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Why and How Coaches Should Leave Games to the Players
Over-coaching, or over-instruction, plagues American Youth Soccer, not to mention many other sports. The intense atmosphere of games often causes coaches to try to control their players’ every movement.
“I see a lot of over-coaching on the sidelines, a lot of instructions from coaches play to play,” said Adrian Cox, the current coach of the U-12 Lower Merion Lighting. “I like to do most of my coaching after the game and during half time. If you’re coaching every roll of the ball then the kids will be worrying too much about what the coaches think and what they’re supposed to be doing.”
During halftime and after games, coaches have the players’ collective attention. Players can reflect on their performance and on what they can improve. Even during these breaks, however, coaches shouldn’t overload the players with instruction and criticism.
“At halftime I want to limit the amount of information I give my players,” said Ellis Pierre, the Director of Coaching for the Bethesda Soccer Club in Maryland. “Instead of talking about all the things they’re doing incorrectly, I talk about a few things – and I try to limit it to three – that we need to do. It might be something that we need to continue to do, or something that we need to do to come back and win.”
Dave Green, also of Bethesda Soccer Club, suggests addressing halftime criticisms to the entire team, instead of individuals, whenever possible. “If there’s two or three players that need to be criticized,” said Green, “then I’ll mention the criticism to the entire group, hoping that the players that it applies to will think, ‘I’m pretty sure he’s talking about me.’”
Although coaches should try to save the majority of instructions until after games, sometimes players need instruction and criticism during the heat of competition, and not just if they’re going the wrong way.
Darren Marshall, the Director of Coaching for Eastern Massachusetts FC, says that the amount of instruction that a coach gives often depends on the circumstance of the game. Important, or extremely competitive, tournament games can require more instruction as less margin for error exists.
If the errors on the field require shouting or instruction, coaches of top clubs recommend waiting for “coachable moments,” or moments when instruction can benefit the player and the team.
As Pierre suggests, “a ‘coachable moment’ in a practice and a game is different. In a game you don’t have the luxury of stopping and restarting so that the instruction gets engrained in a kid’s head. In a game, a ‘coachable moment’ is when you see a player do something incorrectly that you have worked on a lot in the past.”
Treating your players like CPU drones won't help them develop or think for themselves.
Green also says that coaches should focus their instruction on topics that they covered recently in practice, on concepts that should lie fresh in players’ minds.
“Especially with younger players, it’s important to concentrate on the things we just went over in practice, or in the last few weeks, instead of criticizing them for something that I might not have gone over or something that we’d gone over months ago,” Green said.
Coaches should also stay aware that boys and girls might interpret instruction or criticism differently. Travis Kikugawa, who currently coaches in the Real So. Cal youth system and has coached both genders in many different sports, says that the difference between coaching boys and girls hinges on the ways the two genders react to criticism:
“With boys, you can be a little more direct, with both what you say and when you say it. With girls, you tend to have to think before you speak, because girls are a bit more sensitive when it comes to getting called out or criticized by their coaches or peers. Girls tend to internalize it and take it personally, while the boys tend to want to prove you wrong … One of my good friends, and an exceptional coach, might have said it best. He said, ‘Girls need to feel good to play good, and boys need to play good to feel good.’”
“Girls take criticism personally,” Green said. “In talking to them, it helps to phrase your criticism in a way that shows that you care about them and think they’re a good player.”
Above all else, however, coaches should remember that practices serve as the best place for instruction. Games are for playing, practices are for coaching. “During games I want kids to make decisions, even if they make incorrect decisions,” Ellis Pierre said. “I can correct them after the game or at the next practice.”
For some great info (from the kids themselves) on the negative impact of over-coaching, check out Emily Cohen’s recent post on Youth Soccer Insider, entitled, “From the Babe’s Mouth.”
Some Good Warm-Up Exercises for Teams U-10 and Below.
Your first warm-up or game can often set the tone for a good practice. Here are a few simple ideas that get kids lots of touches on the ball and help raise their concentration levels for the practice to follow. These exercises also help players practice dribbling and receiving with their right and left feet.
U10+ “FIRST-TOUCH CLOCK” WARM-UP
Why?
This warm-up lets players practice their first touch on the ball.
Players practice heading, receiving with different parts of the body, and one-touch volleys and passes.
Players get focused for practice.
How?
Half the players, with balls, spread out on the outside of the circle. The other half get ready to move around, in one direction, on the inside of the circle.
The players on the outside toss the ball to the players on the inside, who practice different first touch skills.
