It doesn't matter what sport your child plays, his practices should be fun, instructive, and inclusive. Here are the tell-tale signs of a well-run practice:
Your child wants to be there: Does your child sprint from the car to join the action or does she ask you if she really has to go to practice today?
Players learn by playing:
Are players running drills and scrimmaging (link to "Games Based
Approach") or are they being constantly lectured or standing around?
Skill development is age-appropriate: For instance, the coach should not try to teach six-year old soccer players how to do a bicycle kick.
The environment is non-threatening:
Players are neither abused physically (such as by being made to run
laps around the field for making a mistake) or emotionally (such as by
being singled out for criticism or ridicule in front of their
teammates).
Coaches aren't screaming or yelling: There is no place in youth sports for coaches who yell at their players, ever.