March 2016 – Winning Youth Coaching

March 29, 2016

WYC 075 – Proactive Coaching – Scott Rosberg talks Coaching with Character

Scott Rosberg has been a coach (basketball, soccer, & football) at the high school level for 30 years, an English teacher for 18 years, and an athletic director for 12 years. He has published seven booklets on coaching and youth/school athletics, two books of inspirational messages and quotes for seniors and graduates, and a newsletter for athletic directors and coaches. He also speaks to schools, teams, and businesses on a variety of team-building, leadership, and coaching topics. Scott has a blog and a variety of other materials about coaching and athletic topics on his website.

Scott is also a member of the Proactive Coaching speaking team. Proactive Coaching is dedicated to helping organizations create character and education-based team cultures, while providing a blueprint for team leadership. They help develop confident, tough-minded, fearless competitors and train coaches and leaders for excellence and significance.

Websites: coachwithcharacter.com; proactivecoaching.info

Twitter: @scottrosberg; @ProactiveCoach

Facebook: /coachwithcharacter ; /proactivecoach

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

Quote

‘Look what you’ve become!’

‘You get what you reward, and it perpetuates itself’

My Cringe Moments

Using bad language when coaching
Once, when mad in practice, Scott yelled ‘There is nothing fun about this!’ – in retrospect he realizes the irony of that statement, considering the #1 reason kids play sports is to have fun.
Another practice Scott once had them do conditioning during a lightning storm

My ‘Ah-Ha’ Moments

Learning from Proactive Coaching about creating a culture. 75+% of teams let their culture happen ‘by accident.’ Instead – create Core Covenants – that are the standards for what your team is going to be. Involve the captains when creating these. Check out Proactive Coaching’s guide to creating Core Covanants: First Steps to Building Successful Teams
From a parenting point of view – Kids least favorite part of sports is the post-game analysis from their parents on the ride home from games
From a coaching point of view – Are your post-game talks too long? Are you over-analzing the game in your post-game talk?

Mental Toughness/Achieving Peak Performance

‘This is a relationship business.’ How do I react when one of my players makes a mistake? The 3 C’s of Trust:
- Competence
- Caring
- Character
‘Focus on the process not the outcome.’ When Lebron James was struggling with free throws a few years ago- he went to a shooting coach, and the coach asked him what he was thinking about when he went to the line. Lebron said he thought about making it. The coach said- ‘Don’t think about making it, think about your process.’
The key to confidence is preparation
Create a mistake-recovery ritual

HUGE IDEA:

Use these words: ‘Look what you’ve become!’ or ‘Look what you were able to figure out’ – instead of taking any credit yourself

Culture – Discipline/Rewards/Teambuilding

Have standards not rules. Kids can rise to standards.
Discipline is focused attention and focused effort
‘You get what you reward, and it perpetuates itself’

HUGE IDEA

Positive Conditioning – The winners get to run!
- You have to put all your attention/effort into recognizing the kids who are earning the right to run.
- For poor effort: ‘You guys just lost your chance to become better. You lost your chance to condition.’
Year-end Award Banquet – Instead of MVP – reward the MVT – Most Valuable Teammate. Or even better – have 6 awards: Most Improved, one for each of your 4 core covenants, and one for who best exemplified all 4 core covenants. And the same kid can earn multiple awards.

Favorite coaching book/quote

‘Success is a peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.’ – John Wooden

Coach With Character

Senior Salute booklet – great $5 gift for you players in the post-season award banquet – includes a place inside the front cover to write a personal note
Website has blog, booklets: coachwithcharacter.com

Parting Advice

‘We’re here to try to provide kids the opportunity to have a positive athletic experience’

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March 25, 2016

More Than Words- Fill Your Mind With Positivity Part 4 of 4

Coaches often use inspirational words and quotes to motivate their teams. Coaching, like life, is a rollercoaster ride full of peaks and valleys, and it is important to fill your mind with positivity to help you persevere through the valleys. So over the next 4 weeks I’ll share the words of coaches who have motivated me over the past 2 years while sharing their wisdom on the WYC podcast. I hope they motivate you as much as they have me!

