Four National Youth Sports Organizations Adopt Double-Goal Coaching�
 
Four of the largest national youth sports organizations in the U.S. -- American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO); Little League Baseball and Softball; Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc.; and US Lacrosse -- have formally adopted Positive Coaching Alliance's Double-Goal Coach model as a coaching method they will use and promote.
"These bold new steps by four of the nation's most influential and forward-thinking youth sports organizations clearly signal their commitment to Double-Goal Coaching -- where the first goal is winning, and the second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports," said PCA Founder and Executive Director Jim Thompson. "We are thrilled that AYSO, Little League, Pop Warner and US Lacrosse have adopted a model of coaching that will serve youth athletes on and off the field."
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Ask PCA: Urging Coaches to Teach Teammates to Respect Each Other
Thanks for your answers to last week's question, which will help a distressed mom who is in conflict with another family in her son's football league.
This week's question:
"My 8-year-old son plays on a select baseball team with a couple of not-so-nice kids that say things like, 'you suck' or 'you stink' to some of their teammates. How can I suggest to the coach that he discuss with players the importance of respecting teammates without him feeling like I disapprove of his coaching? These kids are at an impressionable age and are put in some pretty high-pressure situations; the last people they need coming down on them is their teammates. Do you have any ideas?"
-- Kelly Davenport, Flower Mound, TX
Here is PCA Director of Training and Evaluation Joe Scally in response to last week's question about conflict with another family.
Conflict between coaches and parents is an unfortunate reality of youth sports, but the most important consideration in youth sports is the education and welfare of the players. There are a few things you can do to make sure your son's interests remain at the forefront.
First, consider whether your son has been appropriately placed based on league criteria for size, age and skill level. If not, there is likely some process for appealing the placement. But first ask yourselves "Why doesn't my son belong on this team?" If it's unsafe, or his skill level is seriously mismatched, you should take this up with the league administration.
If it's some other reason, consider whether there are benefits to staying on this team that outweigh any downside. It's important to ask your son how he feels, so that regardless of the outcome, you can support him in having a good experience this season. If you decide to appeal, base your appeal on the rules, not on what the other parents may have done. Asking questions and remaining calm and civil will reduce the chance of any negative attention toward your son. Whatever team he winds up on, ask the coach what you can do to help out. Your willingness to be involved will enhance your son's experience. I'd discourage bringing this up with the other parents. You risk adding fuel to a fire, and it is unlikely the family would do anything to help your son. After resolving the issue of your son's placement, your husband might give the league leaders his side of the public disagreement story. He should be willing to examine what he might have done differently, and the leaders may have had similar experiences that could give your husband valuable support and direction. To read all responses to the previous "Ask PCA" question -- "Conflict with Another Family" -- click here. |
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Coaching Tip: Golden Spike Award
This week's Coaching Tip comes from Greg Siino, a longtime volunteer coach of 6-to-15-year-olds in Roseville, Calif.
PCA advocates "targeted symbolic rewards," such as a Dirty-Shirt Award for the player who hustles the hardest. We were so taken with Greg's take on targeted symbolic rewards that we decided to share:
One recognition that has worked well for the teams that I have coached is selecting a player for the "golden spike award" after each game or after each week of pre-season practice. Although it's called the "golden" spike, it is actually an old railroad spike with little value on its own.
When first introducing the award, I tell the players to picture a train ride from California to New York. The train has a destination or goal, the track guides it there, and many, many railroad spikes hold the track in place. The railroad spikes typically go unnoticed and there are many of them along the way. But, if they weren't there, the track would fall apart and the train would derail -- or if only a few were missing, maybe a bumpy ride.
So, the award is given to someone who does something to build the team or a teammate without drawing attention to themselves -- truly for their team. It is especially noteworthy if they do it when they are tired at the end of game or during conditioning, maybe personally having a bad game, or feeling like there was a bad call.
Their focus remains on their team and teammates. Many "spikes" go unnoticed, but when I see one, that player is a candidate for that week's award. This takes the focus off of personal stats and at the same time encourages and acknowledges specific behavior that contributes to building a team and often a win.
To have your Positive Coaching Tip considered for this space, e-mail david_jacobson@positivecoach.org.
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Support PCA
Positive Coaching Alliance is a non-profit committed to character-education though youth and high school sports. To achieve that mission, PCA relies heavily on financial support from members and donors.
Donate now and have twice the impact.
Thanks to the generosity of two anonymous family foundations, all donations made between now and December 31, 2009 to PCA's Annual Fund will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000.
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