I sometimes open coaching workshops by asking coaches to write or talk about the best coach they ever had and what made him or her so terrific. The stories that come out of this experience are wonderful and poignant. Often these adults are remembering things about coaches who are long dead. They describe coaches who are wise, encouraging, gentle, disciplined, great teachers, and wonderful human beings who cared about them as individuals, not just athletes who could make them look good. These stories speak to the power of a positive coach.
 
Unfortunately, most of the participants also recall less pleasant experiences with coaches who failed to live up to those standards, coaches who made playing sports a miserable experience.  Coaches, both good and bad, matter. At their best they make a lifetime of difference. This begs a question worth considering: what impact will
you have on the kids you coach?  When I began coaching, I found out that being positive with players caused them to try hard, rapidly develop new skills, and be flexible and open to new ways to accomplish their goals. Furthermore, we won a lot on the scoreboard and all of us - players, coaches, and parents - had a lot of fun. Parents wanted their kids on my team because they saw the results of a relentlessly positive approach.
 
When I coached high school basketball, the pattern repeated. Positive got results. Negative made things worse.   
Later I found that research validated my personal experience that, for example, individuals who are treated positively solve problems better and more quickly than individuals who are not.
 
But my positive approach went against the norm of sports where negativity, against all the evidence, reigned.   
We know that negativity tends to narrow attention, restrict the flow of information, and cause "threat rigidity," the tendency to become inflexible in making decisions. Negativity also poisons relationships on teams, in organizations, in families, and among friends. Regrettably, negativity by coaches transforms what should be the source of a lifelong love affair into a joyless experience that drives many kids out of sports. In fact,  studies indicate that the highest rates of participation in sports occur at age 10, and that nearly 70 percent of youth sports participants drop out of sports altogether by age 13.
 
Nonetheless, unrestrained expression of negativity by coaches — exemplified by the "screamer" coach — is accepted, justified, and even lauded.  I started Positive Coaching Alliance partly to counteract this wrongheaded
and harmful approach.  I learned that by remaining positive and constructive with players through rain or shine a coach will get more from them. A coach who can have hard conversations with kids while remaining positive and
optimistic will be more likely to help them improve. And a coach who establishes a positive team culture will help young people develop a passion for the game and be remembered by players long after they have moved on to other things.
 
Whether you coach pee-wees or high school varsity, in rec leagues or elite clubs, the research-based tools and frameworks and best practices in the following chapters are designed to help you become the kind of
coach whose players can't wait to come to practice, who work hard and encourage each other, and who are sad when the season is over. You'll learn unequivocally that Double-Goal Coaching and winning go hand-in-
hand.
 
I can think of no more powerful legacy than helping young people realize their potential as people as well as athletes. That is the essence of Double-Goal Coaching. Sports can be one of the greatest teachers of life
lessons and character, particularly when coaches do things the right way.  I hope you will be the kind of coach your players will remember with gratefulness for the rest of their lives, even long after you have passed on.

Check back next week for another great coaching article.

All of us need a regular shot of perspective and direction in a sports world that is an arena to learn the best life has to offer… and the worst when left unattended. In this article, we'll discuss ways to (teach or build) skills that improve an athlete's performance on and off the playing field. 

Speaking from over twenty years of experience, I know that we expect our athletes (and our children) to show up for both competition and practice with their Game Face on. We want them to maintain their Game Face on the playing field no matter what. Do we hold ourselves to the same standard? I believe the saying "A team is a reflection of its coach." I also believe that kids are a reflection of their parents!  The best coaches (and parents) lead by example, so if you want your athletes to have great Game Faces, you need one, too. What does your Game Face Routine look like on the sidelines? How do you react to things that happen on the playing field? What do your athletes (kids) see when they look toward the sideline during competition. Do they see Game Face, or do they see upset, frustration, and negativity? You set the tone for your players and your kids. Be sure to reflect back to them what you want to see on the playing field

Sideline Tool - Athletes have no control over winning or losing, the weather, or the behavior of fans, opponents, teammates, judges, or referees. Champions keep their focus on the things they directly control: their attitude, work ethic, thoughts, motivation, effort, and learning. In addition, champions focus on the process, not the outcome (winning, scholarship offers, playing time). They keep their attention on the things in their circle of control that will put them in the best position to succeed. As coaches and parents we can help train our athletes to focus on what they want to happen rather than what they do not want to happen. Remember, "You can't do a don't do."  How often do you say to your something like this to your athlete?
"Don't drop your elbow,"
"Stop hogging the ball,"
"Quit whining" 

