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Positive Coaching Alliance Connector
September 16, 2010
David Jacobson, Editor |
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Coaching Tip: Catch Players Doing Things Right
Keeping players' Emotional Tanks full is not easy. If a certain player (or even the whole team) is struggling, you may not see the spectacular play that obviously deserves a compliment. That's why it's important to "catch players doing things right."
Your ability to observe quality technique, effort or improvement -- regardless of the outcome of a given play or drill -- gives you the power to empower your players with full emotional tanks.
Click on the screen image above for a video example from the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports Program Powered by Positive Coaching Alliance, featuring Kim Oden, a 2003 recipient of PCA's national Double-Goal Coach� Award.
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Ask PCA: Happy Holidays?
Thanks for your answers to our most recent "Ask PCA" question about coaches "poaching" players. To review that question and PCA's answer, you can continue scrolling through this item, but for now, consider this week's question:
Happy Holidays? More and more you are seeing youth tournaments pop up all over the place for all sports. In many cases the tournaments are held on holiday weekends. This has traditionally been a great time for families to travel or spend time together. Should coaches demand their players attend these tournaments scheduled over holiday weekends? Is it OK for parents to just say, "No"?
-- Glen Boggini, Coventry, CT
Following is the previous "Ask PCA" question and PCA's response: "I coach girls in 6th to 8th grade. Each year, not even a month into our season, a local high school coach invites our better players to a club team tryout that is held before our season is over. I have a real problem the way they aggressively recruit our girls, sometimes inviting 4th- and 5th-graders to play. Anybody have any input on how to handle it?"
PCA Response by David Jacobson, Marketing Communications Manager and Middle-School Basketball Coach
Your first step is to set parameters with your players and parents, because they ultimately decide whether or not to pursue club sports. Let them know the degree of commitment your program requires.
At the same time, recognize that the high school coach may offer opportunities that you do not and that those opportunities may contribute to your players' overall development and may even benefit your team. For example, your players may return from tryouts with new on-court skills or leadership capacity just by virtue of sharing the court with stronger, more-experienced players.
You also should have an honest conversation with the high school coach and set some ground rules. For example, ask that the coach not keep your players from your practices or games and not lead players to leave your team mid-season.
If both you and the high school coach keep the players' best interests at heart, you can turn what seems to be a negative situation into a partnership that improves player development and strengthens both of your programs.
Read all the Ask PCA blog comments on this question.
Ask PCA your youth sports coaching and sports parenting questions, at
AskPCA@positivecoach.org.
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Best Back-to-School (And Football) Book
 Continuing Our back-to-school, back-to-football theme from last week's PCA Connector, we'd like to recommend a tremendous read: the updated, newly-released paperback version of Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen.
Accompanying the update of Joe Drape's classic chronicle of Roger Barta -- winner of one of PCA's 2010 Double-Goal Coach� Awards Presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance -- is a downloadable reading group guide that explores the values revealed in the book.
Among Joe's comments there: "One of the many joys that came out of my writing Our Boys was the discovery of a growing group of educators and coaches across the country who, like Coach Barta, believe that building character and teaching life lessons are far more important than just winning games.
"Jim Thompson, for one, founded the nonprofit Positive Coaching Alliance to offer parents and coaches the tools to give all young athletes the opportunity for a positive, character-building experience. His books are must-reads for any mom or dad who spends many hours of their weeks on the sidelines watching their sons and daughters, and for athletes as well."
To view the reading group guide and purchase copies of Our Boys, click here.To purchase Jim Thompson's books, click here.
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