We have all seen the scenario, a group of parents sipping their coffees and catching up with each other as their kids all babble and shoot at the hoop at the club open day and the Club Coordinator comes over and says,
“Hi everyone, we need a coach for the team. Is anyone keen ?”
Suddenly it seems like all the eyes turn to you, the parent who played a bit when they were younger or coaches the footy team or is a teacher or maybe everyone else just jumps a mile back and suddenly you are the only one in the Coordinators vision!
CONGRATULATIONS, you are now the coach!
Lets look at some of the challenges you are going to face now!
What is a job well done ?
Can you get the team with you, having fun and feeling they are contributing and developing. Do they want to keep coming to training and look forward to the games every week. This comes down to people skills and them knowing you care and are invested in them.
What can you get out of the experience ?
The value of social connection both with the kids and parents but also the community of the club. This, as with most of your actions role models good behaviour to your child and the simple act of coaching also means you are spending more time with them! You have the opportunity to enjoy the experience of their sporting journey with them in a really involved way.
Win or Bust
Make sure as a coach you are focusing on the right thing which is what you can control. In most cases that will be the development of skills of all the players and not just one skill but a wide variety of skills. In all cases of great players you have to seen wins and losses and also as they grow into their bodies both physically and mentally their skills, capabilities and preferences will change over a long term timeframe. One of the great things about Basketball is it can help you get out of your comfort zone and then back into it. This is a skill that will stand you in good stead for life’s challenges.
Individual v Team
You need to work with the individual to make them feel they are part of the journey and provide them opportunities to develop skills within the framework of the team which has positive outcomes for both. Empower the players to continue to seek opportunities to develop if they wish. Players will remember the coaches who help them get better not the ones who only tell them what they are doing wrong.
Dealing with adversity
You will be upset, the players will be dejected, heads will be in hands. Make sure you rally first and understand that failure is a part of life and any mistakes that they think they made today are just an opportunity to learn. Consult with the group on what you can do next time, fun ways to prepare at training for next week and lots of positive opportunities going forward.
Pitfalls
Sometimes the confidence you can give to players can provide a fake sense of belief which leads to pressure to perform to reflect the belief you have in them. Sometimes as well individuals who fail might not get the same joy out of a win as everyone else. A key role for you is to monitor those people individually and give them the support to believe they can contribute the following week. Any drill always focus on the positive and look at the success not the failures. Keep a count of the time you do things correctly not the time you make errors. This allows you to be a solution focused coach and make it about the kids successes and strengths, after caring this might be the important behaviour for you as a junior coach.
Dealing with your own child
Sometimes you can over compensate and give your child too many opportunities or sometimes limit their opportunities cause you are focused on everyone else. Managing any group takes skill and when you add the child factor into that it multiples. You want to ensure that your child feels the sense of fairness, contribution and fun that you are trying to engender in the rest of the playing group as well. If they feel neglected or demoted they can become a problem that is doubly difficult for you both at home and at basketball!
What now
So we have given you all these challenges what are some of the things that you need to have in your mind to tick off when you turn up, bright eyed and a little nervous for that first training session.
• Know the kids names and something about them. That might mean talking to the parents before hand but have something that helps you build a connection. Their favourite player or team or if their birthday is coming up.
• Make sure they get to know you and have fun in that first session. The basketball skills can be developed over the season ahead but in that first session you can lose the players if you come in too hard or too cold.
• Make sure you have done the Basketball Australia Community Coaching Online Course to give you the confidence to go out there and create life long basketballers!
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