The two groups switch after every skill to let all players practice the skill.
This simple warm-up works for headers, volleys (inside of foot, laces), thigh traps, different foot traps (inside, outside, sole), and one -touch passes.
What to Say
For headers – Focus on the ball, eyes open, and snap your neck through contact to give the header power back to the tosser’s hands.
For volleys – Keep your ankle locked on contact. Don’t take a big swing. Point your foot where you want the ball to go.
Keep moving. If someone drops the ball, go to the next “number on the clock.”
U10 MUSICAL DRIBBLING AND PASSING WARM-UP
Why?
This warm-up gives players lots of touches on the ball.
Players practice ball control, spatial awareness, and concentration.
How?
Have players dribble in the center circle or a small grid. Every player has a ball except one “free player.”
Players dribble with their balls until you yell “switch” or “change,” at which point every player must stop their ball and find a new one to keep dribbling.
One player will be left without a ball.
Repeat, letting the players try different moves and turns. Have the players speed up once they get comfortable.
For older players (U-10+), have half the players get rid of their ball. Players now run around the grid, passing and receiving whenever possible.
What To Say
Try to keep your head up while dribbling. This helps you avoid teammates and keep the ball.
Always be ready to stop, or trap, the ball. Keep it close.
For passing, communicate verbally, or with your eyes, who you want to pass to or receive from.
For many soccer coaches, both veterans and novices, coaching a futsal tournament is a new concept. Although the sport shares the same DNA as soccer, coaches should be aware of the unique benefits that the sport provides and the unique approach to coaching it allows.
Why Coach Futsal?
Futsal is increasingly seen as an ideal way to introduce children to the skills that soccer requires.
Above all else, futsal develops ball skills. By playing with small numbers, players get lots of touches on the ball in tight spaces. Beginner players, U-6 and U-8, typically play 3 vs. 3 with no goalkeepers. In its pure form, futsal means 5 vs. 5, with 4 field players and a goalkeeper.
“It is very important for young soccer players to gain confidence as they grow comfortable with the ball at their feet,” Erica Mastrogiacomo, recently named the Academy Director of the Massachusetts Futsal Association, said. “Unlike larger games of 6 vs. 6 or 11 vs. 11, in which a tentative player could get lost in the mix for many minutes without ever touching the ball, futsal involves players in action all of the time.”
Futsal accelerates development of other crucial soccer abilities. According to the US Futsal Federation, the sport develops balance, motor ability, agility, coordination, accurate passing and receiving, perception, insight, and awareness.
Coaching Your First Futsal Tournament
Like any tournament, futsal tournaments can be both exciting and hectic. If it’s your first one, here are some tips you should keep in mind:
• Review futsal rules and the specific rules of the tournament you have entered. Although futsal has few rules, you and your players should know how to make a proper substitution, how to take “kick-ins” and “goal clearances.”
• Keep your roster small. This helps avoid confusion with substitutes and keeps kids involved in the game. For 5 vs. 5 tournaments, coaches should consider bringing a roster of 8 to 12 players.
• Consider determining a rotation for substitutions. You can rotate one or two players at a time, or you can replace an entire team of four at once (a la line shifts in hockey). It helps to have an Assistant Coach minding the clock, to keep track of when to change players.
• In futsal, substitutions happen “on the fly.” To change an entire team, or goalkeepers, coaches should wait for a stoppage in play such as halftime, a timeout, or an opponent’s goal.
• In gyms, time and space for warm-ups can be limited. Go over a dynamic warm-up that players can perform in small space. This might include some lunges, jumps, skips, and stretching.
• Let the game be the coach. You don’t need to give complicated instructions before the game. And you shouldn’t yell instructions to players throughout the game. Instead, talk to the players on the bench about the decisions being made on the field. Try to help them recognize good vs. bad decisions.
• Encourage and praise good decisions.
• Give your team (or individual players) a challenge or one focus during each game. For example, focus on forming triangles, or creating combinations, or shielding the ball.
• Above all, Mastrogiacomo says, “focus on technique and tactics, not the score.”
Coaching A Futsal Practice to Prepare for a Tournament
Part of the brilliance of futsal is that the game serves as a natural teacher. Coaches can sit back and let the exciting nature of the small-sided game grow players’ enthusiasm while improving technique, creativity, and quick decision-making.
Despite the game’s organic nature, however, it still requires strategy. Teams that enter tournament games with a free-for-all mentality will pay the price. At practices, coaches should have players practice movements without the ball, and situational awareness.
