The Principles of Ethical Youth Coaching

Book excerpt: Coaches: Would you like to coach your players in an ethical environment where you are developing the character of your players while sti ll being competi ti ve? Parents: Would you like your son or daughter coached in a safe environment where they will be able to develop life skills that will maximize their performance in areas outside of sports like educati on? The Principles of Ethical Youth Coaching provides the answers! The reality of sports is that very few athletes ever make it to the highest level of a given sport. Yet the training resources off ered to youth coaches focus almost exclusively on strategies to promote winning. The techniques advocated by these training programs may be acceptable for professional athletes; however, they are not acceptable for youth athletes. The overwhelming focus on winning causes coaches to miss opportuniti es to promote character development skills in their players. When, if at all, ethical player development skills are brought up in these programs, it is done so in passing and no concrete strategies are off ered. On the other hand, some well-intenti oned programs seek to eliminate winning from the equati on. This is not a realisti c approach, as winning is a fundamental aspect of sports and it must be embraced in the appropriate manner. The Principles of Ethical Youth Coaching shows coaches how to develop the character of their players while embracing the competi ti ve nature of sports.