Something for the Toolbox

by Ryan Krzykowski

Ask coaches about their greatest challenge or biggest headache and you’ll very often hear something about dealing with parents.  Last week I received an email from PCA, the Positive Coaching Alliance, about a recent venture they’ve launched in conjunction with ESPN and Disney called “Take Back Sports”.  In their words, Take Back Sports is a national campaign to restore joy and purpose in youth sports.  You can learn more about the initiative by clicking here.

For the coach who encounters the occasional difficult sports parent, the Take Back Sports material might be great to share with the parents on your team.  Including this material in a parent meeting presentation and/or inviting parents to read up and “take the pledge” could be a game changer.  At the least, sharing the ideas found in Take Back Sports gives the well-intentioned but shortsighted sports parent the chance to consider the motivation behind their actions, along with some strategies to combat the frustration they experience with officials and coaches.  Take a look and see if this new tool could be a useful addition to your coaching toolbox.

Let’s Coach With Purpose…