This article by Bruce E. Brown is an excerpt from the Proactive Coaching booklet "Youth Coaching: 4 Keys to a Successful Season." It presents general principles for a coach's game-day style, emphasizing simplicity, modeling poise and confidence, keeping the focus on the athletes rather than the coach, taking responsibility rather than making excuses, and giving athletes time and space after games.
Game Coaching – Style Check: General Principles to Incorporate Into Your Style
- Keep the games simple – look at what happens a lot in the game and level you coach and get good at them. Be careful how much teaching you try to do during the game itself. Keep notes that will help you in the next practice.
- Identify and use only coaching behaviors that will help team performance during competition.
- Model to provide confidence, concentration and poise – this is the single most important contribution that you can make.