It's no wonder our athletes harp on themselves by saying or thinking:  "Don't miss," "Don't hog the ball," "Don't fumble," or "Don't turn the ball over"? Good luck. It's like someone asking you not to think of a pink elephant. (What image just popped into your mind?) When you focus on what you don't want to do, your mind and your body don't hear the word "don't." They hear "miss," "strike out," "fumble," and "turn over." It's no surprise that these things happen when you focus on them. Instead, focus on the things you do want to happen.  Tell your athletes to:
Keep your eyes up
Look for the open player and pass the ball
Ask for what you want

The more specific we are with our athletes, hopefully the more specific they will be with themselves:  "Watch for the open player," "Make contact," "Go to the ball," and "Get a good foot on this pass." We want our players to tell their minds and your bodies exactly what they want to happen and let them go to work on making it happen.

Check back next week for another great coaching tip article.

Parents trust soccer coaches with the well-being and development of their children by becoming role models and authority figures. A positive soccer coach can create lifelong positive effects. Unfortunately, abusive coaching in youth soccer can cause great damage to soccer players, with negative effects that stretch far beyond the field of play.
Bullying
Bullying can come in verbal, mental or physical form. Bullying is defined as an intentional, repeated, hurtful act. In a report on bullying, college soccer coach Dr. Michael Giuliano stated that, sadly, coaching is one of the few professions where verbal abuse is still considered acceptable. It is seen as motivational by many coaches to yell and show disrespect, and some even reduce players to tears, taking pride in their toughness. But where does the line exist? The role of a soccer coach is to get the best performance out of a player; if verbal attacks ruin the confidence and mindset of a player, then it is unsuccessful and can be seen as bullying. Physical bullying such as grabbing and pushing players to incite a response is also dangerous ground for coaches. Basketball coaching legend Bobby Knight found this out when he was subjected to an NCAA investigation after appearing to grab an Indiana University athlete by the throat.
Effects
Dr. Stephen Joseph conducted a study on bullying effects in 2003 through the University of Warwick. Joseph reported that verbal abuse can have more impact upon victim's self-worth than physical attacks. Rather than the desired effect by coaches of toughening up young players, abusive coaching in the form of verbal bullying has been shown to cause significant levels of post-traumatic stress disorder in 33 percent of young people. Abusive coaching in youth soccer can also have negative physical effects. A 2007 study performed through Penn State University by JoLynn Carney found that levels of coritsol, the stress hormone, were elevated in the saliva of children who had been bullied recently and those who expected to be bullied in the near future.
Chronic Damage
The more the act of bullying is repeated through abusive coaching in youth soccer, the greater the damage. As well as loss of confidence and enjoyment of the game, more long-term and damaging impact will occur. Carney's 2007 study reported that repeated exposure to stressful events is linked to chronic fatigue syndrome, greater chance of injury, chronic pelvic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Check back next week for another great article to improve your coaching skills.

Developing Leaders: A team leader's job description
 By Steve Horan, PositiveSports.net

"We need leadership!"  Just about every coach has spoken (or shouted!) these words at some point.  The problem is, most athletes have never been taught what leadership is.  We can help our athletes become stronger leaders by clearly explaining what leadership means.  Here is one job description to consider.

Leadership: A Team Leader's Job Description
Your job as a positive team leader is to elevate the team in ways that build trust.  The best team leaders do five things:
 1.Model the Way. Set a positive example for your teammates in what you do and say in competition, in practice, in the locker room, in the classroom, and in the community.
2.Assure Execution. Make sure you know and execute all of your team assignments. Then, reach out and assist your teammates who need help with executing their assignments.
3.Spark the Energy. Sense when the team is losing positive energy. Use your voice and example to spark the energy - especially when the going gets tough in practice and competition.
4.Promote Unity. Help everyone feel included, valued, and respected. Don't tolerate cliques or divisive conflicts on the team. Ask for help from your coaches if you see serious conflicts arising.
5.Elevate Your Teammates. Everyone struggles now and then. Reach out to help a teammate in need - especially younger athletes and role players who don't see much playing time.  It is not your job to solve their problems. But it is your job to provide encouragement and friendship.
This kind of leadership can be practiced by anyone, from the team captain to the star player to the role player on the end of the bench.  This same kind of leadership is valuable not only in athletics, but in all kinds of settings.  Learn these five winning practices and you will become a valued leader in athletics and beyond.

