Is the following true?

Boys have to win to feel good
Girls have to feel good to win

This is a very simple phrase that has lots of implications.

It suggests that:

• Boys play sports for the thrill of winning while girls play sports for camaraderie.
• There is more psychological and emotional factors for girls before they start to play
• There are some post-game strategies that coaches should employ, depending on the sex of the players.
• The coaching relationship and overall team chemistry with girls has a bigger impact on their performance than it does for the boys.

So what are the implications as a coach?

1) If you coach girls, understand the importance of the emotional state of the players as well as team chemistry issues. Perhaps you need to address these issues rather than ignore them.

2) Maybe understand that the socializing that occurs during practice, with the appearance that the girls are not focused, is actually important to the team being able to perform at a high level. This socializing helps them bond which helps them perform better.

Kudda would love to hear your thoughts!!

I was recently at the AAHPERD convention in Indianapolis attending some of the youth coaching workshops and presentations. I went to the “10 Things Youth Coaches Should Know” presented by Rick Howard and Jay Coakley. They were able to combine research and their own experience to convey certain areas that coaches should be aware of, as well as parents!  For someone who has an extreme case of adult ADHD and the fact that this was the last lecture of the convention for me, I was totally focused on their presentation! Here is a sample of the “10 Things…”

Peak Performance Occurs after Maturation. This statement really emphasized the need for kids to multi-sport until the age of 15-16. They need sampling of various sports to see which ones they liked and were best suited for. Yet, unfortunately we still see 11-12 year olds playing one sport year round. Why? Players feel the pressure to only play one sport so that they can make the cut year to year. Parents support this as their social support group is typically the other parents on the team, and they don’t want to be cut from the group either. This brought u[p an interesting point that I had not considered. I always thought the parent’s pressure to focus on one sport was more based on the pursuit of college scholarship money. However, the other motive is purely selfish on the parent’s part: they need friends and will use their children’s sport’s experience to get them.

The Privatization of Youth Sports and the Impact on Economic Class. This sounds like a mouthful but very easy to understand. With Parks and Recreations being the first to get the ax during budget deficits, youths are dependent on private clubs and or leagues to join in order to play. The costs of these clubs prevent many poorer families and kids from participating. Therefore, the richer kids get better at sports while the poorer kids don’t get to play. And when you combine this with all of the studies with childhood obesity, poorer kids tend to be the obese ones.

Youth Sports are Gravitating Towards an Adult Sports Model. The Adult Model being one based on winning, more competition and little to no practice. The model we should be focused on is a Child Based Model where it’s all about Fun, and learning the Fundamentals. I wrote on the blog last year about the trend that kids are no longer fundamentally sound because they play too many games and don’t practice enough. I’m glad it wasn’t just my imagination, but am disappointed that this is the current trend in youth sports.

So as coaches and parents, what can we do? Is there anything we could do to offset/impact the Parks and Recs being closed? Not sure… However, we can support kids playing multiple sports, not putting pressure on kids to specialize and realize that it’s their experience, not ours. And of course, focus on the fundamentals while making it fun, kid-centered and hopefully, encouraging the kids to participate in a lifetime of physical activity.

There are several coaching adages out there that deal with the bench player. “You’re only as good as your weakest player”, probably rings true. Even though, most coaches focus on developing the starters’ talents and abilities rather than the non-starters. Several problems could arise from ignoring the bench players or treating them differently than the starters. One of the most devastating problems to a team’s chemistry is poor attitudes which like a cancer will spread and eventually kill the team. Usually the negative attitude starts with players who are not getting playing time or who don’t feel like a valued member of the team. If this attitude goes unchecked and the coach chooses to ignore this problem rather than addressing it, then other players will feed off of this negativity and the team’s cohesion and performance will suffer.
There are many different ways to get bench players to feel like valued parts of the team. It will take a conscientious effort on the part of the coach to take some steps, but this investment will reap larger returns through the season.
Here are several proven ways to handle the bench players

1) Define a role for each player and communicate that with the player. One of the most important qualities of a coach is to be honest with their communications with a player. Let the player know that they will be getting a few minutes every game and that their job is to play great defense against the other teams’ leading scorer. Or possibly their role is to possess the ball and get it to another scorer. Need to communicate with that player and honestly let them know what their contribution to the team will be.

2) During practices, call out their names. This lets them know that you’re recognizing their efforts…and that you know their name! People like to hear their name being called.

