What qualifications in a Parent Coach are the most important to you?

Question

Please explain. Thanks.

Answer 1

As a parent of 4 and a softball coach, I think that most parents look for a few of these things. 1. Patience 2. A firm but gentle manner 3. A coach who doesn't only focus on winning 4. A coach who is knowledgable about the sport to which he/she is coaching, so that the child learns a lot 5. An open-door policy, so that the parents work hand in hand with the coach for the childs sake, and my number one thing that I think makes a good coach- someone who views each child as a winner and doesn't pick and choose favorites. I always have our team mate up with someone they normally dont "hang out" with. This keeps the girls focusing on working together as a team and insures that noone feels any less important than another person. If you feel like you cannot communicate with your parents or vise versa, it makes for an uncomfortable season. Always make sure that the kids are taught to respect their coach, and make sure it goes both ways. I love my girls as if they were my own, and I dont make any difference towards my own daughter just because she's on the team.

Answer 2

communication.. with both the parents and the kids. A parent coach must be able to communicate, both verbally and non-verbally, a clear message to both the players and the parents. This way the parents are part of the coaching process. The relationship between a coach and player is very important for skill development, but more importantly, for maturity. These kids will learn more about life than they will about the sport. Things that happen on the playing field are secondary to the messages they receive through the process of playing sports. It's important the the parents and Parent coach have a real understanding that how he/she conducts themselves in front of these young people will have a long lasting effect beyong the playing field.