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| Your Kids’ Coach Is Probably Doing It Wrong | Your Kids’ Coach Is Probably Doing It Wrong |
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| More than 45 million children are engaged in youth sports, but an estimated 70 percent will drop out by the time they are 13 years old. Not 5 percent, not 15 percent, but 70 percent. | More than 45 million children are engaged in youth sports, but an estimated 70 percent will drop out by the time they are 13 years old. Not 5 percent, not 15 percent, but 70 percent. |
| This is a critical issue because of the benefits of sport participation. A 2020 Centers for Disease Control study found that physically active youth have better weight control, academic achievement and mental health as well as a decreased risk of heart disease and lower likelihood of diabetes than those who are not. | |
| So why are so many kids dropping out? One of the most pervasive problems is that coaches are doing it wrong. | So why are so many kids dropping out? One of the most pervasive problems is that coaches are doing it wrong. |
| I have played for, coached with and watched great coaches. At every level, there are capable sports instructors providing positive experiences for our children. The problem is, such coaches are greatly outnumbered by those who don’t seem to know what they are doing. This is true of programs both inside and outside of schools. | I have played for, coached with and watched great coaches. At every level, there are capable sports instructors providing positive experiences for our children. The problem is, such coaches are greatly outnumbered by those who don’t seem to know what they are doing. This is true of programs both inside and outside of schools. |
| The youth sports industry is heavily dependent on the services of volunteers, typically parents or teachers. While these coaches may have wonderful intentions and enthusiasm for the game, that doesn’t mean they have the skills to provide useful instruction. The National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education reports that in the United States, approximately four million out of 7.5 million youth and school coaches are volunteers. Fewer than 5 percent of youth sport coaches have relevant training; among middle-school and high school coaches, only 25 percent to 30 percent do. | The youth sports industry is heavily dependent on the services of volunteers, typically parents or teachers. While these coaches may have wonderful intentions and enthusiasm for the game, that doesn’t mean they have the skills to provide useful instruction. The National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education reports that in the United States, approximately four million out of 7.5 million youth and school coaches are volunteers. Fewer than 5 percent of youth sport coaches have relevant training; among middle-school and high school coaches, only 25 percent to 30 percent do. |
| In my experience, most youth sport organizations and schools offer little in the way of education, feedback, coaching evaluations, mentoring or resources to their coaches, and the only ubiquitous requirement is the completion of a criminal-background check. | In my experience, most youth sport organizations and schools offer little in the way of education, feedback, coaching evaluations, mentoring or resources to their coaches, and the only ubiquitous requirement is the completion of a criminal-background check. |
| These inexperienced coaches often focus on winning rather than learning and development. I have seen my sons’ coach make the players run wind sprints after losing their second game during a three-game weekend tournament and walk off without a single word of encouragement after a loss. I have watched coaches scream at their team of 10-year-olds that they weren’t aggressive enough. I’ve observed instructors give the most talented kids the most attention and playing time. | These inexperienced coaches often focus on winning rather than learning and development. I have seen my sons’ coach make the players run wind sprints after losing their second game during a three-game weekend tournament and walk off without a single word of encouragement after a loss. I have watched coaches scream at their team of 10-year-olds that they weren’t aggressive enough. I’ve observed instructors give the most talented kids the most attention and playing time. |
| I’ve also witnessed coaches set aside the team’s attendance rules to allow stronger athletes who have missed practices to compete. And some coaches encourage one-sided competitions — I saw one continue to run a full-court press during a basketball game even when their team was winning by 20 points. | I’ve also witnessed coaches set aside the team’s attendance rules to allow stronger athletes who have missed practices to compete. And some coaches encourage one-sided competitions — I saw one continue to run a full-court press during a basketball game even when their team was winning by 20 points. |
| The great paradox here is that you don’t win by focusing on winning — that becomes possible only if you are competitive. And to be competitive, athletes must improve their skills, learn to play under pressure, persist against adversity and be mentally and physically prepared to perform at their best. | The great paradox here is that you don’t win by focusing on winning — that becomes possible only if you are competitive. And to be competitive, athletes must improve their skills, learn to play under pressure, persist against adversity and be mentally and physically prepared to perform at their best. |
| A good youth coach is one who can reinforce the things that were done right during a competition, regardless of the outcome, and help better prepare the athletes for the next event. A good youth coach ensures that every practice, every competition, every communication is focused on all of the athletes having a positive and enjoyable experience. | |
