Sometimes the experiences of coaching youth sports are not what we expect. We each envision the team we coach, hitting home the winning run or earning the championship trophy, but in most circumstances, we forget what we must endure and sacrifice as a Coach.
3 negatives you must expect when becoming a youth sports coach:
Parents
Not all sports parents cause a negative experience for coaches. Although, the select parents that do cause problems will take a toll on a coach. It can be mentally and physically exhausting for a coach to manage the players and the parent group during the season, so one thing is necessary to remember. You are there for the kids. You have been given an opportunity to coach kids in the sport you love, so embrace it and focus on your job of improving the skills of your athletes. By doing so, the negatives surrounding your parent group will matter less.
The sacrifice of your free time
Time…The one thing we can never get back. Your time is valuable, so make sure you are still making time for yourself and those around you. The expectation for most coaches is for them to be on the field six days a week, but once those days make it impossible for you to get out of bed in the morning, you reach a point of overworking yourself. It would help if you made the most of the little free time you have and separated yourself from the coaching world.
The losing
With the team not performing well, most of that attention typically shifts to the Coach. We can tell ourselves not to let the losses pile up and to not focus on the outcome, but we coaches know that is not how it works. In this negative, our competitiveness is our enemy. We take pride in achieving victory, but if you let one loss dictate your mood, take it as a sign. The sign is it is not all on you. With the time you put in at practice, game-planning, and managing the team; you did all that you could. The result in the game does not define your life.
Overall, being a coach can be remarkable. You will make special relationships and memories that will last forever. By preparing yourself for those three negatives, the relationships and memories will outweigh any negatives you will face.