3) Whenever possible, use their efforts as positive examples. Point out during practices what the player is doing well to the rest of the team. This gives them the recognition and satisfaction of knowing that the coach is noticing them.

4) Focus your “awards” to areas that bench players can excel. Many coaches give out daily, weekly or seasonal awards for various qualities. Rather than recognizing the MVP or the All-League players (the starters), choose awards for Hustle, Unselfish play, Effort and Sacrifice to the team. Maybe you recognize Spirit, Sportsmanship and Dedication. Focus on these types of awards and in your presentations, give those players their much deserved recognition.

5) In any communication, game summaries, school paper stories etc… give recognition to some of the bench players for the roles that they have. Give recognition to them for working hard as the scout team and that’s why the team was so well prepared. Again, give them recognition.

We’ve included more ideas from our video series on handling coaches from Coach Mac. Locate the top scroll down bar next to Playlists and go to “Bench Players”

Handling the bench players:

• Takes a conscientious effort on the part of the coach
• Can help build great team chemistry
• Can make it a positive experience for all players, coaches and parents

Many of us are starting the Spring Season and this is just a quick reminder of different things that we coaches need to address.

1. Clearance to coach- make sure you have registered and have completed your background checks
2. Found a team mom/dad/manager to help organize snacks and other events for the team
3. Have 2-3 assistants lined up?
4. Take your assistants out for a “coaches meeting?” Make sure everyone is on the same page
5. Submitted your roster to the league?
6. Registered for end of season tournaments?
7. Made hotel arrangements for out of town tournaments- team mom
8. Create list of new coaching tactics, ideas that you want to tryout this season- Need Ideas?
9. Double checked your equipment bag?
10. Uniforms?
11. Pre-season parents meeting- see other blog article
12. Develop a coaching philosophy and stick with it? See previous Blog Post
13. Developed practice plans in preparation for first contest?
14. Developed contingency plans when practice is canceled?
15. Created/developed a TEAM WEBSITE that can help foster communication?
16. Make sure you have insurance!!! See link to K&K
17. Distribute the Practice and Game Calendar

Kudda HIGHLY recommends that coaches hold a Pre-season meeting with the parents. This is a valuable opportunity to connect with the parents and help them understand what to expect from you. Take the initiative and be PRO-ACTIVE.

Avoid these Common Mistakes coaches make in this meeting:

• On the field right after practice or game. Parents are not listening to you as they are more focused on getting out of there and on their way home.
• Don’t prepare for the meeting. Coaches attempt to wing it and talk at their parents for 20 minutes. Parents lose focus after 2-3 minutes and your message is not received. You also run the risk as appearing unorganized and this will cause the parents to wonder about how you organize practices and games.
• It‘s all about the Rules. “Don’t do this and Can’t do that.” Takes on a negative tone.
• Coach TALKS for the entire time. Again, very ineffective.

Here are some ideas of topics to cover and how to efficiently reach out to the parents

1) Have VISUAL PowerPoint… lots of pictures and Images rather than text. Use this as a guide and for the parents to see while they listen.

2) Have other handouts such as

• Expectations
• Philosophy
• Schedule both practices and games
• Contact info

3) It should be a requirement for all parents to attend and it should be held in a setting where there are little distractions. We suggest a separate room or a place where people can sit down. When people stand, they lose focus quickly.

4) Philosophy- here’s your chance to tell the parents what you’re all about as a coach. What do you value and what is important to you? Is it about winning the championship or to improve everyday?

5) Expectations- Kudda recommends that you give a handout of your expectations to the parents. Some coaches have both the parent and player sign this sheet. During the meeting, refer to it, mention 2-3 of the main ones and then move on. DON’T spend the entire meeting going over every expectation

6) Have the captains talk- give your captains the opportunity to exercise some leadership. Have them talk about why they love the sport and what they hope to accomplish this season.

7) Have team mom talk- Allow your parent liaison a few minutes to share their plans for the season. This allows them the time to get snacks and refreshment signups going as well as sharing any news about team events.

Review schedule- Give them a handout. Point out Key Dates only

9) Example of practice see examples

It should NOT be a RULES meeting. Be upbeat, let them get a sense of you as a coach/ person

Yes, there are 50 inches of snow on the ground and sub-artic temperatures. That means one thing… that Spring sports are set to begin in the next few days. Now the first few days/weeks are all spent indoor and as a coach, you’re happy if no one gets hurt. When you have 20 kids in a confined area with objects flying all over, the chances for a bloody nose go up astronomically. Eventually we do make it outdoors and begin to play games in the warm sunshine of 50 degree days. Try to keep that in mind as we shovel out the driveways.

