Day 97, April 7: Coaching Kids

10 Things Youth

Coaches Should

and Shouldn't Do

I've coached youth sports off and on for 30-plus years. I've done boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, YMCA football and youth baseball. Most of this was with my two sons. But for the past four years, I've volunteered to coach Little League baseball, even though my sons are long gone from that age. Here are 10 things I've learned coaching kids 12 and younger.

1. Make it Fun: It's not fun if you yell too much.

It's not fun if you don't laugh enough. 

2. Set rules: My players don't wear their baseball caps on backward and they don't say "this sucks." (They are allowed to change into a "rally cap" at the right time and they can say "this stinks.")

3. Don't make them cry: Many already have a hard time holding back tears; don't get mad enough to cause them to cry.

4. Tease, gently: Almost from the first day of practice, you can figure out which kids to gently tease. It's a form of giving them attention - especially when you smile with them.

5. Praise, praise, praise: Since I set rules, sometimes I have to scold. I make sure to triply praise any kid I've ever had to scold - even if it's for the littlest achievement.

6. Be a kid: Yes, I can be strict and order them to pay attention. But, dang it, I'm still a kid at heart and I'll get down and dirty with those precious children.

7. Shield them from their parents: This is tricky, but if I have an over-zealous parent, I remind the kid that his dad means well and not to get too discouraged by his actions.

8. Scrimmage a lot: If all you do is drill, drill, drill the kids will think it's all work. Besides, you can teach a lot through a controlled scrimmage - like sportsmanship.

9. Don't set a bad example: Don't make winning so important. Most of the kids don't care that much. This is for THEM, not adult egos.

10. MAKE IT FUN! Statistics show that many kids quit organized sports soon after they become teenagers. We've made it too regimented, too serious, too much work - it's NO FUN! You aren't going to develop a professional athlete out of your kid. But you can keep him or her participating by chilling out a little bit.