Culture starts at the top but ultimately needs to be bought into by your players and parents. A successful culture is one that allows for faster player development while still promoting the enjoyment of the sport. Coaches all have different personalities but there are some aspects of culture that I believe should permeate every team: Discipline [...]
Every coach has a style of pep talk they prefer. Go with what works for you. Having tried many different varieties including analytical, intense, funny, etc. I can tell you it is very situational. At best I can offer some do's and don'ts. Don't: Introduce new concepts - That's a very stressful time to try to [...]
The biggest difference you already made for your team for this game was the lineup. Still, a coach can have a big (and positive) impact on the game provided they are doing the correct things. There other areas where you have influence: Pregame warmup Pregame review Providing on the field instruction The last bullet is the [...]
Players (and teams) play and learn best when there is the right balance of discipline and fun in the environment. Parents are not handing over their children to you just solely to have fun. If that were the case, they’d be off at Chuck-e-Cheese with them. They expect you, just like their teachers at school, to [...]
It’s 1p and you’ve got practice in a few hours. It’s either already super hot outside or been rainy all day without much hope for relief. The fields, however, are still open and available. Do you cancel practice? This is a very situational and nuanced decision. I will say that, generally speaking, I never cancel practices [...]
For those competitive/playoff games where you’re looking for a little edge, proper game day nutrition is essential. Outside of specific games, I like to publicize this for my parents just as a standard MO for the season--it helps avoid cramping and stomach aches on the field. Through trial and error (especially with my own play) here [...]
The most important question is “when” to distribute jerseys. The tongue-in-cheek answer is: whenever you no longer need leverage. You’ll want to make sure you have these things complete: Copies of player registration in hand Banner Reimbursements collected Volunteers in place In addition, be mindful that players can be switched around at the early part of [...]
The short answer is “absolutely”, but since it took a couple years to become convinced of that as a coach myself, let me tell you why I eventually came to that conclusion. The biggest barrier is the six-hour course on a weekend. For that kind of time investment I expect a big benefit. Now, I already [...]
Part of a good communication plan is ensuring you can reach people when you need to. Many parents will not digest important, timely information well over email. That’s just a fact of life. Make everyone’s life easier by setting up a simple text thread between all parents. Since most text services won’t let you have more [...]
This doesn’t need to be complicated, but having tried many different things here’s what I recommend: Have them, at least through U12 Have your team parent assign the role alphabetically and the parents can switch amongst themselves as needed Ask that your team parent send a confirmation text to the snack parent the morning of the [...]