Beginning Stage
Description: "Yahoo, this is going to be so fun! I get to teach these kids all I know, they are going to love me, I am going to love them, we are going to win every game, and all is going to be well."
- Positive: bring enthusiasm to the practices and games; bring wonder and uninhibited thinking to the games.
- Neutral: begin to realize the challenges of the sport, the age, and balancing discipline and fun; have to decide if you are going to work at coaching and really be a coach who has the knowledge and understands teaching, just be a manager who organizes, or not continue coaching.
- Crossroads / Negative: the time, energy, and emotions required — become overwhelmed; the relationships — players, parents, other coaches, and officials.
- How do I advance? Find a mentor coach; work as an assistant with a great staff; don't be in a hurry to be a head coach; develop a strong coaching philosophy (why am I doing this, what is important) that gets you through good times and bad.