A basic introduction to the “Diamond Formation”
Playing with four field players means that teams will want to practice the “Diamond Formation,” a naturally effective shape. This formation gives a team both width and depth on the field. One attacking player gets high up the field, two players get wide on opposite flanks, and one “floor general” forms the base of the diamond nearest his or her own goal.
The diamond “provides the most opportunities to play in triangles,” Mastrogiacomo said, referring to the most crucial shape in the game of soccer.
When attacking, players should practice the movements required to form triangles at different places on the field. The diamond needs to be a flexible shape. Players should be in constant motion, rotating places and in and out of position.
Mastrogiacomo suggests that coaches focus on teaching their teams to recognize triggers – familiar spacing or potential movements – that allow the high player to receive the ball in the most threatening offensive position. Teams can practice many different triggers that spring prepared attacks or defenses.
This recognition should improve by simply playing the game. Coaches can also run simple drills to improve players’ awareness. Mastrogiacomo suggests running drills like a 3 vs. 1 square drill, which encourages players to form triangles and support the player with the ball.
Players also benefit from practicing quick combinations, in 2 vs. 1 and 3 vs. 2 scenarios. Coaches can make simple restrictions on regular scrimmages, such as requiring that players perform an overlap or a wall-pass in the offensive third before scoring.
The tactical aspects of futsal get more complicated as players and teams become more advanced. But, at its’ core, futsal is fun and free-flowing. And any youth soccer team would improve by playing it.
Here’s a simple tactical game that can work for almost any age group, U10 to U18+. It creates a naturally competitive atmosphere crucial to raising the level of players’ games. The game creates lots of goal-scoring opportunities and lots of pressured situations in which players have to perform technical skills and make decisions in tight spaces.
5 VS 5 THREE MINUTE GAME
Why?
Works for almost any age group.
A naturally competitive game. Players will want to play to win.
Produces lots of shots, goal-scoring, and goal-stopping chances.
Play 5 vs. 5 (or more) in the penalty box on a regulation goal. You can use a goalkeeper, targets in the goal (in the corners), or leave the goal free (goals must be scored on the ground). Extra players or teams waiting to play can do skill drills on a tactical game with smaller numbers (2 vs. 2) outside the field.
Play two three-minute games; one team attacks and another team defends. The attacking team tries to score as many goals as they can in the time limit. The defending team tries to prevent goals by possessing the ball.
The losing team goes off. Or, if the two games end in a draw, the newer team stays on.
Play futsal rules – when the ball goes out of bounds, the other team plays it in.
What to Say?
Not much. Let them play.
The attacking team should try to create goal scoring opportunities quickly. “Look to shoot,” or “Look to make the killer pass.”
You might have to require that the defensive team play the ball in within a certain time limit (so they can’t stall the game for too long) or else you will add an extra minute to the attacking team’s time.
Does anyone have any suggestions out there about coaching this game or similar tactical games? What are some good progressions or other coaching points?
Why Coaches Should Think About The Way Boundaries Affect Player Development
New coaches of young teams (U6 to U10) might be frustrated with their players’ obliviousness to field boundaries, or grid lines. Players might run with the ball until they hit an immovable object.
While this is a minor issue that gets resolved naturally as players grow more self aware, coaches should think about how to effectively promote awareness of boundaries and, more importantly, how different grid sizes can change the effectiveness of games.
Recognizing Boundaries
Coaches of U6 and U8 teams should understand that young players might not recognize boundaries.
“The younger the players are, the less they pay attention to boundaries,” Darren Marshall, the Director of Coaching for the Eastern Massachusetts FC, said.
Marshall suggests that coaches remember this when setting up grids for games. Younger teams need more cones to help them recognize lines.
“For the youngest kids, to make a box 10 by 10 yards, then I might need nine cones to do that, three cones on every side.” he said.
The most engaging youth coaches often suggest using imaginative rules, or metaphor, to help kids pay attention to boundaries. For example, coaches can pretend that the playing area is an island, while outside the lines lurk “shark-infested waters” or “lava.” Good youth games often include some degree of imagination to engage the kids.
“With the young ones, it helps to foster their imagination, so they can really get into the game,” Marshall said.
A number of Directors of Coaching suggest that coaches of the youngest ages groups should encourage kids to be aware of the boundaries. For example, coaches can call out-of-bounds players back into the playing area, but they shouldn’t stop the momentum or fun of the game to enforce the boundaries.
