Article List
DateSubjectAuthor
01/05/2004 Do I Actually Have to Talk to the Parents?
Youth coaches sometimes joke that the ideal youth team is a team of orphans. Though this approach is one solution to problem parents, there are other more... 		Jeff Farris
12/15/2003 Dealing With Fear
Fear is a natural instinct that once helped protect humans from being eaten. Though being eaten is no longer a daily problem, fear is still a large part of... 		Jeff Farris
12/15/2003 Five Easy Ways to Feed the Fear of Your Players
Coaches can have a big impact on the way players deal with the fears that can arise from sporting competitions. Every competition has an outcome. But, focusing... 		Jeff Farris
12/15/2003 The Fear of Failure is Often Worse than Failure Itself
Whether parents put pressure on their kids or not, kids will put pressure on themselves. This pressure can lead to fears that if not handled properly will lead... 		Jeff Farris
12/02/2003 Breaking Bad Habits in 21 Days
Habit - A recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through frequent repetition. -- The American Heritage® Dictionary Each activity in... 		Jeff Farris
12/02/2003 Criticize the Performance Not the Player
Coaches are an important influence in a kid's life. Their words always carry more significance to the child hearing them than the to the coach who is saying... 		Jeff Farris
12/02/2003 Getting Your Kids Off to a Good Start
The first few weeks that kids spend playing a new sport often determines how long they will continue. If the first few weeks are fun, then kids will stay with... 		Jeff Farris
11/12/2003 Trying Out for a Select Team - The Parent Quiz
If Your Kid Can Make the Team, Can You? Given the importance of team chemistry, many select and travel teams are starting to evaluate parents as well as the... 		Jeff Farris
10/22/2003 Building Your Own Tiger Woods
In 1996 at the age of 20, Tiger Woods started playing professional golf and began a new chapter in his then 18 year run in the public eye. At the age of two,... 		Jeff Farris
10/14/2003 Have You Talked with the Coach Today?
Good communication is not only critical among players, it is also critical between players and coaches. Players need to be able to talk with coaches to get the... 		Jeff Farris
10/14/2003 Turning Around a Problem Parent
Last week's post covered the 10 commitments that coaches should expect from parents. When these commitments are missing, coaches may find the team or a player... 		Jeff Farris
10/14/2003 When Life Deals You a Bad Season
Judging the success of a season is something that is easy for parents to do at anytime. If kids are playing in a safe environment that is fun and that is... 		Jeff Farris
10/12/2003 You Can Count on Me
Athletic ability is not judged by doing something well one time, but by doing something well many times. Consistency is critical to an athlete's success. Teams... 		Jeff Farris
10/12/2003 Should Parents Be Committed?
Parents are an integral part of any youth team. Not only do they provide equipment, transportation and funding for the team, parents also spend much more time... 		Jeff Farris
10/12/2003 Should Coaches Be Committed?
The start of a new season often means a new coach. Over time, the different backgrounds and styles of each coach will work to benefit a child's abilities by... 		Jeff Farris
10/05/2003 Growing Up is Hard to Do
The following table shows the average height and weight for boys and girls from the ages of 5 to 18. Wide variations are common. Kids' height can vary by as... 		Jeff Farris
10/05/2003 Don't Dwell on Your Mistakes
Cal Ripken Jr. is one of baseball's legends and today players like Alex Rodriguex still look to him as one of their heroes. One of Cal Ripken's childhood... 		Jeff Farris
10/05/2003 To Be or Not to Be
The intensity and emotion of a close competition can easily carry over into post-game discussions. It is often difficult for coaches to stop trying to manage... 		Jeff Farris
09/25/2003 10 Things I Want in a Teammate (or 10 Things My Teammates Want of Me)
When players join a team, they often get instructions from a coach about what is expected of them, but, players rarely get a similar set of instructions from... 		Jeff Farris
09/25/2003 Ancient Chinese Advice for Coaches
"To know your enemy, you must become your enemy... Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Sun Tzu Unfortunately for some youth coaches, this saying... 		Jeff Farris