Now, more than ever, kids are dropping out of sports in droves — 70% are gone by the age of 13, and many quit much earlier. That high drop-out rate at such an early age hinders the athletes' ability to learn valuable lessons like teamwork, fair play, and perseverance.
Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), a national nonprofit organization based at the Stanford University Department of Athletics, was created to ensure that every young athlete, high school age and younger, has the chance to learn the powerful character lessons sports can provide.
At PCA, we believe youth football is an especially good vehicle for teaching life lessons. Life lessons tend to come from overcoming challenges or learning to bounce back when a challenge is too great. Youth football, when properly led and coached, is an educational experience of the highest degree, one that allows kids to face and overcome these challenges.
When a child is deciding whether to continue playing sports, the single most important person he or she considers is the coach. When coaches keep the game fun, emphasize effort first and wins and losses second, and help players live up to high standards through encouragement and praise, kids don't want to quit. Often, kids with positive coaches can't wait to go to practice because they have the right attitude about sports and winning. This eagerness and enthusiasm develops in them a joy of sports that lasts a lifetime.
Few kids who play football will become professional or college players; most will not even play for their high school team. But every child can learn to get back up when they are knocked down, support their teammates when they are under pressure, and demonstrate courage in the face of adversity.
Our two-hour workshops are based on the recommendations of some of the greatest coaches in the world and powerful insights from the field of sports psychology. We have turned these insights into practical tools that any coach can apply in their very next practice. Because these tools help athletes and teams improve their performance while helping them in their lives beyond the playing field, coaches have embraced them. When done correctly, building character and striving to win should reinforce each other; they are not mutually exclusive.
Football leaders like Herm Edwards, San Francisco 49ers President Peter Harris, Gene Washington of the NFL, and Hall-of-Famer Ronnie Lott have joined our National Advisory Committee to promote Positive Coaching because they too believe in the need for more positive coaches and supportive parents in and around football. With their help, we will continue to help create the most rewarding football experience for all who enjoy the sport.
PCA's goal is for every child to have a "Double-Goal Coach" who strives not only to win but, more importantly, to use athletics as a tool for teaching life lessons. We have trained more than 40,000 coaches in more than 1,000 workshops for coaches all over the U.S. (500 in the last year alone).
What does a Double-Goal Coach do?
Models and teaches players to honor the game by demonstrating respect for the Rules, Opponents, Officials, Teammates and one's Self (what we call getting to the ROOTS of Positive Play).
Redefines what it means to be a "winner" by teaching the ELM Tree of Mastery (E for effort, L for learning and improvement, M for bouncing back from mistakes) to encourage kids to give their best.
Fills Players' "Emotional Tanks" with encouragement and praise so they can perform at their best and support their teammates.
Jim Thompson is Executive Director of the Positive Coaching Alliance.