“I don’t want to stop the game, and stop the kids from having fun,” Ellis Pierre, the Director of Coaching for the Bethesda Soccer Club said of enforcing boundaries with young players.
“If you do want to enforce boundaries,” Marshall said, “then you should do it in a way that keeps the kid active. Like have them do jumping jacks or toe touches. Being away from the game is punishment enough.”
Grid Size
More importantly, coaches of any age group should pay attention to the size of the grid, which has a crucial impact on the way players develop skills and concepts.
Although the US Youth Soccer Association recommends specific field sizes for small sided games (see below), no golden rules exist for determining grid size. Coaches need to pay attention, and react, to the way the grid size affects players and games. Grid size should depend on players’ age, ability, and the technical or tactical focus of the exercise.
If a game fails to engage players, coaches should first consider changing the grid size. The game might not be the problem.
You don’t need a protractor and a degree to determine the appropriate grid size. Generally, if players struggle to keep the ball in bounds, or loose the ball too frequently for a game to run smoothly, then you should consider expanding the grid. Doing so will give players more space and more room for error. If a game is easy for players, or if it is too easy for attacking players at the expense of tired defensive players, then you should consider shrinking the grid. Doing so will give players less time to make decisions, and force them to play faster. It can make an easy game hard, and very different.
You can also change the size of the grid depending on the skill you want players to practice. For example, if you want to teach dribbling and one vs. one skills, then you should consider playing with a large grid to give the players space to run and be creative.
For most U6 and U8 games, the recommended grid size is about 20 by 20 yards. But this can change, depending on numbers and the nature of the game.
For older players, ages 14 and above, some coaches rely on adding a 10 by 10 yard space for every player on the field. For example, a 4 vs. 4 game would mean using a grid of 40 by 40 yards. Of course, the grid size can widen or narrow depending on the focus of the game.
Jason Dewhurst, the Director of Coaching for the FC Stars of Massachusetts, suggests that restricting space serves as a crucial way to develop players’ technique and awareness at every age level.
“For younger players, we ‘ll do a 1 vs. 1 game in a 10 by 10 area,” Dewhurst said. “Each player has a ball and it is a game of tag. One player dribbles the ball trying to tag his/her partner, with a waist high tag, while in control of the ball. The other player who is being tagged has to get away from the tagger while in control of their own ball, and if they dribble out of area they also become the tagger. Once tagged, the roles reverse. If the player tags his/her partner but is not in control of their own ball, then it doesn’t count.”
Dewhurst says that coaches can use this sort of game for players of any age group. For older players, he suggests expanding the grid size so the exercise includes some fitness training.
Do any coaches out there have a good way of determining grid size? What are the main clues you look for to determine how to change the grid size? How important is it to enforce boundaries at young ages?
Note: US Youth Soccer makes the following recommendations about field size for Small Sided Games:
We often think of tournaments as one riveting game after another. But the truth is that, no matter how many games your team plays in one day, players will spend the majority of time not playing.
“Down time,” or the off time that occurs between and after games, serves as a crucial period for players to relax, unwind, bond, and recharge. As a coach, you should think about the purpose such time serves and the opportunities it allows.
Experienced coaches do not simply view down time as free time. Adrian Cox, who coached the FC Delco Hammerheads to three straight Region I East Championships and now coaches the U12 Lower Merion Lightning, organizes his team’s breaks so that players and parents can stay informed and together as much as possible.
“I like to establish a routine throughout the trip,” Cox said. “That goes for everything from having set meal times, to pre-game meetings, post-game meetings, and night meetings before the players go back to their rooms. The schedule might change every day, but it’s a ritual that keeps everyone on the same page.”
Darren Marshall, the new Director of Coaching for the Eastern Massachusetts Football Club, says it’s important to schedule down time activities before the tournament.
“We make sure to allot time for relaxing activities to keep the players fresh for the next time they hit the field,” Marshall said.
Marshall suggests scheduling activities that don’t involve too much mental or physical exertion. Players need to conserve and replenish their energy between games. They should stay out of the sun, stay off their feet, and eat right.
Many coaches emphasize the importance of doing activities as a team off the field, as tournament trips can often provide a rich atmosphere for team bonding.
“I like to do a lot of things as a team,” Cox said. “We do a lot of team meals. Or we’ll go watch other games together.”
“I like to do some group problem solving,” Marshall said. “I’ll do an activity where everyone sits in a circle and you’ve got a milk carton with a quarter inside. There’s a stopper in the top of the carton, and the players have to figure out how to get the quarter out without using their hands. So they have to work together.
