WORKING WITH COACHES

Coaches play a vital role in the youth sport experience and are uniquely positioned to offer valuable feedback and instruction to young athletes, particularly during the specialization and investment years. Positive relationships between parents and coaches lead to enhanced experiences for children. Despite this, parents and coaches report many concerns about each other’s roles in organized youth sport.

Parents’ concerns include lack of communication, feeling isolated from their child’s participation, and coaching practices that elicit stress in their children. Coaches’ concerns include parent overinvolvement and a lack of parent knowledge.

Common encouragements from coaches to parents include:

  • Show unconditional love and support to your child
  • Trust the coaches
  • Communicate with coaches at the right time and place

At the beginning of each season, ask yourself:Additional strategies to enhance your child’s experience and support your child’s coach include:

  • Express interest in your child’s participation, win or lose
  • Don’t behave in a way that would embarrass your child, at home or on the sidelines
  • Offer to help when a coach or administrator asks for it
  • Don’t interfere with your child’s coach at practices or competitions
  • Provide emotional support to your child after tough losses or personal setbacks
  • Don’t shout instructions or criticisms to the players on either team during practices or competitions
  • Appreciate and understand the coach’s role and the demands they face in organized youth sport
  • Use a “24-hour” rule: This means always waiting 24 hours to discuss something with the coach that happened in practice or competition