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Here are a couple of soccer coaching tips that will really help your communication with the parents. I've been on both sides of the aisle...parent and coach. As a parent, you want to see your child do well, improve and have fun. Many parents also have a win at all costs attitude. This can be a real problem when it comes to your team. If you don't set some good ground rules ahead of time, you will very quickly find yourself with a pile of coaches on the sidelines all giving your players very different instructions. It is very important that you open a clear line of communications with the parents before the season begins. Take some time to explain your philosophy to the parents. Your goals and what you need the parents to do to help out. Some of the things that you will want to cover here are: ==> Don't yell at the players ==> Don't give praise for bad habits ==> Don't yell at the refs or other players ==> Don't focus on just winning/losing I recommend putting together a small handout that hits on the key points you want the parents to know. Things like: ==> Equipment requirements for each child ==> Practice times and locations ==> Game times and how early the kids need to be there ==> Snack schedule ==> Your phone number & email address ==> A quick run down of your coaching philosophy and goals The number one thing that parents want is to know what is going on. I had one horrible season as a parent with my son Donovan. His coach was consistently late to practice or didn't show up at all. He frequently missed games or failed to let us know when games had been cancelled. This is not a way to give your parents a good experience, and believe me there is a trickle down effect to the kids. Be sure to let your parents know as soon as possible about any changes in the schedule. If you are going to be late for practice, be sure to text and email your parents. A little courtesy will go a long way towards developing good will with your parents. If you can find a parent to help be a communications coordinator, this can save you a bunch of time. Find a responsible parent that can be a part of the phone chain. This way you can call her (usually a stay-at-home mom is your best bet here) and have her pass the word to the other parents. Remember, your parents are the #1 asset you have to make your job easier, more fun & more stress free! Tips for the Parents Before you do anything else, make sure that you have the phone number and email address of your coach. It took me half a season to get this for one of my boy's coaches and this made every practice and game an adventure. As a parent, you are responsibility to re-emphasize your coach's philosophy with your kids. Remember that at this age the most important thing is for your kids to increase in skill and the enjoyment of the game. Anything that you can do to make things easier on the coach will be greatly appreciated. Helping pass the word about schedule changes, coordinate the refreshments for games and support the goals of the team are all-important parts of being a good soccer mom or dad. Make sure that you do your best to get your kids to practice and games on time. If you have something in your schedule that will prevent this, please let the coach know as well. Most coaches at this level coach because they love the game and they love to teach kids soccer. They are not always compensated by the league/club financially, or are paid poorly at best. A small gift at the end of the season is very appropriate and makes a coach feel appreciated for his or her efforts. Here are are couple of other key things to remember: ==> Kids want to play because soccer is fun! ==> Buy a good lawn chair. You'll be spending a lot of time hanging around the soccer field ==> Be consistent with your encouragement of the players ==> Let the coach do the coaching ==> Let the ref referee the game One of the best soccer coaching tips I can give both parents and coaches is to communicate! For more information about running a successful soccer team, visit my soccer coaching tips blog. You can get free access to my special report "3 Deadly Mistakes Soccer Coaches Make" at my website http://www.ultimatesoccercoaching.com.
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