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Let’s overload Twitter with positivity this week! Pick out your favorite 1 or 2 quotes and share it by clicking on the ‘Click to tweet’ link.

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Chris Stricker: ‘As a coach – you can’t be pulling the wagon by yourself. If your best players are pulling the wagon – everyone is going to on board.’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Jill Kochanek: ‘The perfect time to build confidence is in practice’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Steve Boyle: ‘It’s perfectly OK to let kids know that winning is an expected outcome of competition. The problem becomes when we focus too much on the value of the win as opposed to the value of the experience.’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Warren Nye: ‘Success is a peace of mind, which is a direct result of self satisfaction, in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.’ – John Wooden Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Valeri Garcia: ‘Stop trying to coach at a pre-college level – coach them at the level that they are right now.’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Drew Maddux: ‘We were running the program with a fear-based approach instead of a freedom-based approach. – Boundaried Freedom – Create the culture and boundaries – and then give them the freedom to go make plays’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Creed Larrucea: ‘Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out’ – John Wooden Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Reed Maltbie: ‘Words echo – the words you use when coaching kids matter – be careful choosing what words you use. What’s your echo – coach beyond the game’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Willie Cromrack: ‘Who is going to be brave enough to try this new move during the game this week?’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Melody Shuman: ‘Have every student become a better version of themselves’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Jason Hahnstadt on running sprints: ‘Raise your hand when you are committing to your teammates that this will be your best effort.’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Adam Bradley: ‘The drug of choice amongst the youth of today is popularity’ – Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in California Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Stuart Armstrong: ‘Task Design is critical – because many people get uncomfortable when they see someone struggling and not being able to get there quite yet- so they either jump in and solve it for them, or they move on. But this never allows the learning to happen. The moment when they are close to figuring it out is actually the sweet spot.’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Robert Murphy: ‘Wrestling at young ages without training is like human cock-fighting. It’s child abuse.’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

March 21, 2016

WYC 074 – Championship basketball – Andres Montana talks about the power of trust and believing in kids

Coach Montana has been at St. Cecilia Academy since 2012 as the varsity girls head coach at St. Cecilia Academy. Coach Montana played high school basketball at Marist (GA), where he helped lead the team to a 32-0 season his senior year, winning the state championship, and being ranked 6th nationally by USA Today. He has been coaching vasity basketball since 1997, since 2003 as head coach. In 2007 and 2008, Montana’s teams were state runner-up. Those same years he was named GISA Coach of the Year. Coach Montana has been serving St. Cecilia as the Vice Principal of Students since 2012. Coach Montana also coaches for Upward Stars Nashville. He and his wife, Shannon, have 8 beautiful children.

Websites: stcecilia.edu; upwardstarsnashville.org

Twitter: @StCeciliaAca; @UpwardStarsTN

Facebook: /St-Cecilia-Academy/103813402991323; /upwardstarsnashville

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

Quote

Nothing has worked better to build kids’ confidence than to truthfully tell a child ‘I believe in you’

Coaching your own kids

Coach Montana has 8 kids- he was recently coaching one of them, the team was down 2 and the team got a steal and his son had a chance to tie the game. Instead he pulled up for a 3 to win the game, it didn’t go in. His son was very upset, but coach was so proud of him for ‘Trusting his instincts’ and having the courage to take the shot – these are the types of life lessons he wants to teach his kids/players. He put his arm around his son and told him how proud he was for taking that courageous shot.

My Cringe & ‘Ah-Ha’ Moments

Being a passionate coach, early on it was easy to yell at players. Coach has learned there are more effective ways and times to communicate.
Coach one time was frustrated with another team ‘acting like thugs’ and was upset and threw his dry-erase marker – and it went all the way down the court and hit the opposing coach in the foot. He went on to get to know the other coach and they have since become good friends. One thing he learned from the other coach was that he always believed so much in his own kids that it helped them play better than they actually were. For example he called one of his player who had weird form ‘the shooter’ and it led to that player playing extremely confidently and making a lot of shots.

