Tag: Youth Coaches

  • Youth Sports: A Parent Talks to a Child Before the 1st Game


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    This is your first game, my child. I hope you win.
    I hope you win for your sake, not mine.
    Because winning’s nice.
    It’s a good feeling.
    Like the whole world is yours.
    But, it passes, this feeling.
    And what lasts is what you’ve learned.

    And what you learn about is life.
    That’s what sports is all about. Life.
     
    The whole thing is played but in an afternoon.
    The happiness of life.
    The miseries.
    The joys.
    The heartbreaks.

     
    There’s no telling what’ll turn up.
    There’s no telling whether they’ll toss you out in the first five minutes or whether you’ll stay for the long haul.

     
    There’s no telling how you’ll do.
    You might be a hero or you might be absolutely nothing.
    There’s  just no telling.
    Too much depends on chance.
    On how the ball bounces.

     
    I’m not talking about the game, my child.
    I’m talking about life.
    But it’s life that the game is all about.
    Just as I said.

     
    Because every game is life.
    And life is a game.
    A serious game.
    Dead serious.

     
    But that’s what you do with serious things.
    You do your best.
    You take what comes.
    And you run with it.

    Winning is fun.
    Sure.
    But winning is not the point.

     
    Wanting to win is the point.
    Not giving up is the point.
    Never being satisfied with what you’ve done is the point.
    Never letting up is the point.
    Never letting anyone down is the point.

     
    Play to win.
    Sure.
    But lose like a champion.

     
    Because it’s not winning that counts.
    What counts is trying.
    – Unknown

  • Eight Great Books from the PCA for Parents, Coaches, and Athletes

    The Positive Coaching Alliance is a foundation that is working to “change the landscape of youth sports in America.” They have an impressive library of books that might be useful to parents, coaches, and athletes.
    Often parents assume the role of youth coach with little training or experience. These books can be a great starting point as you develop your coaching philosophy. These books a great resources for coaches of all levels.
    The following was taken exactly from the Positive Coaching Alliance website.
    “Elevating Your Game: Becoming A Triple-Impact Competitor®. The latest book by PCA Founder Jim Thompson gives high school athletes easy-to-read information and inspiration to improve their performance in sports and beyond.  Insights and exercises guide student-athletes to the ideal of a Triple-Impact Competitor, committed to improving oneself, teammates, and the game as a whole. Foreword by PCA National Advisory Board Member Shane Battier. Purchase Elevating Your Game and download the free Elevating Your Game Coach’s Guide here.
    The Power of Double-Goal Coaching: Developing Winners in Sports and Life. With the right approach, coaches can make a lifetime difference for their athletes. This book is packed with practical ideas and tools to help coaches—from pee-wees to varsity—succeed in achieving two goals: to prepare their team to win, and to use competition to teach life lessons.” Purchase The Power of Double-Goal Coaching.
    The High School Sports Parent: Developing Triple-Impact Competitors. Learning to compete in high school sports is a big transition for youth athletes and is often perplexing for parents. This book provides guidance and practical tools to show parents how to support their teens’ growing self-reliance and help them become a “Triple-Impact Competitor,” dedicated to improving oneself, teammates and the game as a whole. Purchase The High School Sports Parent.

    Positive Sports Parenting: How Second-Goal Parents Raise Winners in Life Through Sports
    . This book provides 60 concise pages of insightful and sensible advice on how parents can help children get the most from sports. In a clear, inviting voice, PCA Founder Jim Thompson reminds parents to worry less about winning and focus on the “Second-Goal” of using sports to teach life lessons. Purchase Positive Sports Parenting.

    Positive Coaching in a Nutshell
    .
    The wisdom and inspiration of PCA Founder Jim Thompson’s original  “Positive Coaching” are accessible to new generations of coaches and sports parents.  In 86 pages it provides bite-size tips, tools and techniques to help coaches help youth athletes gain the most from sports.  Anyone concerned with youth sports, education and character-development can learn how to be a positive coach in two hours or less. Purchase Positive Coaching In A Nutshell.
    The Double-Goal Coach®. Provides a framework for coaches and parents to help youth athletes benefit from competition, reach their athletic potential and learning the valuable life lessons inherent in sports. Foreword by PCA National Spokesperson Phil Jackson. Purchase The Double-Goal Coach.
    Positive Coaching; Building Character and Self-Esteem Through Sports. PCA Founder Jim Thompson’s first book, which launched the PCA Movement, explains Positive Coaching’s underpinnings in research-based sports and educational psychology. Purchase Positive Coaching.
    Shooting In The Dark: Tales of Coaching and Leadership. Spend a season with PCA Founder Jim Thompson as he gives a philosophical and emotional account of his experience coaching a high school girls basketball team in Northern California. The book also contains practical tips for coaches of all sports. Foreword by PCA National Spokesperson Phil Jackson. Purchase Shooting In The Dark.
    Request information from a PCA representative about partnering your school or youth sports organization with PCA.“