This is a resources for all coaches.
Correcting errors can be intertwined with praise and support in different ways for athletes at different stages of maturity. With the very young, success can be defined so broadly that no child fails. With elementary and middle school age children, criticism can be sandwiched between statements of praise and encouragement. With teens and adults, criticisms can be quite direct but be followed by statements of support.
Good planning and good execution are fundamental to running an effective practice. Even a plan made on the back of an envelope as you commute home from work is better than walking into practice cold, telling your young charges to take a few laps for warm-ups, and then trying to figure out what you will do in practice that evening.
The word discipline often elicits images of punishment, raised voices and the use of power to control the misbehavior of subordinates. But the “drill sergeant” image of demanding “good behavior” is only a very small part of a well-disciplined program.
What is choking? It is not simply losing a winnable game. Nor is it performing poorly on a newly learned skill, a phenomenon quite common in youth sports. It is performing significantly worse than expected given one’s skill level despite a desire for a superior performance in the presence of substantial incentives.
Childhood and adolescence is a time of change, not just in physical appearance, but also in physical performance and ability. Athletes, parents, and...
This is the Randolph Baseball T-Ball manual complete with gameplay guidelines, drills, and practice plans. The emphasis is on learning fundamentals and teaching a love and respect for the game.
The concept of control basically refers to an athlete’s understanding of what factors are within his control and what factors are not. Athletes who understand the difference and are able to direct their focus to factors within their ability to control are said to have “focus and concentration.” Without this understanding, athletes spend time and effort thinking about factors outside their ability to control, often referred to as “worry and distraction.”
Goal setting is one of the most effective techniques for enhancing motivation and performance. Goals set direction, tell us what to do, increase effort, persistence and quality of performance. Once set, goals require that us to develop specific techniques for how to achieve those goals.
A few decades ago, the three-sport athlete in high school and college was a common occurrence. Playing a different sport during the fall, winter,...
Part of your coaches' education program should involve a direct discussion of the importance of winning to a...