Pete O’Heeron is a healthcare professional currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer of SpinalCyte. The company is using cell therapy and tissue engineering in order to help people suffering from things like degenerative disc disease. In the past, he was a youth sports coach, and even coached elite high school basketball teams. Here are some tips for coaching youth sports.
Focus on the fundamentals. If you’re coaching youth sports, you need to place the majority of your attention on the fundamentals of the sport itself. This is the basis for the rest of a child’s career in the sport, and it needs to be second nature. For example, if you’re coaching basketball, you need to teach the importance of ball handling, passing, defense, and shooting.
Don’t overwork your players. Children tend to get burnt out if they do something too much, and it could end up inspiring a dislike in the sport altogether. Set a regular practice schedule, but don’t go overboard when it comes to how many days a week the team meets on the court or field. Three days a week is a safe bet for an effective practice schedule, not including game days.
Remember that it’s about having fun and learning, not winning. Although it feels great to win, that’s not the purpose of participating in the sport. As a coach, you need to instill in your players the importance of learning the game itself and growing as players. Not to mention that whatever sport it is, it’s a game and you’re supposed to have fun.
Pete O’Heeron 