Helpful Tips For Dad-Coaches

I roped Rick into assistant coaching Truman’s T-ball team this year. This is Truman’s second year to play, and his third season. There are two leagues here in Homewood – the tough-as-nails Patriot League and the “more laid back” Joy League. (The name alone sort of brings to mind coaches tossing daisies on the field and singing Kumbaya between innings. I dig that.)

When Truman began T-ball, he barely knew what the game was about so we figured the Joy League was the way to go. He was grouped with a team of like-minded kids who spent much of the game time sitting in the outfield digging holes to China, flogging each other to get the ball, and running clear across the field to the other ballpark instead of stopping at first base. By the end of the season, though, they seemed to have a clue. I was very proud.

Truman had become so addicted to the game that last fall we signed him up for “fall ball” with the more strict Patriot League. The league’s fall season far more relaxed than the regular season. We ended up taking him back to Joy League this spring because I really don’t want my kid to feel the pressure of the sport just yet. Plus, I told Coach Todd with Joy League that Rick would be happy to assistant coach with him. Really, it was Rick’s idea. I just nudged him.

Rick was a little nervous about coaching the kids. He’d never been a coach before. He didn’t know how Truman would respond to him and he was even more concerned about teaching the kids bad form. So he turned to We Coach Kids. Rick says the site is great for reintroducing techniques to Dads who have become rusty over the years. It offers Fundamentals for the Coach and Practice Principles to help Coach-Dads “create practices that are efficient, effective and fun for all.”

And, most importantly for me, the site focuses on keeping the game fun for kids. After all, kids get into sports at this age to have fun, right?

JWJourney