Check back next week for another great article from Koach Karl.

Young athletes' achievement goals can change in a healthy way over the course of a season when their coaches create a mastery motivational climate rather than an ego orientation, University of Washington sport psychologists have found. A mastery climate stresses positive communication between coaches and athletes, teamwork and doing one's best. An ego climate, typified by many professional sports coaches, focuses on winning at all costs and being better than others.

"Much of life is affected by motivation and achievement," said Ronald Smith, a UW psychology professor and lead author of a new study. "Our study looked at children 9 to 13 years of age and there was no difference by age or sex. And it was also significant because it shows the influence of a mastery climate on children's achievement goals in a relatively short time, 12 weeks."

For several decades psychologists have believed that children under the age of 11 or 12 could not distinguish between effort and ability. That still may be true when it comes to academics, but the new research indicates that children as young as 9 can tell the difference between the two while participating in sports.

Check back next week for another great coaching article.

Engaging in youth development programs produces caring, competent teens, research finds if you want your children to flourish, get them involved in extracurricular activities other than sports, new research suggests.

Children in fifth, sixth and seventh grades who took part in both sports and after-school activities such as Boys & Girls Clubs, 4-H or Scouts had the highest scores for "positive development" and the lowest scores for risky and problem behavior, according to a study from Tufts University, published recently in Developmental Psychology.  "Positive development" includes measures of competence, confidence, character, connection and caring, the study authors explained. About 60 percent of U.S. children participate in at least one sport, making sports the most common after-school activity, according to information in a news release from Tufts.

Although a large body of research suggests that sports participation is associated with psychological well-being, positive social development and higher academic and professional achievement, some research has shown that participation in sports may be linked to some risky behaviors.

The new study, which looked at data on 1,357 adolescents who took part in the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, found that those students who only took part in sports had lower scores on characteristics of "positive development" and higher scores on bullying, substance use and depression than students who also took part in youth development activities.

"Parents should be certain that their teens balance participation in sports and in youth development programs," said Richard Lerner, professor of child development at Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences in Boston. "Participation in even one youth development program may counteract possibly detrimental influences of sport participation on teen emotional and behavioral health, while also enhancing the health and well-being of their sons and daughters."

Youth development programs are after-school activities that involve adult mentorship, life skills training and opportunities for leadership, according to the study.

Check back next week for another great coaching/life article.

Youth Soccer Coaches need to be aware of the following five potential problems in youth coaching.Intimidation/Anger
You do not have to look far for an example of negative coaching.  Anger used towards young children has been documented in the newspapers, television and the internet.  This method of coaching forces players to adopt a fear of failure.  Players do not experiment, take risks, develop, or enjoy their soccer experience.  Children that play in an anger filled environment are more likely to not return to the sport the following year.   Meeting the Needs of Only a Few There is a wide range in player’s soccer ability at this age.  Children who physically mature early and those with older siblings often are more developed in their soccer abilities. Do you know of any teachers that walk into a classroom and structure the class work, homework, and testing to only meet the needs of the top two or three students?   The goal of the coach needs to be the same as the goal of teacher: to challenge and develop all the players.  Meeting the needs of all players on your team can be the greatest challenge you will face in coaching at this age level.  I and almost all child experts do not recommend sifting players on ability.  Tryouts are needed to sift players and children at this age are not prepared to be told they are not good enough.  No one at any degree of success has been able to predict player’s futures at this early age. Coach Driven Drills  Drills designed by coaches that do not allow for players to make decisions on where to run, or how to manipulate the ball are coach driven activities. Coaching Moments Not Principles  Coaches must give information that is specific to the situation with specific information that pertains to the principles of play.  Most coaching is general to the moment and players do not understand how to differentiate this information in other situations. 

• General Example:  Go to the ball.
• Specific Example:  When the ball is not in possession go to it as quickly as possible:
• General Example:  Do not fall for fancy footwork.
•  Specific Example:  When the opponent has the ball, be patient and only commit to gain possession when they loose control.

