What Doesn't Work? (In no particular order)

Training!The idea of working repetitively with no real reward other than completing the workout or session is about as appealing as crawling on glass. Kids like to know they are part of the process. Let them know what the overall goal is, then let them know as it is incrementally approached and achieved.

Make their development feel like play instead of work. Create opportunities for cooperative effort as well as competition. If it feels like drudgery, you can count on low physical and emotional commitment and output.

Attaching your ego to the process! - It really is about the kids! That means it's not about you, your record as a coach or your ability to "whip them into shape." It's also not about how much they like you, or think you're their friend. It's about helping them develop, grow their sports and movement skills and enjoy the journey (process)! Feel good for them, not through them! Be happy for and with them, not because of them!

Boring, needless repetition! - Boring, needless repetition. Boring, needless repetition. Get the point? Boredom breeds carelessness, increasing risk of injury. Boredom also increases the risk of kids just walking away from the activity, maybe even the sport! Just because a drill is a "standard" doesn't mean you have to do it EVERY TIME! Conversely, just because you've done a drill frequently doesn't mean it has to be repetitive. Change a variable; add a sport skill challenge; throw in a twist or something to "wake them up."

Impatience! - They're kids; they're going to make mistakes and try your patience! Some will even flat out push your buttons! Find creative, productive ways to ignore undesired behavior while staying focused on the task at hand. Reward desired behavior in every kid when it occurs. Stress to the team how important it is to avoid the undesired behavior so that more important (i.e., FUN) things can occur! Show patience and dedication to those kids who seem to "not get it." They need you the most, even if it's not in the team's best interests to deter from team time.

Moving on before mastery! - This is the real reason to break down movement and sports skills into smaller, simpler pieces or sub-skills. You can always return to those sub-skills already mastered and reinforce them before moving on to the next ones. Moving to the more complex before the simple is master creates compensatory movement patterns, which lead to risk of injury and reduced performance. Teach mastery of the simple; the complex will follow!

Choosing "impressive" over "functional" - Functional exercises, and those that reinforce good sports skills and movements, should always be chosen over those that are just "cool." Coaches often choose the complex drill over the simple because they don't know how to progress the drill slowly to maximize progress. Simple to complex; stable to unstable; single action to combinations; these are the best progressions to use, regardless of the movement being taught.

What Works? (Not in order of importance)

FUN! PLAY! - Isn't that why we engage in sports in the first place? Treating kids' sports like they are "serious business" leaves very little reason for kids to want to be there! According to members of the Steelers, the last thing Head Coach Mike Tomlin told his offense before they took the field for the 2009 Super Bowl game-winning drive was "go out there and have fun!" So why shouldn't you and YOUR team?

Teaching!- Teach, don't train! Give direction, describe a desired outcome then let them go try it. When things go off-track, as they're likely to (we're talking about kids here!), simply direct by teaching a different way to accomplish the objective or learn the skill.

Variety! - If you get bored doing the same things again and again, what do you think that does to a 6, 8 or even a 12 year old? Change up the ACTIVITIES, the TERRAIN or CONDITIONS and the SITUATIONS for maximal absorption of the lesson.

Repetition! - This is NOT a contradiction of the last point! It simply means that, over the course of time, you should repeat those activities and variables that have the maximal developmental impact and/or that result in the greatest participation and attention from your athletes or kids.

Understanding! - Realize that even within the same age/developmental level groupings, kids learn and apply what they've learned at different speeds and with different reaction or expression of what's learned. By understanding this and being mindful of these differences, you become a better coach. You also create an achievement oriented environment where kids want to develop, achieve and enjoy their victories!

Allowing time for MASTERY! - Allow kids time to really master the individual parts of the skills you're teaching, as well as the overall purpose or goal. Break the complex into the simple and allow them to master each simple piece. Mastering each piece of the hitting process will lead to development of greater hitting skill levels. The same is true for other sports and movement skills. Success begets success, so why not make it easier and more likely to happen? Kids respond very well, as individuals and teams, when they are enjoying praise and the other rewards of achievement. Their desire for this reinforcement will increase over time, leading to a greater desire to master ever more challenging skills.

These guiding ideas will help any coach be more effective, and allow his players to have more fun and develop better sports and movement skills! Having fun and getting better is what it's about!

We work with hundreds of youth athletes, their parents and their coaches to help make the youth sports community a more enriching and positive one for everyone! Kids love sports and competition! It's the coaches job to make the experience about the kids and how they can grow and improve from that experience.

Would you like help with your student-athlete's development? Would you like a program to help your youth or school sports team play better and avoid inujury? Need help with your own (adult) fitness, health and/or sports performance?

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