The Brazilian National Team hits the pool.
P.J. Brown, head coach of the U15 and U16 Arsenal FC Boys Teams from Southern California, says he sometimes has bowling competitions in which the losing foursome has to clean the vans.
But Cox also suggests that coaches remember to give players some time to themselves, to let them unwind the way that they want to, whether it’s hang out, listen to music, read, or watch TV.
“I also try to give players some freedom to do what they want on their own time,” Cox said. “I’ll let them go to the pool, or go to a movie. It’s a balance.”
Younger players need more supervision, but these players are also more likely to have parents accompanying them that can help supervise.
Many coaches set simple limitations on what players can do on their own time or with their parents. Brown states three basic rules for his players: “No beach, no small-sided soccer or other physical activities between matches, and no soda.”
Because so much of the down time at tournaments concerns refueling with food and drinks, coaches might also want to review, or provide, recommendations for appropriate meals and snacks. Coaches, or assistants, should consider handing out a list to parents of good pre-game and post-game foods.
Although players might spend a lot of time with their parents at tournaments, coaches should also have lots of time to bond with their players, to talk to them about soccer, school, or anything else. Cox suggests that coaches take advantage of these opportunities, which can be rare during a typical soccer practice or game.
“On a trip you have a lot more opportunities to talk to players individually,” Cox said. “You can pull a player aside and talk to them one on one. You have to pick and chose your moments, but there’s a lot of time to get to know players, to talk about soccer and anything else that’s going on. I enjoy letting the players get to know me, not just as a coach, but as a person. Off the field, I can be a leader, and a role model for all the players.”
For Cox, although soccer games serve as the focus of tournaments, non-soccer activities can prove just as important.
“Those activities that you do together off the field are things you remember just as much as big games you play in,” Cox said. “The times you spend in van rides, or having a meal, joking around, telling stories, those are good memories that can last a long time.”
What Every Soccer Coach Should Know About Dealing With Parents
Novice youth coaches often underestimate the impact that the parents of players can have on their team. This impact can produce vastly different results, depending on the nature of the relationship that you, the coach, establish with parents. Parents can be supportive and organizational lifesavers. Or they can undermine your effort and authority.
Jim Haner, author of a Soccerhead, a quirky chronicle of his experiences as a novice youth soccer coach, realized this quickly. He writes:
“The problems faced by the kids always change, but for the coach the hardest part is always the same: keeping the grown-ups happy. You can read the coaching manuals for a thousand hours and never find a word about this, but a youth soccer coach spends more time tending to the needs of the adults than to those of the children. If a team has twelve kids, the head coach has to manage up to twenty-four adult egos, and that’s before you start counting the grandparents.”
If you try to listen to, and honor, every conflicting request or complaint of every parent, then your team might implode. Some will want you to win at all costs, while some will champion equal playing time. At games, some parents will yell at a player to “Pass!” while others will shout, “Dribble!” Some will bring Capri Sun for a snack, others will think it’s too sugary.
For this reason, you need to immediately establish authority over the team while also establishing clear and respectful lines of communication with parents. From the start of the season, you should seek to involve and connect parents with the team in a positive way. Include parents, but set boundaries.
Team Meetings and Getting Help
You can achieve this with a well-planned, or at least well-advertised, team meeting. Here, you can communicate your expectations of parents, making parents aware of their responsibilities and boundaries. Also, you can recruit parents to help, to alleviate some of the burdens of coaching. Recruiting a “Team Mom” or “Dad” to help organize rides and snacks and other scheduling nightmares can save you hours of precious time.
Working, even a little, to keep parents informed should put parents in your corner for the difficult fights that youth coaching can bring. Communicating should prompt parents to empathize with your responsibility, respect your demands, and seek to help in the ways you want them to.
In this video, Mario Malagon, the coach of an after-school coed soccer team, gives some good tips about why and how coaches should talk to parents.
Maintaining Discipline
Communicating with parents can also help you maintain discipline and respect at practices. For many coaches, maintaining this respect serves as the key to running productive and positive practices.
A coach at an urban after-school soccer program once told me: “The kids might not realize it, but they always have more fun when the practice is disciplined, when they know they’re boundaries, and when you’re in control.”
You might be reluctant to talk to a misbehaving child’s parents after practice. But doing so will help you maintain the integrity of the rules and the messages you send at practice.
