Communication is the key to coaching. For the team to have success, all the great ideas you may have as a coach need to be presented to your fellow coaches, the players, and their parents in a clear organized manner.
It is important to agree upon a method for sharing that information with the coaching staff, players, and parents.
The Coaching Staff
Whenever the coaching staff has the opportunity to meet away from the field prior to and during the season, it will be easier for them to come to an agreement concerning all areas of the team. It is during these meetings that each coach's ideas and thoughts can be brought up and the following differing views can be discussed:
- Offensive and defensive scheme and special teams play.
- Practice organization.
- Game day organization.
- Methods used to teach.
- Individual responsibilities.
During the meetings away from the field, it is important that everyone is given a chance to speak. The head coach may direct the discussions, but this should be an open forum time for the staff. Once a decision is made in any of these areas, everyone on the coaching staff must accept it. At the end of the meetings, the coaches:
- Must be in agreement
- Present a unified front
- Speak with one voice
On the field coaches must communicate with each other with respect and agreement. The players must receive one message, and this can only be done if the coaches are in agreement in every area of their coaching. Any disagreements are best settled away from the players and the parents.
The Players
Coaches should support one another and be attentive when a coach is addressing the team. Players can easily become confused if they sense that the coaches are in conflict or worse, if different members of the staff coach them to perform a technique in different ways. All coaches must try to communicate with the players on the team in a very positive manner.
- Teach each player what you want them to do and not what you want them not to do.
- Address each player calmly and with respect - be upbeat.
- Avoid embarrassing any player on the team.
- Always try to understand what the players know and what is going to be new to them.
- Explain - Demonstrate - Practice - Correct - Repeat.
Often it requires some thought and greater explanation to coach a player in a positive manner. Rather than telling a player how to react to the opposition, coaches will often use phrases that begin with the word "DON'T." If there is one word that we should all try to eliminate from our coaching, it is "DON'T."
Here are some examples of the difference between coaching with the positive "What to do" approach and the negative "What NOT to do:"
- Instead of saying "Don't throw into coverage" Say: "When you see two defenders near your intended receiver, go to the next receiver or throw the ball out of bounds."
- Instead of saying "Don't get hooked" Say: "When the blocker's head moves to your outside, step out with your outside foot and step into the blocker so your head is even with his outside shoulder, your outside leg is free and you are driving him back into the backfield with your inside arm and hand in his numbers."
- Instead of saying "Don't get beat deep" Say: "Stay in your back pedal until the receiver gets within 3 yards of you then turn and run deep toward the goal line keeping the receiver between you and the quarterback."
In each of these examples, it is important to remember that if the player is going to learn to do the technique correctly, then it must be communicated to him in a thorough and thoughtful manner. Telling him what not to do confuses the player and will often make him or her feel uncertain about what is expected of him or her.
- Praise all of your players whenever possible.
- Start each correction with some positive point and then make the correction.
- Praise effort as well as performance.
- Repetitions by the players are more important than lectures by the coaching staff.
- Once a technique has been explained, practiced and corrected, provide ample time for all the players to have as many repetitions as possible.
- Continually review each technique at practice sessions during the year.
The Parents
Communicating with parents is essential for your team's success. Parents need to be continually informed about the team's progress. Hopefully, with encouragement, many parents are going to have an interest in the team, the coaching, the goals, and their child. Every communication with the parents should be positive and focus on providing information that increases the parents' confidence in the program.
- It is important that each parent understand that there is a proper time and place to discuss any questions about the team.
- Coaches should have a pre-arranged program that makes them available by phone, e-mail, or in person for any discussions concerning their child or any coaching method.
- This program needs to be explained and agreed to at the beginning of the year.
- At no time should these discussions take place on the field in front of the player.
- Every member of the coaching staff needs to expect and welcome questions from the parents.
It is important that each coach knows to:
- Listen to the parent.
- Remain calm.
- Treat the parent with respect.
- Assure each parent that the discussion will be brought before the entire coaching staff.
While coaches and parents may freely discuss the performance of the parent's child, it is usually a good idea to avoid discussing the play of any other players on the team.
Following each game and practice, the parents should be encouraged to come in with the team. Time needs to be allotted for the parents to come on the field in order for both players and parents to hear what is said when the coach is speaking to the entire squad.
The First Meeting
The first meeting you have as a coaching staff with the parents and the players can go a long way to avoiding major problems later in the year. It is often best to have this first meeting away from practice. If players are included in his meeting, try to keep it short so they do not become restless or bored. During this meeting it is good to:
- Introduce the coaching staff.
- Describe the coaching philosophy and method as well as your team goals.
- Explain how the players need to hear one message in order not to be confused.
- Introduce the support staff of the team and explain their role.
- Clearly explain the method that will be followed plus the appropriate time and place for any discussion concerning their child in relationship to the team.
- Emphasize the importance of being on time for the start and end of every practice and game.
- Stress the importance and rules concerning the league, attending practice and games and vacation times.
- Discuss the emergency procedures that will be followed in case of injury.
- Explain the methods of communication that the team will use: E-mail, telephone etc.
- Hand out practice and game schedules and locations. A good idea is to e-mail Mapquest directions for away games to every parent, (or link the Mapquest directions to your website) thus avoiding pre game direction request calls.
- Explain how equipment handouts will be handled, what additional cleats and accessories the parents need to purchase and where they can buy them ( socks, jock support, water bottle, etc.) as well as any necessary forms that parents need to complete.
Your players are going to observe and evaluate everything you do from the moment they step on the field until they leave following practice or a game. They will listen to your verbal communication and also observe you body language when you:
- Speak with your fellow coaches.
- Visit with the opposing coaching staff.
- Speak with the officials before, during, and after a game.
- Coach any player on the team.
- Speak with the parents.
Try to give a positive message of encouragement and praise through the words you speak and the way you control your body. The negative message you send to your players when you kick the ground, throw your arms in the air, or shake your head can adversely influence their perception of the game as much as yelling or screaming.
Young players, more than others, want to learn, play, and have fun. As their coach, it is important to understand and accept that winning may not, and should not, be their top priority when starting to play the great game of football.