As a coach, your job entails many aspects of both managing and teaching. This article will focus on key practice planning strategies to help you maintain team motivation, manage fatigue, and prepare your players for peak performance at the right time.
You, as a coach, are responsible for running the practice, and one of your biggest priorities should be preparing for that practice so that when it actually happens, there are few glitches. Like all leadership roles, the majority of your work will be done behind the scenes, with little recognition.
Communication is not just a one-way street. Good communicators must be able to talk clearly and also listen closely. Athletes cannot learn efficiently if they are not receiving clear instruction, so the focus of this lesson will be on sending information to the athlete.
This article is designed to show the importance of creating clear, well-defined goals that each player, coach, and parent knows and understands, so that everyone can work together to achieve them.
Every athlete is different, and as a coach, you must focus on providing adequate instruction to each player, regardless of their learning style. This may mean that you are consistently explaining concepts in different ways or providing written documents for some players while drawing diagrams for others.
Athletic performance is not just about the physical. Mental skill training is incredibly important in helping athletes deal with the stresses that come about from sports and can make or break an athlete during a competition. With proper mental training, physical skill will come out with more consistency.
Among all other responsibilities, coaches must focus on their athletes and keeping them committed to the game, to improving themselves, and to performing at their optimal level. When things are going well, motivation is easy, because players see the results in front of them. When progress is slow or results are not what you are hoping, motivation becomes an art form.
Nobody looks forward to confrontations with irate or irrational parents, but it is wise to be prepared for them. It may enable you to concentrate on your real job--helping your athletes grow and develop, and having a positive sporting experience. Here are 17 proven strategies for handling irate parent complaints and resolving these issues in a way that should preserve your credibility and leave the parent feeling satisfied with the interaction.