| Most coaches are not doing this. In a 2018 article from The Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, Peter A. Witt and Tek B. Dangi reviewed evidence from a 1993 survey of 10,000 U.S. kids and from more recent studies of competitive swimmers and reported that a lack of fun, negative coach behaviors and an overemphasis on winning were among the top reasons children drop out of sports. | Most coaches are not doing this. In a 2018 article from The Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, Peter A. Witt and Tek B. Dangi reviewed evidence from a 1993 survey of 10,000 U.S. kids and from more recent studies of competitive swimmers and reported that a lack of fun, negative coach behaviors and an overemphasis on winning were among the top reasons children drop out of sports. |
| The effects on children are worrisome: Coaches, the adults directly responsible for the athletes’ experiences, are taking the fun out of the game. My own children have asked their coach to let them shoot layups on three basketball hoops instead of one, only to have the instructor say that he has to watch each child shoot each shot. Some coaches treat their practices like military drills — demanding that the athletes pay strict attention and work hard for every minute of every practice. They discourage joking around and expect kids to behave like adults. A 2014 review published in The International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching summarized studies showing that children who drop out of sports often report that their coaches are controlling and autocratic. | The effects on children are worrisome: Coaches, the adults directly responsible for the athletes’ experiences, are taking the fun out of the game. My own children have asked their coach to let them shoot layups on three basketball hoops instead of one, only to have the instructor say that he has to watch each child shoot each shot. Some coaches treat their practices like military drills — demanding that the athletes pay strict attention and work hard for every minute of every practice. They discourage joking around and expect kids to behave like adults. A 2014 review published in The International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching summarized studies showing that children who drop out of sports often report that their coaches are controlling and autocratic. |
| Organizations like the Aspen Institute, the National Alliance for Youth Sports and the National Committee for Accreditation of Coaching Education are pushing for national required training and standards for youth coaches, and have created programs based upon the principles of positive coaching. But this is not enough. | Organizations like the Aspen Institute, the National Alliance for Youth Sports and the National Committee for Accreditation of Coaching Education are pushing for national required training and standards for youth coaches, and have created programs based upon the principles of positive coaching. But this is not enough. |
| We parents need to insist that the sports organizations our children join take part in such programs, conduct regular evaluations to help coaches improve and create a an age-appropriate playing environment. | |
| The mission statements for these organizations promote exactly the right ideas: that youth sport should be about having fun while learning to work hard for a common goal, to prioritize developing skills over winning, to persist in the face of adversity, to be a good sport and to be competitive. If these mission statements actually described the experiences of all youth athletes, more would continue participating. | The mission statements for these organizations promote exactly the right ideas: that youth sport should be about having fun while learning to work hard for a common goal, to prioritize developing skills over winning, to persist in the face of adversity, to be a good sport and to be competitive. If these mission statements actually described the experiences of all youth athletes, more would continue participating. |
| Please, coaches: Take a moment to consider how your behavior affects the athletes. Don’t make my children hate the sports they once loved. Don’t make them switch disciplines every season in a desperate search for a coach who knows how to be a coach. | Please, coaches: Take a moment to consider how your behavior affects the athletes. Don’t make my children hate the sports they once loved. Don’t make them switch disciplines every season in a desperate search for a coach who knows how to be a coach. |
| If you are fortunate enough to be called “Coach,” carry that moniker with pride. Seek out education and mentoring and do everything in your power to make sure that my child, and every child, has fun playing the sport with you because they feel valued and accomplished while learning to be competitive. | If you are fortunate enough to be called “Coach,” carry that moniker with pride. Seek out education and mentoring and do everything in your power to make sure that my child, and every child, has fun playing the sport with you because they feel valued and accomplished while learning to be competitive. |
| Making games enjoyable for all is a first step in fixing the problem of youth sports. | Making games enjoyable for all is a first step in fixing the problem of youth sports. |
| Jennifer L. Etnier is a distinguished professor of kinesiology at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, and the author of “Coaching for the Love of the Game: A Practical Guide for Working with Young Athletes.” | Jennifer L. Etnier is a distinguished professor of kinesiology at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, and the author of “Coaching for the Love of the Game: A Practical Guide for Working with Young Athletes.” |
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