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How To Be A Good Little League Coach
Jonathon Hardcastle
You've probably seen it at the local ball field. A well-meaning,
but overzealous parent-coach screaming at a team full of little
kids as if the World Series was on the line. On the other
field, another team is wandering around looking for directions
from their coach who is trying to figure out who's up next.
What does it take to be a good Little League coach?
The number one virtue Little League coaches need to develop
is patience. Children do not have the attention span or the
discipline of adults and need to be constantly reminded about
technique and sportsmanship. Coaches need patience to work
with a large group of children who may be at different levels
of expertise. Many major league ball players have stories
of making it to the majors because of a coach who never gave
up on them.
Organizational skills are also helpful to a Little League
coach. Balancing playing time can be a sensitive task and
good record keeping can help avoid many a dispute. If you're
coaching a team that travels you have to be able to organize
travel arrangements and have systems to keep track of all
your players while you're on the road.
Tact is essential when dealing with parents. Children are
remarkably open to coaching and are not typically sensitive
to constructive criticism about their skills. Parents, however,
frequently stress about their child's amount of playing time,
and the amount of individual coaching time their children
receive. It takes finesse and sensitivity to deal with these
problems. Parents may also become overly concerned about the
competition and may need to be tactfully reminded about the
importance of good sportsmanship.
If your child is on the team you're coaching, fairness may
become an issue. It's important for coaches to be fair to
all their players and to judge players on their skills rather
than their personalities. At higher levels, it's important
to continue to praise and offer second string players at least
some playing time, to maintain their interest and help them
continue to develop their skills even if they do not have
a great career in sports ahead of them.
Finally, every Little League coach must have a deep and abiding
love for children of all ages. Coaches are some of the most
formative people in a child's life and can imbue children
with values they will carry throughout their lives.
Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics
including Baseball, Games, and Recreation.
Article Source: http://articlecrazy.com
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