Lost today but the other team was full of 4th graders; due to the great differences between our team and others I am starting to see the political side of this league. Also, I realized that to be a good coach you must let go of your own ego. It is not you who is playing or winning, therefore it is not you who is losing. As a coach you must not be trying to win to make yourself (as a coach) look good. In the end it is the players who are making the mistakes or making amazing plays, not you. And although a coach is there to guide players to a victory, they shouldn't act as though the players mistakes are their own (but coaches do make their own mistakes). I think this would help many coaches who get over excited or angry within a game. Everyone has a competitive nature, and everyone wants their team to do well, but your anger should not be taken out on your players or the referees. I am shocked by how many coaches seem to hang their lively hood on whether or not their youth team wins a game. I think that because I have played basketball my entire life and understand my skill level, I don't think less of myself when my team loses a game. And though I want them to be successful and will do everything in my power to help them be successful, I am not going to lose my temper because a 2nd grader makes a mistake. I think that my lack of frustration, and constant encouragement has helped me to form the relaxed yet affirming bond between my players and I. Over the course of this entire season I will focus on maintaining this bond, and never letting my competitive nature get in the way of how I treat the players.
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About blogThis blog explains my experience coaching a youth optimist basketball team, while following me through an interesting season of high school basketball. I coached girls ages 8-10, from November 2014 to February 2015. |