, concern, compassion, and a love of the game. They, like their athletes, make mistakes. But they always try to do their best for their athletes.

The value of good coaches is reflected in their athletes. Most former athletes can tell stories about how a good coach changed their life. The stories are not about how a coach taught the pick and roll, hit and run, breast stroke, open-field block, or scissor kick. They are about lessons learned in character, self direction, teamwork, and leadership. Or about how a coach helped them change their self-image from someone who 'couldn't' to someone who 'could.' The stories usually involve a coach who was not perfect, but truly cared.

If you have had a good coach in your life, or in your child's life, today is a good day to say a simple 'thanks.' That's all a good coach needs to keep teaching those positive life lessons that change so many lives.

Developing Self-Directed Athletes

March 7, 2009
By Steve Horan, PositiveSports.net

Have you ever wondered why some athletes never quite seem to fulfill their potential? The answer is often a lack of self direction.

Self direction is the ability to lead ourselves toward a goal. It is a critical life skill which we can and should teach through sports. Athletes who have self direction are able to get the most out of their talent. Athletes who lack self direction never quite fulfill their promise.

Coaches and parents can teach self direction through sports if the athlete is willing to learn. A good first step is to explicitly coach the winning practices of self directed athletes. Here are five to start with.

1. Motivation. Self-directed athletes bring their own motivation to the team. They don't wait for a coach or someone else to pump them up. Teach your athletes that self motivation is essential if they want to succeed in athletics and beyond. Challenge your athletes to motivate themselves by thinking about what they want to accomplish before every workout, practice, and competition.

2. Initiative. Self-directed athletes take the initiative to improve without being told. Even some highly motivated athletes have trouble taking initiative on their own. They are so used to being told what to do, they seem to forget that they have the power to work out, seek coaching, read books, watch instructional videos, etc. all by themselves. Teach your athletes that self initiative is essential for getting the absolute most out of their talent. Challenge your athletes to show self initiative by taking steps to improve without being told. Be sure to give them positive reinforcement when they do.

3. Focus. Self directed athletes have the ability to set goals and stick with them. This focus on goals keeps them motivated and moving forward. Being goal driven can also keep athletes out of trouble because they are less likely to be derailed by negative distractions. Teach your athletes that focusing on goals can help them succeed in athletics and beyond. Challenge them to set very specific short- and long-term goals. Follow up periodically to ask them how they are doing - and always reinforce their goal-setting behaviors.

4. Discipline. Self directed athletes have the discipline to set priorities and manage time - especially for academics. There are many athletes with self motivation, self initiative, and focus who end up falling short because they lack the discipline to follow through consistently . Teach your athletes that self discipline is a powerful sign of personal strength and maturity. Challenge them to set priorities and manage their time on a weekly and daily basis. Support and advise them, but try not to do it for them. Even if they occasionally fall short, the experience of practicing discipline will help them tremendously.

5. Learning. Self directed athletes bring a learning mentality every day. They seek and accept coaching. They take what they learned yesterday, and apply it to what they are doing today. A learning mentality is one of the most important qualities our young athletes are going to need as they enter the complex world of work and adult responsibility. Constantly challenge your athletes to be learners in their sport and every other area of their life.

In summary, self direction is a critical life skill which we can and should teach through sports. We can help our athletes develop self direction by teaching, enforcing, advocating, and modeling the winning practices of motivation, initiative, focus, discipline, and learning. Make these winning practices part of your daily coaching or parenting, and slowly but surely your athletes will develop into more self-directed people.

Thank you for promoting positive youth development through sports!

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