With the beginnings of a new season, coaches are presented with the opportunity to positively influence another group of players.  As mentioned in previous posts, I’d highly recommend that coaches get the books by Jeff Janssen on coaching leadership. While you come to Kudda to help you become a more Competent coach, and you read Janssen books to help you develop leaders, there is still one major area that can make or break your season that you do have some influence on and that is Team Chemistry. There has been a lot of debate on Team Chemistry; can it be made or is it dependent on an act of nature? We all know that teams that have that tight chemistry, overachieve and tend to be much more successful than teams that are much more talented. So what can coaches do to help promote Team Chemistry?

Note that are various types of Team Chemistry. In the military, it’s called, “Pain-Retain”. Think back to all of the classic war movies where a group of soldiers go through basic training with the Drill Instructor. (I’m thinking Full Metal Jacket!!) At the end, that group becomes a cohesive unit. (minus Private Pyle) Well, that style probably no longer works in coaching as it may have 30-40 years ago. The successful coaches today are all about “relationship coaching”, creating a family type atmosphere. Here are some of the techniques and strategies that those coaches utilize to help promote and foster team unity and chemistry.

It all  starts with the coach clearly communicating their philosophy to the team. As discussed in an earlier post, the philosophy has to be something that the team can control while focused on the journey. Coaches also do a great job of letting their players know that they care about them. It could be the result of lots of sidebar conversations or scheduled weekly meetings. Coach John Wooden hand wrote notes and letters to each of his players.

Coaches are also all about keeping traditions. These traditions help to foster chemistry as players share some common experiences. For the UNC basketball teams under Dean Smith, traditions emerged that are now part of most programs. Simply standing for players as they come off the court or huddling up before free throws help build this sense of tradition.

My thoughts are that while the team chemistry really has to come from within the team, the coach can certainly create the structure and platform to promote this. It takes a conscientious effort on the coach, but when you realize the return on this additional investment in your team, it’s well worth taking time to help foster.

As many of you are starting a new season with a new group of players, please take a step back and think about what you want to accomplish with your team? Is it about winning the championship? Is it about helping them improve as players? Is it about increasing their enjoyment of playing sports? Take a moment and reflect on why you are out there and what you hope to provide for your players.
Having a solid coaching philosophy will really help your players, and their ever-encroaching parents, understand what to expect from you, the coach. When you develop your philosophy, here are a couple of pointers to help you along.

• First, focus on what you can control. You can control the work ethic and pace of practice. You can control how hard your players play. You CAN control how prepared they are to play. You CAN’T control bad calls, bad weather and bad luck. You CAN’T control if you win a game. Yet, too many coaches have a philosophy that is focused on winning the championship. What happens if you lose the championship due to windy conditions and some unlucky calls? Is your season a failure?
• Focus on what you can control and develop part of your philosophy around it. Part of Coach Dean Smith’s Philosophy was “Play Hard”. Something that they could control.
• Focus on the journey, not the outcome. Coaches get so focused on winning and being in first place that they miss the opportunity to have a positive impact on their players. They miss the opportunity to develop some close personal relationships with their players. Isn’t that why we’re out there? We love being around kids. When a coach focuses on the journey, their teams play a lot more unselfishly and with more unity and chemistry. Another part of Dean Smith’s philosophy was “Play Together”. Of course this had far reaching implications off the court. Players couldn’t be late to practice, games or classes as this would hurt the team. They couldn’t make bad decisions that might costs the team. By focusing on the journey, think about how your actions and body language might change during tight games? Will you still get visibly upset when a player misses a shot or makes an error? You may if you’re worried about the outcome. Hopefully you won’t if you think about how you can do a better job of handling your players during games.

I’m aware that there are many other concepts and qualities that you may want to share and emphasis with your players. Good citizenship, good sportsmanship, respect and many others are great qualities to include/be part of your philosophy. Try to not include everything as then this sounds artificial… unless you’re John Wooden. His Pyramid of Success is both visual and powerful!!

Think about the 2-3 most important qualities. Build your philosophy around these. Chances are some of the others are underlying layers and cousins of the 2-3 that you pick. The key is to focus on what you control and focus on the journey.