Coaching Youth Sports? Where to start.

As a person who has coached various youth sports over the last 16 years, I realized I did not have all the answers. Ideas, objectives, and goals that I had for my teams, and players did not always make it into the children's heads that I was coaching. Why? Well for starters maybe my goals and objectives differed from the kids that I was coaching. Maybe I was not coaching clearly or to the child's level of intellect. That does not mean you have to lower your expectations of quality, or standards to training, but you do have to adjust how you communicate and deliver the things you are trying to coach. Kids are not stupid either. Believe in what you are coaching, and practice what you preach with them. If you don't you have a lot more work cut out for you.

So if you are endeavoring into coaching, and you want to start on the right foot coaching for the first time, for this week, or this season, or just because you feel your methods are stale, I have the book for you to read. Todd Beane is an incredible, humble, and brilliant mind. He owns and operates the TOVO Academy in a little fishing village outside of Barcelona Spain, where he coaches "soccer" or "Futbol" to kids looking to raise their games. His Academy, teaching methods, and delivery is simple, elegant, and yet very successful. He wrote a book a few years ago called, "Clear Coaching: Harness Clarity To Drive Development."

Like his delivery on the soccer pitch, he breaks down ways to coach better. The concepts brought up in this book lead you on a journey of self-reflection and improvement. He becomes more than an author in this book, but a mentor, and someone you want to connect with more. I have had the fortune of working with Todd at times over the years. He is an amazing person who cares about doing things right, and simple. I recommend this book for your coaching toolkit. It will benefit any person coaching others, at any age, or level. Pick up a copy of it here.

-Jeff