In the ideal world your child's coach will be someone who is a good two-way communicator, both with his or her players and with their parents.
Coach-child communication
He is someone:
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your child feels he can talk to;
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who is open and friendly (when he talks to her, does he get down on her eye level?);
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with whom your child feels he can connect one-on-one;
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who doesn't put up barriers to communication, such as clipboards, desks, or assistant coaches;
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who polls her players to find out what is important to them, such as how games and practices could be more fun.
- doesn't take things too seriously or make winning a matter of life or death; she can laugh at herself, take things in stride, maintain a positive attitude, and just let the kids be kids.
Coach-parent communication
You should feel as a parent that you can talk to the coach about your child (playing time, skill development etc.), or his coaching philosophy, and be taken seriously. I don't know how many e-mails I get from parents frustrated that they can't even get the coach to admit the existence of a problem.
A good youth sports coach should:
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communicate frequently with athletes and their parents via meetings, e-mail, handouts etc.;
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invite input from parents about practice schedules and the number of tournaments the team will enter;
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hold "drop in" meetings for parents, and ask parents and players to complete post-season evaluations.
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look for signs of trouble with athletes or parents and comes up with ways to nip the problem in the bud.
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genuinely listen to what players and parents say and try to meet their needs if possible. By listening, a good coach can better relate to his players and understand the true reason for a player's behavior, whether it is slacking off during practice or not performing to her ability in games. That way, the coach can come up a way to motivate the player to perform at his best.
