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Coaches Corner
 Youth athletes learn lessons that last a lifetime.
The Positive Coaching Alliance offers a 2-Minute Drill every month--one for coaches and one for parents-- to help the adults involved in youth sports give the youths a positive experience. Here are the 2-Minute Drills from the past couple of months:
For Coaches
For Parents
Connector June 2008
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Three More National Organizations Join National Conversation on Good Coaching for Case Study #3: "The Limits of Sportsmanship" |
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Once again, we enjoyed terrific comments on our most recent Case Study. You can read all the responses, including one from PCA Founder and Executive Director Jim Thompson.
This month, we welcome to the National Conversation on Good Coaching three new co-conveners: - American Medical Society for Sports Medicine;
- National Association for Sport and Physical Education; and
- National Federation of State High School Associations.
These three add tremendous depth and breadth to the lineup of national organizations participating in our effort to get people nationwide talking about what constitutes good (and bad) youth/high school sports coaching.
Now, consider our next Case Study:
The Limits of Sportsmanship Sara Tucholsky's first college home run was a 3-run shot in the 2nd inning of a scoreless game to determine whether her Western Oregon (WOU) team or Central Washington (CWU) would qualify for the NCAA Division 2 softball tournament. Rounding first, Tucholsky's knee gave out and she collapsed. Mallory Holtman, CWU's star 1st-baseman, reacted to Tucholsky in pain on the ground. She and teammate Liz Wallace carried Tucholsky, allowing her to score the third run for WOU, which went on to win 4-2. Was Holtman and Wallace's action an example of outstanding sportsmanship or of
a lack of competitiveness? Why?
If you were the CWU pitcher, how might you feel about your teammates enabling
the opponent to score what might have been the winning run?
If this had happened in a high-stakes professional championship, would it be
appropriate for an opposing player to do what Holtman did? Why or why not?
Would you encourage your child to emulate Mallory Holtman? What might you
say to him or her?
What might a comparable act of sportsmanship be in other sports?
You can "converse" about your answers at the Case Studies blog and by printing out this Case Study for discussion at youth sports events and organizational meetings. As always, thanks to our co-conveners who distribute Case Studies through their websites, e-mail newsletters and publications, making this a true National Conversation on Coaching:
American Medical Society for Sports MedicineAmerican Youth Soccer Organization
Institute for International Sport
Little League International
Michigan State University's Institute for the Study of Youth Sports
National Association for Sport and Physical Education
National Federation of State High School Associations
Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc.
USA Volleyball
USA Water Polo
US Lacrosse |
| Congratulations to PCA National Advisory Board Members Phil Jackson and Doc Rivers |
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| In a thrilling NBA Finals match-up fellow PCA National Advisory Board Members Phil Jackson and Doc Rivers went head to head as coaches of the Lakers and Celtics, respectively. Throughout the series, in which the Celtics ultimately prevailed, both teams did an outstanding job of Honoring the Game. Congratulations to Doc Rivers on his first NBA Championship and to Phil Jackson for leading his team, as hardly anyone predicted, to the NBA Finals. |
| Coaching Tip: Point Out Little Things Your Players Do Right |
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Some players are very hard on themselves, so fixated on results that they can't even credit themselves for small ways they help their teams. Take a soccer player who's kicking himself for not kicking a goal. You may hear a frustrated, "I contributed absolutely nothing today." Your response? If you can be truthful and specific, it may sound like this: "Do you remember how many times you broke free for crosses in the first half? Not every contribution is a goal. It's a team game. "Every time you broke free, you wore on the player marking you, you drew help from other defenders, and you grated on the goalkeeper's last nerve. You freed your teammates and opened up the field. All that effort contributed to the opponent's physical and mental fatigue until they started making mistakes and couldn't cover and your teammates scored." Too often, coaches overlook these contributions. When recognizing them, coaches must be careful to explain the details, because the nuance behind "Great run" or "Way to get open" is lost on most youth players.
Helping players understand and internalize the value of the little things they do right will keep them feeling like they are contributing, which boosts their confidence, which improves their results. |
| Sports Illustrated's Top Sports High School Partners with PCA |
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Those who dismiss Positive Coaching as "soft" or "not for elite competitors" should consider Punahou High School, which Sports Illustrated in May named the nation's best high school sports program, and which in June signed on as a PCA Partner.
Punahou's PCA Partnership shows that Positive Coaching Alliance is not just about fun and games. It's where the best go to get better. |
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Positive Coaching Alliance
www.PositiveCoach.org
Toll Free: 866-725-0024
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