As you can see specific information gives the player knowledge and general information presents problems for the future.  A player that was just told to not fall for fancy footwork may think to themselves, but coach you just told me to go to the ball. Coaching with Lines, Laps and Lectures  The three ‘L’s’ in coaching need to be eliminated.  All three prevent players from playing and getting better in soccer.  While players are in line they are not on task.  Eliminate lines by having multiple groups.  Laps may develop fitness but at the expense of time with the ball.  Eliminate laps by using activities in the warm up and throughout the training session that require movement.  Lectures bore players.  These same players have been lectured to all day in school and have come to training to play.  Eliminate lectures by limiting yourself to giving twenty seconds of information at a time.

Check back next week for another great coaching article.

Sometimes as I slouch down in my lawn chair watching my grandchildren's soccer games, I indulge in wishful thinking. Only skillful, focused players on the field. Only knowledgeable, supportive parents on the sidelines. Only coaches who remember the bottom line is character development and not just winning games. Only top-notch officials running the lines and the field. Never going to happen. Like I said - wishful thinking.

Not that I'm an expert on the soccer subject. But I have spent 32 years immersed in youth soccer. As the chauffer. As the team mom. As the team grandmother. And any other position that needed a warm body. Some knowledge of the game is bound to rub off after awhile.Now my daughter and granddaughters are referees as well as players. And I'm seeing games from a whole new angle.

Sitting on the bleachers watching my 14-year-old granddaughter play at a Disney tournament recently, I got annoyed at our parents for criticizing the assistant referee's seeming inability to be in position to make good calls.When the parents grew vocal enough for the AR to hear, I decided to muffle the criticism. Duct tape would have done the job, but I used something more personal - an incident that happened to my 16-year-old granddaughter Emily at a different game the day before.

Emily was running the line on the parents' side and they gave her a bad time about her offside calls. The coach even went to the center ref after the game and complained about her. Fortunately, the center ref had been paying attention and said Emily's calls had been correct. This is a tough situation for a young referee to handle, and probably why the attrition rate is so high.When I told our parents about Emily's experience, they were indignant about anyone's criticizing Emily. After all, she's one of ours. We know her. We know she's conscientious and unbiased. She knows the game both as a player and a certified official. How dare those parents and coach give her a rough time?!

Then I pointed at the AR running our line and said, "She's somebody's Emily."

I know that, in the heat of competition, everyone forgets that the officials are somebody's Emily or Tom or Dave. Parents demand superhero officials. Which, in most cases, means officials that make only calls the parents agree with. And when most of the parents don't even know the difference between being offside or being in an offside position, that would be an impossible demand.

You couldn't pay me enough to take the abuse that soccer officials take. I'd probably take the field armed with a whistle and a small caliber handgun. And because I know that about myself, I stay on the sidelines. And try to encourage parents to send positive energy toward the field. And to try to help them remember that the every official is somebody's Emily.

Check back next week for another great article.

By DAVE HELLING and DIANE STAFFORD

Anyone who’s ever coached a young athlete recognizes the feeling — when pride and admiration turns to frustration or impatience when a shot is missed or a ball is dropped. Countless times each year, coaches from kindergarten to college are able to turn those feelings into teachable moments and encouragement, approaches that almost always lead to better player or team performance. But sometimes a darker side emerges: A player is yelled at, severely punished, even physically abused.

It’s not clear what happened a few weeks ago with University of Kansas head football coach Mark Mangino. An investigation is under way following complaints by players and parents. Yet the problem of overly aggressive youth coaching is growing in America. Indeed, three out of four young players quit organized sports before the age of 13, according to one survey, blaming overly aggressive coaching more than any other reason. “The win-at-all-costs mentality that’s filtered down from professional sports has colored youth sports,” said Jim Thompson, founder of a California-based organization called the Positive Coaching Alliance, which counsels coaches at the high school level and below. “Youth coaches are imagining in their heads that they’re an NBA coach or an NFL coach.”

A survey by the Citizenship Through Sports Alliance gave youth coaching a C- grade in 2005, calling the lack of focus on effort, skill development, positive reinforcement and fun “unacceptable.” “Youth sports has lost its child-centered focus, meaning less emphasis on the child’s experience and more emphasis on adult-centered motives, such as winning,” the group concluded. Of course, the use of what might politely be called intense verbal encouragement has long been a part of organized athletics. Most men or women who’ve ever played a game can tell stories of a coach who raised his or her voice in an effort to improve concentration and execution on the field or court. But a growing body of study suggests the in-your-face approach to coaching can be counterproductive for some players.

