@BigSkyHi wrote, "As the old saying goes, they don’t care how much you know unless they know how much you care."
Considering I'm old as dirt., I'm surprised I hadn't heard this bit of wisdom before. But this is great advice.
A good coach demonstrates (1) that he cares about the kid and (2) that he cares about the game.
CARING ABOUT THE KID
As to caring about the kid, you have to understand the kid's motivation. Why is the kid doing this? What does the kid hope to get out of softball? Why is she showing up?
(HINT: Every kid wants to hit the ball with their parents watching.)
Then, you have to let the player know that you understand her and that you will help her achieve her goals.
CARING ABOUT THE GAME
"Caring about the game" means caring about all phases of the sport, not just the time you are on a field with umpires playing against the other team.
1) Show up early for practice and games.
2) The coach needs to work harder than any of the kids. I.e., you need to "hustle."
3) Make the practices fun...which, for kids, means (a) keep it moving and (b) let them talk (within reason, of course) when you are not instructing. There's literally a "buzz" that you should hear during a practice.
4) Have a clear plan for what you will do at practice.
5) End all cliques, no matter how big or how small.
6) Make all players feel welcome.
7) Have a sense of humor.
8) During games, you want the kids to be "classy."
Considering I'm old as dirt., I'm surprised I hadn't heard this bit of wisdom before. But this is great advice.
A good coach demonstrates (1) that he cares about the kid and (2) that he cares about the game.
CARING ABOUT THE KID
As to caring about the kid, you have to understand the kid's motivation. Why is the kid doing this? What does the kid hope to get out of softball? Why is she showing up?
(HINT: Every kid wants to hit the ball with their parents watching.)
Then, you have to let the player know that you understand her and that you will help her achieve her goals.
CARING ABOUT THE GAME
"Caring about the game" means caring about all phases of the sport, not just the time you are on a field with umpires playing against the other team.
1) Show up early for practice and games.
2) The coach needs to work harder than any of the kids. I.e., you need to "hustle."
3) Make the practices fun...which, for kids, means (a) keep it moving and (b) let them talk (within reason, of course) when you are not instructing. There's literally a "buzz" that you should hear during a practice.
4) Have a clear plan for what you will do at practice.
5) End all cliques, no matter how big or how small.
6) Make all players feel welcome.
7) Have a sense of humor.
8) During games, you want the kids to be "classy."
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