High School Coaches Club 🎙

PARENTS: The "Car Ride Home" has caused MANY Kids to Quit Team Sports. How you talk to your child matters. Here are the 5 Phrases that you should ever need to say to your child. 1: “I LOVE WATCHING YOU PLAY" If you had to pick one statement to say to your child, this is it! There is no judgment or criticism. You are just letting your son or daughter know that you are a fan and that you love watching them play and compete. Nothing else is needed. 2: “I BELIEVE IN YOU” Do you want to build confidence in your child? Tell them you believe in them. They need to hear this from adults. One of the most important things we can do as parents is instill confidence in our kids. It is hard enough being a kid in today's world. This is a powerful phrase to use. 3: "DO YOUR BEST" We are all different. We all have different skill sets. All we can ever do is our best. This is the one thing my parents always said to me. Teach your child to pass the "mirror test." If they can look in the mirror and tell themselves that they genuinely did their very best, then that is all we can ever ask of ourselves. 4: "NEXT PLAY" This is a move-on mindset. Don't dwell on a mistake and make another. Don’t celebrate after a great play so much that you lose your focus. This teaches kids about composure and poise. It teaches them to remain in the present, not dwell on the past, and not look too far ahead. It is a great life lesson. 5: "BE A GREAT TEAMMATE" This is such an important life skill. Great teams are made up of great teammates. Being a great teammate is something that we can all control. Our world needs great teammates. Encourage your son or daughter to be a great teammate for their team. It is a lesson that will last a lifetime! That's It! The Only 5 Phrases Kids Need to Hear. Watch the video/commercial of the "Car Ride Home" below. Don't be this parent. Be Better. 🎥 Video Credit from True Sport: truesportpur.ca/ youtube.com/watch?v=-0e8zvvY… _____ Follow me @gregberge for more Actionable Ideas on Coaching, Leadership, Culture, and Teams. Join 9400+ others and subscribe to my free weekly newsletter. The subscription link is in my profile.

Why do sports sometimes bring out the worst in parents? There are many reasons. The stress, adversity, challenges, and relationships of team sports are not always easy. Here are 8 things parents can do to be an MVP Parent! 1: Remember Whose Experience It Is This important. Always remember that it is your child's experience, not yours. You are not reliving your glory days. Be there to support your child, but know that it is their journey, their memories, and their experience. 2: Be Conscious of the Words You Use Words matter. Don't critique your child's play. Don't question why they did things. They will learn to hate the sport. Instead, let them talk on their terms. Say, "I Love Watching You Play." That is enough! 3: Cheer for the Entire Team Team sports are team sports. There are a bunch of other players who want to play and want a certain role as well. There are parents who feel the same. Take it all in. Support and cheer for the entire team. It will make your experience 100% better. 4: Don’t Ruin the Car Ride Home This can ruin the experience of sports, especially for young kids. Many kids fear the car ride home. They fear their parent criticizing their play. It is not ok. Do not be this parent. Think about the impact of the words you use. 5: Always Remember the Purpose of Team Sports Team sports are the ultimate lab setting for life. They teach skills that will last a lifetime. They teach kids how to sacrifice, commit, accept roles, be a team player, how to be a great teammate, how to handle adversity, and how to win and lose. They teach things that cannot be learned in other areas of life at this stage. This is the WHY. Know that kids learn, both good and bad, from team sports. But, these things will make them better adults if handled well. 6: Be a Positive Role Model This should be your number #1 job as a parent. Be someone your son or daughter can be proud of. Do not be "that" parent in the stands. Do you not encourage "that" parent in the stands. Do not sit by "that" parent in the stands. 7: Work to Create Memories Ultimately, a season is like writing a book with many unique chapters. There will be good times and bad. There will be adversity. Each season is a story. Try to help create great memories and experiences that can be added to this book. 8: Support Coaches and Officials Finally, support coaches and officials. They are getting harder to find. It is a very hard job. And if you did either of them, you would know. If you cannot do it yourself or are not willing to do it yourself, do not be so quick to criticize others. It is that simple. _____ Follow me @gregberge for more Actionable Ideas on Coaching, Leadership, Culture, and Teams. Join 9300+ others and subscribe to my free weekly newsletter. The subscription link is in my profile.

We need to KEEP our Coaches! They are getting harder to find. How do we do it? Here are 7 things we can do to KEEP Coaches in the Profession: 1: TRAINING and PD We spend very little time training our coaches, especially with what matters most to successful teams. - Creating Culture - Developing Player Leadership Building these skills makes for successful teams and happy coaches. We need to do this more. This is why I started writing online! 2: EXPECTATIONS and SUPPORT Communication Matters a Lot. It is critical that everyone involved in the team and community knows their role. Clear expectations must be presented and supported. Make sure kids, parents, and coaches know philosophy and expectations at all levels, especially for: - Communication - Chain of command - Playing time Then, Administrators, support your coaches. I am a Principal and a coach. I know firsthand that it is critical that we support coaches. 3: SIMPLIFY THE GAME We do not have to make the high school experience like a college experience for kids. This puts trendies strain on coaches…and kids. Simplify the game. Focus on fundamentals. Nobody needs a 2.5-hour practice followed by 1 hour of weight room and 1 hour of film. Yet I see it. Remember: Less is often More. 4: BUILD SUPPORT SYSTEMS Coaching is very dynamic. Coaches need support to help: - Breakdown film - Keep stats - Work with local media/paper - Plan team activities - Take pictures and film - Support lower levels - Run camps and off-season - Plan travel - and more… Find resources and support systems to navigate all of the “extras.” This is where the stress comes from as a coach. 5: COLLEGIALITY Coaches need each other. They have a special bond. We need to find ways for coaches to get together and talk, share ideas, share challenges, and more. We also need mentor systems for our coaches. This is so important to keep coaches. 6: PAY Coaching is a very demanding and difficult job. Without question, the one thing that prepared me the best for being a Principal was being a Head Basketball Coach. The dynamics of the job are similar. If we expect so much from our coaches, then we should compensate them better. 7: BUILD FROM THE GROUND UP We need to prepare our young people to coach. Many will be parents someday, and we need good parents to coach our youth. Many will aspire to coach at higher levels. We need to build successful programs, teams, and cultures now so they have good role models and experiences to build on for their future. Talk about this with your players now. Build for the future. _____ Follow me @gregberge for more Actionable Ideas on Coaching, Leadership, Culture, and Teams. Join 9200+ others and subscribe to my free weekly newsletter. The subscription link is in my profile.