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Suggested Guidelines for Coaching Youth Sports

Before anyone allows him/herself to coach a youth sports team, he/she should take a good look at the motivations for doing so. Why do you want to coach this team? There are some good reasons and some bad reasons for wanting to coach a youth sports team and the difference can be critical.  Make sure you have something to impart to the children you will be coaching and make sure you are not doing it for your own needs.  Unfortunately, many youth sports coaches are trying to regain a portion of their lost youth and usually these are the coaches that get out of hand.  We have all seen these coaches and usually we do not want our children to play for them. 

Once you have decided you are right for the youth sports coaching job remember these guidelines and the chances you will have a happy and successful season will be increased. 

• Never forget that being allowed to coach a team of children is a sacred trust. Each child, no matter what you think of him or her, is the most important person to the parents and the trust the parents have placed in you should never be taken lightly. This does not mean that all children have a warm and happy home life.  Watch the interactions between the player and his/her parent(s) for insights into how to deal with the player. 
• Make sure you understand the developmental stage of your players.  Look for resources at the local library or bookstore. Tailor your strategies accordingly.  Do not rely on what you remember a coach doing to you when you played and assume it will be right for your team. 
• Every player should be treated in a similar manner and always with respect. There should be no favorites. Make sure a casual observer can not tell which child on the team is your child. You should strive to treat your child no worse and no better than any other team member. 
• Be prepared for each and every team event, especially practices and games.  Have a game plan for each practice.  Know what you want to work on and accomplish for that practice. 
• Establish a pre-game routine and stick to it.  Have the team arrive by a certain time in advance of the starting time of the game.  Go through the same warm-up exercises. 
• Hold a team meeting for players, coaches, and parents at the very first practice to go over the team rules and expectations for appropriate behavior.  Of course you will talk about what you expect from each player, but also tell everyone what you and they can and should expect from you, what they should expect from your assistant coaches, and what you expect from the parents. 
• Set a policy on help from other parents who have not been designated as assistant coaches. 
• Set clear rules on punctuality.  How will you deal with a tardy player?  Keep in mind your players probably do not drive and therefore do not have total control over this. 
• Set clear rules on how starters will be chosen.  Will this be rotated or do you intend to set a general starting line up and stick to it.  If you will use statistics to determine some player activities (in basketball which player will shoot technical fouls, in baseball who will be the lead off batter, in soccer who will take the penalty kick), let everyone know from the start. 
• Set clear rules on how you will handle missed practices and games. 
• Set clear rules on how playing time will be determined; most youth associations have by-laws which include some statement on fair playing time, but usually these are vague and open to interpretation.  This does not mean you have to be vague.  Tell everyone what the by-laws state and how you interpret the policy.  This will open to door early for discussion to clarify any misunderstandings and head off problems down the road. 
• Set clear rules on appropriate attire for practice.  They should come dressed in a way that allows them to practice.  If you are coaching a football team and plan to use a practice to literally walk through some plays without any hitting, it might be okay to allow them to wear shorts, but you need to tell the team this in advance. 
• Set clear rules on how you expect players to treat their fellow players.  Kids like to tease and be sarcastic with each other; what will be your policy on this? 
• Set clear rules and expectations on post-game snacks.  Know in advance how you will spread this responsibility around (have a sign up sheet or simply assign parents to particular games) and you may want to make some suggestions about what is an appropriate snack. The snack is very important to the players and at some levels it may be the thing players look forward to the most. 
• Set clear rules on you expect the players to treat you and the assistant coaches.  Make sure every parent knows how you want them to treat you and your coaches.  Set up a procedure for how parents should notify you if their son or daughter will miss a game or a practice and what should they do if they have a complaint or a suggestion. 
• Teach players to value and respect their opponents, the officials, and the fans. 
• Be clear on practice time and routines. If practice starts at 6:00, is that when the players should be ready to start stretching and warming up or do you expect that to be done by the start of practice? Be clear when practice will end and do not run over the time you have set. 
• Keep the players and their families informed of upcoming events and other issues as soon as they become apparent.  You want your team to be confident that you are telling them everything they need to know.  Don't let them find out changes by rumors or other sources if at all possible. 
• Set up a system for notifying team members of changes.  Some changes during the season are completely unavoidable, but try to keep them to an absolute minimum.  If you cannot be at a practice, for example, try to get an assistant coach to help out and assume responsibility for running that practice instead of changing the practice time to suit your schedule.  Be mindful that families have other obligations and commitments and may have changed their schedules to accommodate your original plan. 
• Establish your goals for the season.  Remember that most youth play sports in order to do just that: PLAY and also to have FUN. 
• Your team and individual player goals should include helping players improve as players and as individuals.  Help the players set realistic individual goals and help them reach them. 
• Remember and reinforce the idea sports are like life and that lifelong lessons are to be learned. 
• Make absolutely certain you always serve as an appropriate role model for the children. 
• Hold brief, but positive meetings after every competition regardless of game outcome.  Remember that often we learn more from our setbacks and from adversity than from when things go smoothly. Find something positive to say about every game. 
• Deal with inappropriate player behavior by encouraging more appropriate actions; consequences, where possible, should be applicable for all players and appropriate for the player's age.  Coaches should be ready to bench a player, regardless of skill level, for inappropriate behavior or for setting a bad example.
• All team slogans and chants should be positive, encouraging, and meaningful to the players. 
• Find positives in every player. Make an effort to tell players the type of behaviors you want to see more of rather than simply telling them what you don't want to see. 
• Avoid open criticism of the referees and umpires. 
• Avoid negative and derogatory comments about the opposing coaches and players. 
• Place appropriate emphasis on effort rather than on the outcome of the competition. 
• Whenever the team is together, the goal should be to bring the team closer together. 
• All team equipment should be well-maintained and safe to use.
• The coach should handle player frustrations in a caring, understanding manner.