“If you’re going to jump on a kid and berate them verbally, they’re going to shut you off,” said Tim Grunhard, an NFL veteran now coaching at Bishop Miege High School. “That’s something as a coach you have to adapt to.” Grunhard — who was surprised by the allegations involving Mangino — said college coaches from Joe Paterno at Penn State to Pete Carroll at the University of Southern California have either abandoned the military “boot camp” model of football coaching or never engaged in it at all.

“There’s a tolerance for it if you’re winning,” said Gary Abram, a management consultant at HCap International in Kansas City. “But that style has a shelf life. “Eventually, players are robbed of their dignity and self-respect and they leave, physically if they can, or, if they can’t vote with their feet, they shut down emotionally … and the winning stops,” he added. Abram was a professional baseball player who also coached high school and college sports, so he’s seen athletic organizations from all angles.

Among the forces that have allowed the “screamers and punchers” to stay active in the sports world, Abram suggested, are baby boomer parents. Some are “fixated on their kids’ athletic successes at all costs” and on players who sense the attitude that “coping with abuse is the price of admission.” There’s a macho, if not paramilitary, undertone to many sports organizations, an atmosphere that’s counter to the “we are family” approach of a coach such as Mike Krzyzewski at Duke University. Scott Snook, an associate professor of business administration at Harvard University, has analyzed management styles and concluded that what an individual fundamentally believes about human nature is most likely to influence his or her approach to leadership. Those who believe that people need rewards or punishments to do what’s wanted will gravitate toward tighter controls and place “social distance” between them and those they supervise, Snook found. And because of the hyped-up emotions in sports contests, it’s also easy for coaches with that mentality to snap in stressful game situations, or even in practice, Abram said.

“When you see coaches have a conniption on the sidelines, they’re shifting the responsibility for their team to the players,” he pointed out. When that strategy works — and the team wins — fans and boosters tend to be more tolerant. Players also keep quiet about any abuse because they want to keep playing. When the team stops winning, though, society begins to shine a spotlight on coaching behavior. “Then we’re more likely to say, ‘Hey, that’s wrong,’ ” Abram said.

Check back next week for another great article on youth coaching.

No one denies that children who want to excel at soccer should play the game in addition to their team's practices and games, but today's children have less unscheduled time than previous generations and more diversions. Getting them to choose soccer over other options — whether it is Guitar Hero or Webkinz - can require prodding from the parents.

Here are some methods that parents and coaches can use to encourage children to play on their own, and games they'll enjoy while improving their skills:

ALWAYS HAVE A BALL AROUND. Take a ball everywhere when you're with your child. It doesn't have to be a soccer ball; in fact, those red, bouncy ones used for schoolyard dodge ball are perfect. At the playground, kick around with your child whenever she feels like it. She may want to kick for a few minutes, and then hit the swings. Over time, you're likely to find her enjoying the ball more and more. And chances are other kids will migrate to the ball, and you'll have started a little soccer game.

BOUNCEY PASS BACK. Pass the ball back and forth with your child while keeping it bouncing. Count how many passes you can hit before it stops bouncing or you lose control, turning it into a contest.

KICK AND CATCH. Play kick and catch with your child. Kick it so he can catch it. Then he drops and kicks it back.

SOCCER TENNIS. Take your child to a tennis court with a bouncy ball. Try and kick it back and forth over the net. You can bring tennis rackets, too, and mix things up. A little tennis, a little soccer tennis.

'INDOOR SOCCER.' There are many balls on the market that are soft enough so they won't do too much damage to the house. If you have a den or a hallway, let your children kick around in the house.

BALL NET. Get your child a ball net. It's virtually guaranteed that a child holding a ball in a net on a string will kick it about, which means she's developing a feel for striking the ball.

INCENTIVES TO JUGGLE. To tap the ball in the air over and over means you're learning to hit the sweet spot. Juggling with feet and thighs trains players to be comfortable with the ball and develops striking and trapping skills. Besides helping with foot-eye coordination, juggling is a great way to work on balance. It also develops the weak foot.

Coaches and parents can motivate players to juggle on their own by offering small rewards when they reach certain levels, for example, soccer-ball stickers for 5; soccer-ball key chain for 10, etc.

It's difficult at first, so have them let the ball bounce in between. Ask them to drop it on their thigh or foot once, and then catch it. Then go for two, and so on. The more they advance, the more fun it gets, and the more they juggle. \

Check back next week for another great article about coaching youth soccer.