Teaching Skills

Coach Montana learned (from previous WYC guest Kevin Furtado)- to use the term ‘Tough Ball’ instead of ‘triple threat’ – Young kids instinctually catch the ball and turn their back to the basket and dribble with their strong hand away from the basket with their head down. So one of the first things to teach is for the kids to face the basket, with two hands on the ball, and their head up – willing to face their opponent.
They also echo the coach’s commands – ‘Tough ball’, ‘Rip’, ‘Sweep’ – This echoing becomes fun for the kids and gets them all involved, and increases the energy level in the practice.
Lay-up drills – they will do without the ball first – for right-handed they say ‘right-hand, right-knee’ as they are jumping and simulating doing a right-handed layup without the ball.

Mental Toughness/Achieving Peak Performance

One key is to have one-on-one conversations to understand where the kid’s confidence is at. Not by asking them directly – but by asking questions and seeing how confidently they answer them.
Nothing has worked better to build kids’ confidence than to truthfully tell a child ‘I believe in you’

Culture – Discipline/Rewards/Teambuilding

Culture will create itself if you don’t create it
Learned from Bruce Brown at Proactive Coaching – Gather the coaches and 3 captains in preseason and define your Core Covenants – who are you going to be that season. Brainstorm by throwing words up on a board, then narrow it down to 2 or 3 that are going to define your team. Then you can order the livestrong-type bracelets that have those words on it.
Work with the captains for discipline – it starts with them!
Post-game shout-outs by the players – complimenting other players is huge.

Connecting with and Impacting Kids

Coach Montana had a kid Franko who struggled to grow into his body. He stuck with it and the coaches kept believing in him – his senior year he ended up making a left-handed layup as time expired to win a game – it wasn’t the designed play but the play broke down and he had the confidence to create on his own.

The One that Got Away

In a state championship game – they got the ball with 2 seconds left and down 3 – they called timeout and set up a play – but unfortunately they thought the ball was on the sideline, and when they got out on the court the ref told them it was on the baseline. Lessons learned: Confirm with the official where the ball is; Have a generic play you can run from anywhere by just using the name of the play

Best stolen idea

Two end-of-game lead-protection strategies: a four-corner offense with a back-door cut built in; and a sidelines inbound play that is very effective

Favorite coaching book/quote

Anything by John Wooden
‘Failure to prepare is preparing to fail’- John Wooden
‘All things work for good for those that love God’ – from the Bible

Parting Advice

Give them the book ‘Coaching Basketball Successfully‘ by Morgan Wootten
You have the freedom to be whatever kind of coach you want to – take that seriously, establish your own core covenants, and think outside the box on how you can positively impact the kids you coach.

Reviews are the lifeblood of the podcast!- If you like the podcast- please take 2 minutes to write a review! Click here

Ready to be an Awesome Youth Coach? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter:

March 18, 2016

More Than Words- Fill Your Mind With Positivity Part 3 of 4

Coaches often use inspirational words and quotes to motivate their teams. Coaching, like life, is a rollercoaster ride full of peaks and valleys, and it is important to fill your mind with positivity to help you persevere through the valleys. So over the next 4 weeks I’ll share the words of coaches who have motivated me over the past 2 years while sharing their wisdom on the WYC podcast. I hope they motivate you as much as they have me!

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Let’s overload Twitter with positivity this week! Pick out your favorite 1 or 2 quotes and share it by clicking on the ‘Click to tweet’ link.

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Dr. Michael Phillips: ‘The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you figure out why’ – attributed to Mark Twain Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Dr. Michael Cathey: ‘Talk TO your players, not AT them’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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John O’Sullivan: ‘When you are coaching sports – you don’t coach a sport, you coach a child’ – Dr. Martin Toms Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Cameron Gish: ‘When you encounter adversity, your character is revealed in how you respond’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Joe Daniel: ‘Keep everything simple so that your kids build confidence, confident kids play fast, fast kids win games’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Mark Linden: ‘Kids don’t sign up to practice baseball, they sign up to play baseball.’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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JJ Lawson: ‘Attitude reflects leadership’ Click to Tweet & ‘We don’t teach our offensive linemen to block – we teach them to hit.’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Kevin Kennedy: ‘For pre-game nerves: Don’t deny it or try to squelch it! Embrace it – be excited that you are having pre-game excitement. It means that this is important to you.’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Rich Clayton: ‘In coaching, people will only listen to you, because they truly believe that you can make them better’ – Bill Bellichick when someone asked him ‘Why would a coach making $12 million a year listen to someone making $100k a year?’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Stacie Mahoe: ‘Leadership is action not position’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Jenn Starkey: ‘If you can’t explain it to a 6 year-old, you don’t understand it yourself’ – Albert Einstein Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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John Doss: ‘Make the right lacrosse play, we’re not worried about the results’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Al Ainsworth: ‘Don’t’ hold back – We want big fat ugly mistakes’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

