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PCA Adds Second-Level Online Course for
Coaches
If you liked PCA's "Double-Goal Coach�: Coaching for Winning and Life Lessons," you will love our latest online course, Double-Goal Coach: Culture, Practices and Games. This new, second-level course takes you even deeper into the principles and practices of Double-Goal Coaching.
The Double-Goal
Coach: Culture, Practices and Games Online Course is particularly useful to schools and youth sports organizations that are multi-year PCA partners, so their coaches can continue education through live or online courses.
As in all of our new online courses, you will learn via video from PCA National Advisory Board Members, including:
- PCA National Spokesperson and 10-time NBA Champion Coach Phil Jackson
- Boston Celtics NBA Champion Coach Doc Rivers
- Former NFL Head Coach Herm Edwards
For a video explaining more of the course's benefits, click the image below.
You will appreciate the interactivity of the course and the same research-based, ready-to-use tips and tools you have come to expect from PCA.
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Honoring the Game Award Winner: Huntley (IL) Park District
 As part of the National Youth Sports Awards Program sponsored by Deloitte, PCA Connector periodically profiles winners of the Honoring the Game Award for excellence as an educational athletic organization. This week, we feature Huntley (IL) Park District.
We'd like to believe it's no coincidence that Huntley's logo displays ROOTS! Either way, there is no question how deeply "rooted" PCA principles are within Huntley Park District sports programs.
Serving roughly 1,500 youth athletes, ages 5-to-18, Huntley has experienced fewer conflicts among parents, coaches and players, said Jeff Ryder, the district's athletic coordinator, who leads the district's PCA partnership. "We're pleased with how coaches have responded to the workshops, and especially the way they have shared PCA ideas with parents and players. One of the keys is the ability to customize workshops so that coaches know we really are talking about our organization's specific issues."
Among Huntley's innovative uses of its PCA partnership: an internal Coach of the Year Award program. Of the 150 coaches Huntley fields in a typical year, four are nominated as finalists and recognized before their peers at a cookout for all coaches and their families. The overall winner is automatically nominated by the district for PCA's national Double-Goal Coach Award Presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance. For a video interview of Huntley's Jeff Ryder, click the image below.
Our series profiling Honoring the Game Award winners will continue in future issues of PCA Connector.
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Coaching Tip from Tony Granato: An Environment that Supports Team Morale
Even in "challenging times, when you have to be hard on players and push them to get to the level they need to play at," Granato says, "you have to keep their morale up and their spirits up. That's important at any level, even the NHL."
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Ask PCA: Blowing the Whistle on Players' "Tweets"
Thanks for all the responses to last week's "Ask PCA" question from a parent whose daughter's coach was playing her out of position. Most of you defended the coach's decision, and many saw the opportunity for the player to develop and improve from learning a new position.
You can scroll down to read PCA's response, but, for now, consider this week's question:
Blowing the Whistle on Players' "Tweets"
"One of my players has been using his Twitter account to criticize my decisions. What can I do about that? Any advice, especially from your first-hand experience, would be most helpful"
-- Coach Pete, Chicago
Following is the previous "Ask PCA" question and PCA's response:
"My daughter is 5'11" and very strong. She has played guard in basketball since kindergarten and never played post. After her freshman year, she is going to play this summer in various leagues with our varsity high school coach, who wants my daughter to play post. My daughter has guard skills, wants to play guard, and is playing guard on her AAU team. First my daughter, and then I met with the varsity coach, who said he will not be playing my daughter as a guard, and nothing my daughter does will change this. Any ideas how to change the coach's mind? I'm considering asking my daughter's AAU coach to invite the varsity coach to the AAU games."
PCA Response by Eric Eisendrath, Lead Trainer-New York
Despite your frustration, I suggest you simply let the situation play out a bit. As a freshman, there is plenty of time for your daughter to dazzle the coach with passing and ball-handling skills! And remember, a point guard named Magic Johnson started an NBA Championship-clinching game at center!
Learning to play another position could actually help your daughter improve her game. In PCA's Second-Goal Parent workshops, we encourage parents to recognize both their role and that of the coach. They are different. The coach's role is to decide on playing time and positions. The parent's role is to provide love and support for your child, while focusing on "big picture" issues such as the life lessons learned through sports.
I suggest you avoid "trying to change the coach's mind." Asking your daughter's AAU coach to intervene likely will increase friction and leave your daughter stuck in the middle.
If, after a few games at center, your daughter is still struggling, then she alone should address the matter with her coach. Through this process she will learn the critical life skill of being an advocate for herself, and the coach may well admire your daughter's maturity enough to reconsider her role on the team.
Read all the Ask PCA blog comments on this question.
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Support PCA
PCA is a non-profit committed to transforming youth sports so that all athletes through high school age can benefit from the life lessons that are uniquely available through sports.
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