Telling a parent about the issue, whether it’s excessive swearing or bullying, means that the child’s bad behavior has no place to hide. Most likely, in talking to the parent you will either find out the reason for the bad behavior, or you will employ parents to help deal with it. A parent can help solve the problem when a coach can’t. The child can either improve his or her behavior, and respect the rules of the team, or face the consequences that you determine.
Parents should appreciate the effort that you make to keep them informed about their child’s behavior. They should appreciate your honesty, your effort, and your concern.
Like Haner suggests, parents might voice irreconcilable individual demands, but if they see that you care about them, and care about the well being of their child, they will help give you the respect and help you want.
A Beginner’s Guide to Coaching Youth Soccer Gives Useful Tips on Staying Positive At Practice
Today, Coach-Smart.com published a handy Beginner’s Guide to Coaching Youth Soccer. The guide aims to serve as a concise and informative instruction manual to help a new coach have a positive first-time experience. The guide gives useful tips on organizing practices, running practices, coaching on game days, and even communicating with players’ parents.
The following is an excerpt from the guide. It addresses the different ways that a coach can give positive instruction and encouragement during a practice:
“Coaching requires the flexibility to adapt on the spot. A practice plan serves as a suggested blueprint for each practice. But practices rarely go according to plan.
While the majority of coaching occurs before practice, coaches also serve a live and vital role during practice. Here are some other tips and concepts to consider when setting up and coaching practices.
Use Your Voice
As a coach, you need to communicate ideas clearly and in a positive way. You need to say the right points in the right way at the right times.
Simplify Instructions
It’s easy to over-coach. Doing so can make practice boring and confuse players. Try to keep instructions for activities as simple and quick as possible. Also, try to communicate one point at a time.
Tone and Volume
How you say something is as important as what you say. Pay attention to the tone and volume of your voice. Modulating the intensity of your voice can produce results. Say, for example, that a person’s voice has five levels of volume. A normal conversation occurs at level one. Coaching should take place at level two or three. The coach communicates a strong, confident stream of information. When things break down, when players aren’t paying attention, the coach can jump to level four for a few quick remarks. Watch players react. You are in control. You want to vary your voice to emphasize certain points. But you want to avoid screaming whenever possible.
Freezing play
As players perform a drill or game, you can yell “freeze” or “stop” to explain a concept or make a point. With younger players, coaches should limit play stoppages. Make a quick point and get back to the game.
Constant Encouragement
Learning takes time. Be realistic. Don’t expect players to improve overnight. Especially with younger players, compliment success whenever possible. This encourages improvement by keeping players involved and excited about their effort. Try to compliment everybody, even if you need to invent compliments. Keep your vocabulary simple but varied. You might need to prepare a few more ways to say, “good.”
Positive Criticism
When a player makes a mistake, try not to say ‘don’t do that.’ Instead, try to make a positive ‘if-then’ statement. ‘Dwayne, if you want to kick the ball farther, try doing this…’
Download the entire Beginner’s Guidefrom Coach-Smart.com. If you like these tips, be sure to check out some of the practice plans, the most useful and time-efficient practice-planning tools on the market.
Anne Moore, recently hired as the Wyoming Director of Coaching (DOC), speaks about being the first female DOC, developing young players, and youth soccer in Wyoming.
"If you can earn the trust of the players, then you will succeed, no matter what your gender." -Moore
Q – You’re the first female Director of Coaching for a state association. Can you put this into perspective at all? What does this mean for other women coaches?
A – Coaching is a male-dominated field, regardless of the sport, which can be intimidating to some women. Especially at the upper levels, it is tough to balance both a family and a full-time coaching career for anybody, men or women. I think a lot of women tend to enter into other fields after finishing their playing careers due to the family component. But there are great opportunities at all levels for females to stay involved with the game, and I would encourage them to find a way to give back this knowledge. I am honored to be the first female DOC in a state that provided women with the right to vote before other states, as well elected the first female governor.
Q – Do you think you bring a unique perspective to the position? How will your approach be similar or different from the DOC’s of other states?
A – I think I will bring a different perspective given my college coaching experience. Wyoming just created the DOC position last year so there hasn’t been a lot of structure or consistency with our ODP programs, coach education or player development. We have a great deal of potential but need to begin at the grassroots level by providing more coach education opportunities. In turn, these will help to raise the level of our players so we can be competitive in our region.
Q – What advice do you have for novice women coaches out there?
A – My advice to other novice female coaches would be to be confident in your abilities and to fight for what you believe is best for you and your players. You earn respect by your actions and it is important for you to set the standard and then lead by example. If you can earn the trust of the players, then you will succeed, no matter what your gender.
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