March 14, 2016

WYC 073 – Fastest growing sport in USA: Futsal – Jon Caldwell talks getting kids 12x the number of touches

Jon Caldwell is a co-founder of Ginga Futsal and serves as Director of the Greater Cincinnati North and East locations.

Ginga mission statement: ‘We strive to teach confidence and total control over the ball. GINGA focuses on the individual skills of the player. GINGA will create attacking players, by teaching moves and feints to unbalance your defender. Our goal is to develop total soccer players not positional players, who have an artistic relationship with the ball and the game.’

Website: thegingatouch.com

Twitter: @jcaldwell13; @thegingatouch

Facebook: /The-Ginga-Touch-192724914078318

Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link

Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link

Quote

‘No lines, no lectures’

‘At the younger ages – that is the time to take the risks. That is the time to fail. I would be doing something wrong if all the teams I coach at the younger ages win every single game.’

Futsal

#1 developmental tool for soccer players in South America and Europe
5 vs. 5 game with heavier low-bounce ball. There are out-of-bounds (unlike indoor soccer.)
HUGE IDEA: Kids that play futsal touch the ball 12x vs. traditional soccer
Constant problem-solving and quick decisions because of the small spaces

Building confidence

Freeplay is huge. No parents or coaches.
Friday night bridge futsal nights – They have open play – kids wear their favorite jerseys – and play pick-up games.

Teaching Skills

‘No lines, no lectures’
Start the practice playing tag, first without the ball, then add the ball in

Culture – Discipline/Rewards/Teambuilding

‘At the younger ages – that is the time to take the risks. That is the time to fail. I would be doing something wrong if all the teams I coach at the younger ages win every single game.’ Teach the kids to take on their opponent, to keep trying one-on-one moves, without fear of failure. The kids that succeed long-term are the ones that can beat their man one-on-one.

Connecting with and Impacting Kids

Jon coached a kid who started with his Ginga club at age 9. He started out with mediocre skills, but by age 12 he completely got the bug to be great and turned out to be a great athlete.

The One that Got Away

Jon recently coached a futsal team that lost on penalty kicks in the championship game. While he would have loved to win the game, he know the coaches and players will learn from the defeat and be even better in the future because of it.

Best stolen idea

Talk softly around kids – Instead of yelling so the kids can hear you – train them to listen by talking softly

Favorite coaching book

The Talent Code – by Daniel Coyle

Ginga Futsal

Website: thegingatouch.com
Greater Cincinnati area

Parting Advice

Be positive, encourage the kids. You goal is to get the kids to be passionate about the sport.
Be organized and have a plan.

Ready to be an Awesome Youth Coach? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter:

March 11, 2016

More Than Words- Fill Your Mind With Positivity Part 2 of 4

Coaches often use inspirational words and quotes to motivate their teams. Coaching, like life, is a rollercoaster ride full of peaks and valleys, and it is important to fill your mind with positivity to help you persevere through the valleys. So over the next 4 weeks I’ll share the words of coaches who have motivated me over the past 2 years while sharing their wisdom on the WYC podcast. I hope they motivate you as much as they have me!

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Let’s overload Twitter with positivity this week! Pick out your favorite 1 or 2 quotes and share it by clicking on the ‘Click to tweet’ link.

