I've always said that I can only coach the kids that show up, and I can't worry about the ones who don't, though I do make the point that they missed out on something important. At that age, the kids need to begin to make those decisions and learn to live with the results. Look at it this way - the ones who show up to practice are the ones looking to improve their skills and earn playing time (even on a 12U team), whereas the kids that missed practice missed an opportunity to improve, and may have fallen behind the ones who were there. It's about providing opportunities to continuously get better, and if you miss something, you've fallen behind and have to make it up.
That said, I would not "punish" the kids for missing. They lose playing time when they can't execute what you've taught. It usually shows up soon enough. If the kid is a superstar, and can execute despite missing practice, you've lost nothing, since you have more time to work with the other players. Those other players have to learn that just showing up is not good enough either. They gave themselves the opportunity to get better by coming to practice. If another player is still better, then they need to work harder, even in 12U.
That said, I would not "punish" the kids for missing. They lose playing time when they can't execute what you've taught. It usually shows up soon enough. If the kid is a superstar, and can execute despite missing practice, you've lost nothing, since you have more time to work with the other players. Those other players have to learn that just showing up is not good enough either. They gave themselves the opportunity to get better by coming to practice. If another player is still better, then they need to work harder, even in 12U.
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