This section is a "Coaching Clinic" devised to help you be the best coach you can be.

A coach has to "wear many hats," these articles and tips will help you to be effective in each area of responsibility as you coach, train and relate to your team, assistant coaches, parents, administrators, fans and the media.
The Art of Positive Coaching, Part I
The Art of Positive Coaching, Part II
The role of a coach is similar to that of a parent or teacher. Our common goal in these roles is to prod, motivate, and cajole youth to be all they can be.
Asset of Leadership
Due to the intensely competitive nature of sports, effective leadership may be the most critical factor in determining success. Failure to hone leadership skills is opportunity lost.
Being a Good Listener
Are you a good listener? Listening is a vital part of communication and is essential to coaching.
Being A Positive Coach
Being a positive coach does much for the athlete - it promotes self-concept, it builds confidence and it builds a strong team. If we really care about the kids and the sport we coach we need to look for positives and praise them for it.
Coach 'em for Life New Coaching Tip!
In a day and age dominated by selfish greed, we have produced the likes of Anderson Consulting, Enron, and WorldCom into society. Sadly the acts of a few affect many. Fortunately, as coaches we can take a positive step forward if we chose not to coach just for victory on the field, court or mat, but for victory in life.
Coaching is Coaching
USA Wrestling National Coach, Mike Duroe writes, "Whether you are coaching kids or Olympians, individuals or team sports, there are certain qualities that help make a coach successful. Helping athletes to develop life skills and confidence are as important as explaining any game plan or teaching a technical skill."
Coaching Code of Ethics
This Ethic Code developed by the U.S. Olympic Committee is intended to provide general priniciples to cover most situations encountered by coaches.
Coaching Conduct with Female Athletes
By being a male coach of a female team there are several important guidelines that may prove helpful in avoiding difficult situation during the course of a season.
Coaching Female Athletes
The key to coaching female athletes is the use of positive reinforcement in participation motivation. Positive, constructive feedback and praise is extremely important...
Coaching Leadership
Due to the intensely competitive nature of sports today, effective leadership may be the most critical factor in determining success.
Coaching Truths
Coaching is gratifying, but it can also be humbling. There is always more to learn.
Coaching with Honesty
Is honesty always the best policy - even in coaching?
Communicate to Win!
The ability to communicate with your athletes is critical in your role as a coach. It is a skills that involves two major aspects; speaking and listening.
Connect with your Team
Whenever you coach, you deal with a diverse group of individuals. To build team you need connect with each member of the squad - find common ground and develop an understanding of each team member.
Delegate!
A head coach may posses all the necessary personal characteristics to be a championship, hall of fame coach, but if he does not learn the art of delegation, then he will never find himself coaching a "dream team."
Developing a Coaching Philosophy
A coaching philosophy is simply the how's and why's of everything you do as a coach. What is yours?
Earning Respect
Without respect, a coach will never be able to get their athletes to do what they ask. Respect must be earned over time. There are no shortcuts...
Effective Feedback
Effective feedback is vital to learning. In sport, feedback is the information athletes receive about their performance.
Emergency Situations
Fortunately most injuries do not result in emergency situations, however, when emergencies do occur, prompt proper care is essential. With advance preparation, everyone is prepared to deal with emergencies when they do occur.
Enjoy the Process
Mike Hagerty challenges coaches to look beyond the wins and losses, to focus instead on the "process" of developing the true measure of success of an athletic program.
Essential Qualities in Coaching
What is it that makes a good coach? Is it a person who is a great technician, it someone who was an elite athlete, o is it someone who came out of a powerhouse program? No, not necessarily. One or two competencies do not make an effective coach. There is a great deal involved in coaching effectively...
Ethics and Sportsmanship - Part I
Ethics and Sportsmanship - Part II
Ethics and Sportsmanship - Part III
Ethical considerations pervade every aspect of a coach's behavior. Any act that can be evaluated in terms of moral principles has ethical significance.
Feedback - A Key to Development
Coaching feedback serves as a very important form of reinforcement by providing athletes with information about their progress towards goals that they are trying to acheive.
Focus on Individual Strengths
Coaches who begin to work with athletes on their developement, often gravitate to weaknesses rather than strengths. The results can demoralize and sabotage the results you are seeking.
Four Fundamentals of Coaching New Coaching Tip
There are dozens of important truths and fundamentals of coaching, but here are four that even the best coaches sometimes overlook.
Give 'em Encouragement
Too many coaches expect their athletes to encourage themselves, but most athletes require outside encouragement to propel themselves forward.
High Pressure Coaching
Like athletes, some coaches thrive in high pressure situations and others fare poorly. There are certain behavior patterns that exist in coaches who excel under pressure. These are self-knowledge, having a coaching stress-thermostat, and building strong relationships with athletes.
Increasing Your Athlete's Self-Esteem
Increaseing your athlete's self-esteem is not that simple, but there are countless ways that a coach can foster self-esteem in their athletes.
Legal Duties of Coaches
The risk of injuries in youth sports will never be eliminated, but it can be managed. Coaches who practice risk management by fulfilling the nine legal duties can take a significant step in reducing the risk of injury and liability in their programs.
Legal Rights of Coaches
During the past few years there have been several incidents involving the integrity and character of coaches. What legal rights do coaches have when accusations are made by parents, players or school officials?
Normative Cheating
Issues pertaining to games and practices are rarely what lead to most coaches to quitting or getting fired. Usually it is what we have called "the other stuff" - the behind the scenes stresses facing all coaches at all levels. One way that some successful coaches deal with"the other stuff" is through a process known as "normative cheating."
Path to Excellence
From the viewpoint of Olympians, find out what they believe are the critical factors, the key areas to athletic success.
Planning Effective Practices
Practice should be well organized, safe and fun. There are seven elements to a good practice. That sometime and develop a practice that uses all seven principles.
Positive Coaching
A Positive Coach has power, they affect how athletes see, think and react.
Post-Loss Honesty
In the sports world, post-loss honesty from coaches often is trumped by empty cliches and defensive whining. I have tremendous respect for those coaches who are comfident enough not to have to convince anyone of anything...
Practice Planning
The tools for effective coaching are: 1) proper planning and organizing, 2) teaching and meaningful activities, and 3) evaluating the coaching after each session.
Problem Solving
Problems are always lurching over the coaches shoulder. This article looks at how to deal with problems in the areas of athletes, preparation and competition.
Prioritize Your Life....Sleep!
In this fast-paced, get-as-much-done-as-possible coaching world we live in, we have allowed our schedules to become crammed as much as possible. Sleep is a non-priority for many of us - and yet is the one thing that may be holding us back from doing our best.
Rehabilitation Coaching
So what exactly is the coach meant to do during the rehabilitation period? Here are a few pointers to get your athlete safely back into competition.
Respecting the Ref
In the face of increasing amounts of abuse from players, coaches, and fans, many officials are leaving the profession. But there are steps you can take to help keep them around.
Time (and Energy) Management
The most effective coaches wisely manage both their time and their energy to maximize their teams' performance.
Your Public (Coaching) Image
Each piece of you (appearance, communication skills, etc.) contributes to your overall image - and perception that the public has of you. Building a positive image to the media and the public is important is sports today.
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