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Dave Westwood and Rich Czeslawksi: ‘A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say ‘we did it ourselves’– Lao Tzu Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Clint Schumacher: ‘Put aside your positional authority to demand, and think about your relational credibility to expect’ – from 2 Timothy in the Bible Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Randy Montgomery: ‘When asked about how he handled a player: ‘You don’t handle people, you work with people’’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Rich Czeslawski: ‘It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts’ – John Wooden Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Mike Frederick: ‘The reason I coach is to make each player feel valued – from the top player on the roster to the bottom’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Robert Taylor: ‘At the youth level of sports – you don’t want more reps- you want better reps.’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Scott Jones: ‘I don’t even count reps until I’m burnt out, then I’ll do 20 more’ – Muhammad Ali Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Amanda Kephart: ‘Coaching is a great opportunity to allow the child to practice being what they want to be, not what their classmates think they are’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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James Leath: ‘If your goal is to freeze an athlete – give them a whole bunch of stuff to think about’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Niyi Sobo: ‘Leaders are stubborn on vision but flexible on details and approach’ – Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Caz McCaslin: ‘Billy Graham on sports: ‘It’s the last thing left where there is immediate discipline for wrongdoing’ Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Brian Brunkow: ‘We run a forward-looking operation’ – Chip Kelly after tough loss Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Ray Lokar – ‘When you take the time to teach your boys, there’s an implied confidence that you believe they can achieve, and that’s praise in itself’ – Coach John Wooden Click to Tweet Podcast episode

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Emily Cohen: ‘Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming’ – John Wooden Click to Tweet Podcast episode

March 7, 2016

More than Words, Who can you inspire this week? Part 1 of 4

Coaches often use inspirational words and quotes to motivate their teams. Coaching, like life, is a rollercoaster ride full of peaks and valleys, and it is important to fill your mind with positivity to help you persevere through the valleys. So over the next 4 weeks I’ll share the words of coaches who have motivated me over the past 2 years while sharing their wisdom on the WYC podcast. I hope they motivate you as much as they have me!

–

Let’s overload Twitter with positivity! Pick out your favorite 1 or 2 quotes and share it by clicking on the ‘Click to tweet’ link.

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Diane Renzi: ‘Do what you can, with what you have, where you are’ – Theodore Roosevelt Click to Tweet

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Luke Dunnuck : ‘Focus on the process not the outcome’ – Butler coach Brad Stevens Click to Tweet

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Todd Grosse: ‘Iron sharpens iron as one man sharpens another’ – Proverbs 27:17 Click to Tweet

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Ken Stuursma: ‘Other than Dad, the best thing you can be called is Coach’ Click to Tweet

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Damien Wong-Ken: ‘Life as a Vapor – Life Is Short. Eternity Is Long. Live Like It’ – John Piper Click to Tweet

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Dr. Lindsey Blom: ‘Catch them Being Good’ – Tony DiCicco Click to Tweet

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Rob Jones: ‘Good, better, best. Never let it rest, until your good is better, and your better is best.’ Click to Tweet

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Lance Akridge, Dr. Michael Phillips, and Drew Maddux: ‘The Enemy to Great is Good’ – Jim Collins in Good to great Click to Tweet

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Kent Julian: ‘What you believe in is evidenced by how you live not by what you say’ Click to Tweet

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Brent Kreid: ‘You’re the leader, but it’s not about you’ Click to Tweet

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Brian Beaman: ‘I’m not trying to raise great kids, I’m trying to raise great adults’ Click to Tweet

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Alan Stein: ‘Always, always, always – do what is in the best interest of the player’ Click to Tweet

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Shane Sams: ‘Don’t just tell me about problems. Tell me about some solutions’ Click to Tweet

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Michael Langlois: ‘In youth sports you cannot play with a piano on your back’ Click to Tweet

March 4, 2016

WYC 072 – Coaching up sports parents – Janis Meredith talks 11 Habits of Happy Sports Parents

Janis Meredith is the founder of JBMThinks Positive Sports Parenting, her goal is to help busy and often overwhelmed sports parents by providing guidance and resources to guide parents as they strive to give their children a growing and positive youth sports experience.

Janis blogs, podcasts, speaks, and hosts online communities to get her positive message out. She has written for MLB.com Digital Academy, USAFootball.com, Coachup.com, LessThanPerfectParents.com, Southwest Florida Parent & Child, and Redding Record Searchlight.

Most recently she has written the book 11 Habits of Happy and Positive Sports Parents, a great resource for coaches to give out during their pre-season parent meetings.

Website: jbmthinks.com; Link to 11 Habits book: Book

Twitter: @jbmthinks

Facebook: /sportsparenting