Coaching kids, it is safe to say, can be both rewarding and frustrating. You will have great times and bad times, children that will listen to you, and those that will not, but what matters is that you will have made a big difference and helped many children along the way. As a coach, you should always be looking to improve yourself, so that you can make an even bigger difference, and below we have given you some tips on how you can achieve that.
Do Your Best to Inspire Change
The best coaches out there inspire their athletes to improve, change, and stay the course. This takes much more than just opening the doors of wherever you are coaching and barking orders at people. To inspire change in someone you need to have vision, passions, patience, and the willingness to repeat yourself over and over again. You need to learn how to show people the way, open their eyes to endless possibilities ahead and lead them down the path towards success. One of the ways that you can do this is by constantly reading, learning, and attending various workshops.
You Need to Establish Trust
We all have our own issues and challenges in life, and as a coach you need to realise that developing trust is of the utmost importance. Trust is something that will help to break down any barriers, avoid resistance, and open more lines of communication. Once you have developed trust with your athletes, you will find that coaching is made a lot easier and that more progress can be made. The easiest way that you can develop trust with anyone is to show them that you care about them and that they are just not another number.
Remember That Change is Something That Takes Time
Results never happen overnight, but we live in a society that expects everything to be fast and easy. Becoming a great athlete is something that takes time, so to keep the person focused and interested, you must paint them a picture and remind them that nothing in this life comes easy. As a coach you need to make a plan as to how to improve your athletes over a period of time as well as have some backup plans just in case life throws you a curveball, which it will usually do.
You Need to Always Stay Engaged
When you are coaching it is important that you also get your hands dirty and take part in the activities that you expect your athletes to do. You need to make sure that you stay in shape and lead the way mentally and physically. By doing this, you will remain mentally sharp and will be prepared for any challenges that come your way. Furthermore, staying engaged helps you to relate to any issues that your athletes are experiencing, meaning that you can give more relevant advice.
Boundaries Have to Be Established
If you give somebody an inch, usually they will end up taking a mile. When you are working with athletes, you need to make sure that you set up some health boundaries. This will make it easier for you to them accountable for their actions, keep them on the right track, and maintain the relationship as you move forward. You need to set your own standards for work ethic, attitude, and attendance. Talk about your boundaries all of the time and your charges will fall in line.
Communication is Key
Communicating properly with your athletes is vitally important as they have to know what they can expect, when they can expect it, and how this plays to them achieving their goals. On the other hand, it is just as important that your athletes are clear and open with you. They need to talk to you when something is not going to plan, so you need to make sure that they feel comfortable with coming to speak to you after a session. Great communication is a brilliant way to help everyone to reach their goals in life.
Source: https://fightcampconditioning.com/being-a-better-coach/