Three Tips to Effectively Coach Children’s Sports Team

Lawyer Mark McNabola received recognition as one of the top five percent of legal practitioners of the Illinois State Bar. To strike a balance between his professional career and personal life, Marck McNabola coaches his own children and other kids in the community in the local basketball league. 

A youth sports coach is responsible for instilling technical skills and discipline among very young athletes. Here are some tips for a successful youth coaching program:

Use positive reinforcement: Negative criticism does not often sit well with children. Instead of discouraging them through criticism, youth coaches can use positive reinforcement as a method of instruction. Whenever a child performs well, rewards or recognitions as forms of positive reinforcement encourage the child to repeat the behavior.

Customize instruction: Coaches should understand that mental and physical maturity among children of the same age group varies, because each child develops at his or her own pace. Coaching methods, such as the Khan Academy approach, recognizes these differences by allowing a child to progress at his or her own rate through one-on-one instruction.

Separate coaching responsibilities from parenting roles: Parent coaches often have a difficult time stepping out from their “coach” status. On the field, parents should stay committed to fulfilling their responsibilities as a coach - even if their own child is a player. However, coaching should only be manifested during practices or games to help children distinguish the roles of their parent coaches.