As a coach, where do your responsibilities end?
Do you, for example, adhere to that line in your organization’s mission statement about teaching life-lessons? You know, the one every youth sports organization touts but seems to forget on the weekend when the score is 1-1.
Do you really need to concern yourself with player development? What is your responsibility when there are 10 minutes left in a close game, and you realize little Franny or little Jeffrey has barely played? In practice sessions, are you working on what will help the players improve or help them win?
Should you make a big deal of it when your overmatched team played as hard as they possibly could but still got thumped? Do you praise improvement and progress?
If you are going to really pay attention to teaching life-lessons, you are going to have to spend more time talking about them, more than just at halftime and post-game.
You are going to have to tell kids that life isn’t always fair, the same kids who grew up being told to “be fair”, and “treat people fairly,” and “that’s not fair.” You are going to have to point out character flaws in them, in yourself, and, of course, in every coaches’ favorite target, the other team and their loud coach.
You are going to have to have a lot of conversations, thinking about situations and circumstances long after you’ve left the field. And perhaps, the most difficult thing you are going to have to do is be memorable.
The hard part is finding the right time to speak to players. You can pull them aside, but then everyone will ask the player what you said. You can single them out in front the group, but that sometimes backfires.
Or you can communicate with them using the one thing they pay the most attention to – their mobile phone.
DRIVN has perfected communication between coach and player, coach and group, coach and parent, and coach and team. The chat feature serves as a text message service dedicated strictly to your team.
A quick, “You were good today” to reinforce the effort by a struggling player goes a long way. Sending a video clip to those visual learners on your team can make a huge difference. A motivation quote sent to the team can have a big impact, and a note to a parent explaining the reasons for their child’s reduced playing time can solve a problem without an hour-long meeting.
See what other ways, DRIVN can help you have a more meaningful impact on your team. View a demo or schedule a call today.