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First post... longtime lurker. What's the magic formula to getting kids to work their hardest, feel good about themselves, and have fun in the process?
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Be patient, understanding, caring, communicate, always asking questions and learning the sport, have little to no ego!
Treat them the way you would want to be coached!
No magic formula.
What works for some coaches, does not for others...what works with some girls...does not with others.
Never forget, it's the girl's team! You are just steering the ship!
Treat them the way you would want to be coached!
No magic formula.
What works for some coaches, does not for others...what works with some girls...does not with others.
Never forget, it's the girl's team! You are just steering the ship!
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Good communication, knowledge of the game and how to break it down and teach it, huge amounts of patience and the willingness to learn as well as teach.
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Leadership by example, respect for your players (never talking down to them as "kids"), inspirational, tough when needed, but willing to pick them up when they need that too. No EGO is a must! I think our best coach ever, admitted up front not knowing everything and always open to learn everyday throughout the journey. He truly loved and cared about each kid, recognizing all of their strengths and areas they needed a push! It's a tough job, even the bad ones through the years taught my daughter some kind of life lesson. We should always remember to appreciate the good ones!! 
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I think it has a lot to do with how you communicate to your girls. I remember watching my dad coach when I was younger and I would see him get down on his knees to talk to certan players. One day I was being a brat and asked him why they were so special. He said that there are girls that automatically hang their head when they are being talked to and he never wants to talk down to a girl. He would get down on his knees and look up to them instead. He also taught me that if you are going to tell a girl she is doing something wrong you also need to tell her what she is doing right. You can't leave them thinking about only the bad, you have to throw a little good in there too.
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Realizing that all kids cannot be coached the same and adjust your style accordingly. Know what the girls goals are and help them reach them. Know how to pick your team, dont take too many at one position becasue they can all hit, most of them will be miserable playing somewhere else.
Most importantly be honest.
Most importantly be honest.
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Open communication and fairness - don't be afraid to tell them their strengths and weaknesses but use those strengths to support the team and help them with their weaknesses.
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Here is a great coaching philosphy accredited to former Dalls Cowboy Coach Jimmy Johnson:"Treat a person as she is, and he will remain as she is. Treat a person as if she were where she could be and should be, and she will become what she could be and should be."
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2stud pitchers and catchers.
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My daughters first, and last, real coaches were Stingrays - and they always said that they would feel they were successful if the players they coached wanted to be coaches when their own children played sports. In my mind that is what makes a good coach. Not every team or coach can have what Blue_Ice posted - although it would be cool. But many teams have coaches that show their players the benefits of playing. Recently I have seen coaches in a local "Challengers" league that deserve the tag of "good coach", and their players will never see the success that most other players consider as such. It's all about perspective.
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A coach who remembers it's a game full of negatives and that the coaches job is to bring out the positives in everyway possible from the players, wins or loss. Teach the teachables and let the kids play the game in a fun atmosphere. The players are the true judges of a coach.
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Ha, ha...That's what I have. You let my coaching secret out of the bag. In honesty, I had a very good friend of mine tell me players remember coaches that cared the most about them. I think that along with trust are two of the biggies...But there are some awesome answers here that are equally as important.
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Strictly from a parent's perspective....I think a good coach is someone that makes my child better at playing the sport, instills discipline in her and makes her love the game more the next day than she did the day before! I want my daughter to work hard and be as disciplined as possible, I want her to get better every day but most of all, if my daughter cries when she misses a practice, I know I have found a great coach!
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You have to remember you cannot coach girls like boys. Girls need reinsurance when they make a mistake. if you challenge them,they will shut down. Treat them like your own DD,and all will be well.
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'First post... longtime lurker. What's the magic formula to getting kids to work their hardest, feel good about themselves, and have fun in the process?'
The magic formula to get kids to work there hardest is very simple.....is the coach having fun with the players, does (s)he love what he is are doing, it is that simple.
The kids know and see through the BS. If I am not having fun working hard, the kids are not going to either. These kids will run through walls with the right motivation.
The magic formula to get kids to work there hardest is very simple.....is the coach having fun with the players, does (s)he love what he is are doing, it is that simple.
The kids know and see through the BS. If I am not having fun working hard, the kids are not going to either. These kids will run through walls with the right motivation.
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Good point. A very smart parent once told me that boys have to play good to feel good. Girls have to feel good to play good. Dont know if its totally true but it has some validity.
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I was always harder on my girls when I coached their rec teams. They were glad when I handed them off to another coach and kept my distance. They probably wished I treated them like someone else's daughter.
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My DD corrected it....
"Boys have to win to have fun. Girls have to have fun to win."
True story...I mentioned "Ducks on the Pond to score...I got from my girls 12 hits with an announcer explaining that we had 'ducks on the pond...' from the bench! When I looked at the other coach just shaking my head, he was working on names for the trophies...
Just gotta believe I guess!
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Yea - that was the quote!!! I get confused in my old age.....
My DD corrected it....
"Boys have to win to have fun. Girls have to have fun to win."
True story...I mentioned "Ducks on the Pond to score...I got from my girls 12 hits with an announcer explaining that we had 'ducks on the pond...' from the bench! When I looked at the other coach just shaking my head, he was working on names for the trophies...
Just gotta believe I guess!
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Thanks for all the great replies. Please keep them coming.