Write your search in the input below and press enter.
Esc to close.

The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich

Peak Performance:
Not Just for Sports, for Life

  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
    • Recent
    • Athletes
    • Coaching
    • Sports Parenting
    • Sports Administrators
    • Life
    • Administrators
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Books
    • Videos
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Hello. Sign In

My Account
  • Login
  • Register
0
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk
Subscribe
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich
  • Recent
  • Athletes
  • Coaching
  • Sports Parenting
  • Life
  • Administrators
Home / Blog / Things to Think About Before Signing Up to Be a Coach

Things to Think About Before Signing Up to Be a Coach

By: Dr. Chris Stankovich | @DrStankovich | Oct 15, 2014

No Comments

bilde

Every year tens of thousands of adults consider going into youth and interscholastic coaching, and most go into it for the right reasons and with the right mindset.  Still, there are others who have good intentions, yet haven’t worked out their own unmet sport dreams, or still need to work on the basics when it comes to teaching and mentoring kids.  Sport psychologists have contributed a lot to the coaching literature in recent years, providing some of the most important ideas, concepts, and approaches new coaches need to consider before signing up to lead a team:

  • Tolerance, patience, and understanding.  Keep in mind when dealing with kids they will regularly make mistakes, not listen, resist your commands, disregard team rules, and occasionally even act out in front of the team.  Does this mean they are terrible little people?  No!  What it does mean is that they are kids, and kids don’t always do things perfectly, making it all that much more important for coaches to exercise patience and understanding.
  • Handling stress.  Being a youth sports coach can be a very stressful job when you take into account all the hats coaches are expected to wear.  Working with kids, dealing with parents, and being accountable to league officials can be a lot, especially for new coaches who are not prepared.  If stress is something you can’t handle, there might be better ways to spend your free time instead of coaching.
  • Perfectionism.  Expecting kids to be perfect is only setting yourself up for frustration and stress.  Adults are not perfect, so expecting kids to never goof up is hardly realistic.  A better way to coach is to help your kids strive for excellence and daily improvement, goals that are actually realistic.
  • Positive reinforcement.  Countless sport psychology studies have shown the effectiveness of positive reinforcement, and coaches who coach this way usually see faster skill acquisition, better training habits, increased focus and discipline, and greater resiliency.  If you don’t believe in positive reinforcement, you might want to refrain from coaching kids.
  • Humiliation tactics.  While there are countless sports movies showing coaches getting in the faces of kids, this is not an advisable coaching philosophy if you want to empower and build up the kids you coach.  While it is understandable that coaches often become upset when things don’t go well, it is the responsibility of the coach (adult) to keep things in check and find more suitable ways to mentor kids.

Still interested in coaching?  Good!  You might find our Coaches Tool Kit a helpful resource to start your career off on the right foot!

www.drstankovich.com

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ac9PPNtKuQ[/youtube]

Coaching, education, interscholastic, mental, psychology, sport, sports, toughness, youth

  • Author
  • Comments
  • Details
Get to Know the Author

Dr. Chris Stankovich

Dr. Stankovich has written/co-written five books, including Positive Transitions for Student Athletes, The ParentsPlaybook, Mind of Steel.

Latest Blog Posts

  • February 6, 2023 Sports Gambling is Suddenly All Over the Place, But is this Good? 
  • February 2, 2023 Accident Prone & Forgetful? Poor Stress Coping May be the Reason
  • January 30, 2023 Your Toughest Competition for Future Success is…YOU!
  • January 25, 2023 The Psychology Behind Breaking Bad Habits
  • January 23, 2023 When it Comes to Mental Health, Words Matter

Comments are closed.

PREVIOUS POST

The Trick to Coaching a “Good Team on Paper”

NEXT POST

Sport Psychology Insights: Imagery for Athletic Success

Category

Athletic Counseling , Boys Sports , Burnout , Coaching , Cuts , Evaluating Talent , Girls Sports , Performance Enhancement , Playing Time , Sport Philosophy , Sport Psychology , Sport Sociology , Sports Performance Science , Sports Safety , Team Building , Team Chemistry , Team Cohesion , Training and Certification , Training and Development , Uncategorized , Youth and Interscholastic Sports , Youth Sports

Tags

Coaching, education, interscholastic, mental, psychology, sport, sports, toughness, youth

  • Recent Posts
  • Most Read
  • Sports Gambling is Suddenly All Over the Place, But is this Good? 
  • Accident Prone & Forgetful? Poor Stress Coping May be the Reason
  • Your Toughest Competition for Future Success is...YOU!
  • The Psychology Behind Breaking Bad Habits
  • When it Comes to Mental Health, Words Matter
  • Increase Your Chances for Goal Success by Implementing these Strategies
  • Exploring the Indirect Human Development Effects Video Gaming is Having on Kids
  • When it Comes to Happiness, Health, & Productivity, "Easy" isn't an Option
  • What has Happened to Free Play and Recreational Sports for Kids?
  • The Psychology Behind Breaking Bad Habits
  • The Sports Doc on TV

    Catch Dr. Stankovich’s tv, radio, and print interviews and columns here!

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Watch Videos
  • Sport Performance Assessment

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Quickly and accurately test your level of mental toughness in just a few minutes using the Sport Performance Assessment.

    (SPA), an easy-to-use sport psychology system specially designed to help you REACH YOUR FULL ATHLETIC POTENTIAL.

    learn more
  • SportsSuccess360

    Life strategies for performance and character development for coaches, parents, and student athletes competing in youth and interscholastic sports.

    Life Strategies learn more
  • Contact Dr. Stankovich

    1395 Grandview Avenue Suite 6, Columbus OH 43212

    (614) 561-4482
    Media & General Inquiries
    information@drstankovich.com
    Sales & Product Support
    sales@drstankovich.com
  • About Dr. Stankovich

    • Media
    • Blog
    • Testimonials
  • Products

    • Toolkits
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Audio
    • iPhone Apps
  • Services

    • Athlete Performance Training
    • Parent Community Forum
    • Coach Education & Development
    • Athletic Crisis Response and Intervention
    • Drug & Alcohol Assessment
    • Life Success Programs
    • Counseling & Consulting Services
  • Blog
  • YouTube
  • twitter
  • facebook

All rights reserved © 2023 Advanced Human Performance Systems™

↓ ↓