How to Pick the Right Sports Coaches and Mentors for Kids

Introduction

Starting a sports training journey can be a new and unexpected experience for a child. It's full of lots of learnings and surprises as a child must face many bittersweet moments before understanding a sport and playing it well. During this testing time, other than parents, a coach is someone who can make a positive impact in a child's life.

The coach is like an on-field guardian for the kid. The coach not only helps in training a child and imparting the right skills related to the sport but also provides a lot of mental strength and guidance. A coach can change the trajectory of a child's sports career by showing them the right direction. The relationship between a young athlete and their coach is extremely impactful. Hence, choosing the right coach may make or break one's career..

How to Pick the Right Sports Coaches and Mentors for Kids

Here is how you can help your child pick the right sports coach to make their sports journey more enjoyable and impactful.

See the Chemistry

One of the most important aspects that parents have to consider while selecting the right sports coach for their child is the kind of equation. The child and the coach have. The first step is to analyze the temperament of your child. If your child is extremely serious about the sport, then it's always better to get a coach who is aligned with their mindset. On the other hand, if your child is somebody who plays sport for joy and focuses on process rather than output, then find somebody who will understand your child. Some of the best players in the world are made because of finding the right coach.

Check Credentials

Although a coach's skills are a testament to their knowledge and experience, it is always better to check the credentials of the coach. This is to ensure that the selected coach has the right knowledge related to the sport and is giving training legally. Not everyone who plays well can become a certified coach. To go through coaching certifications, a person has to showcase great teaching aptitude and develop soft skills such as emotional intelligence and leadership skills. Also, a sports coach learns about nutrition and physiology during their training. All these things are highlighted and double-checked during the credentials-checking procedure.

Talk What You Want

While selecting a coach, it is extremely important to be transparent about what your expectations are. Some coaches train children to keep them fit through a sport. On the other hand, other coaches are very output-oriented and only train players who want to enter sports professionally. Discussing your goal with the coach will help you understand if that person is right for your child or not. Selecting somebody whose mindset is not the same as yours may create problems in the future.

Expression and Body Language

Dealing with a child is not an easy task. Children may take certain criticisms very hard. Thus, it's essential to find a coach who has a positive mindset and uses encouraging words to improve the performance of the child. If a coach is too stern and aggressive in their approach, then it's better to not choose that coach for your child. A stable temperament is important to ensure that the coach chooses the right words and actions while dealing with your child. Facing criticism and listening to harsh words, early on can highly demotivate a child.

Ability to Transfer Knowledge

A good teacher is not just someone who has ample knowledge, but also someone who can deliver the knowledge to the child correctly. Teaching and coaching require the ability to transfer the needed knowledge to the child using the right approach without making them. To check this, you can see how the coach practically trains other students under them. If you find their coaching skills to be convincing enough, then you can go ahead with your decision.

Hands-On Training

Many times, what happens in the academy is that the head coach only performs the function of communicating with parents and is not involved in directly coaching kids. This means that the coach that you might be communicating with may not even train your kid in the first place. In certain academies, some junior coaches look after children's everyday training. Try to clear this with your potential sports coach before deciding. Also, try to find out whether the coach provides personal attention and hands-on training to each child in the academy.

Conclusion

Choosing the right coach requires the substantial involvement of parents. A child's performance in a sports activity is not just dependent upon their hard work and skill but is also determined by the kind of coach that they have. Thus, it is a decision that should be taken very mindfully.