Coaches of Youth Sport

I remember growing up and always looking up to my coaches, at all levels. They taught me fundamentals and technical skills of the game, appropriate sportsmanship, how to play or work with people I didn't know or didn't care for, and they taught me a lot of life skills.

It takes a special person to coach, most coaches, certainly at the youth levels are volunteers. If were not for the volunteers many kids may not have the opportunity to play. Volunteer coaches use their own free time to learn and study the game, coach the appropriate skills, keep playing time fair, handle the athletes, guide the parents, promote the fundraising, and the list goes on.

When it comes to thinking about the well-being of the youth athlete, some coaches stay their distance from discussing nutrition, injury prevention, and weight training. Maybe some coaches don't feel it is their responsibility, some don't have the time, some are not familiar with the proper guidelines, however, some coaches do make the effort to find the correct resources to help athletes better their athletic well-being.

In the last 3 weeks, I have spoke with 5 coaches of youth sport teams reaching out for opportunities to better the well-being of their athletes. They see the incidence of injuries rising. They see athletes who just want to be better. They see how the scope of athletic preparation has evolved (oh, it certainly has).

Coaches, you reach out to many people. You are the "go to" for parents, you are the "go to" for athletes. There are many ways to help those who look up to you. There are simple, time efficient, and low cost ways to better the well-being of your athletes. Ask yourself, "What imprint do I want to leave on my athletes?"

For ideas, "done for you" programs, and other resources, please contact me!

In Sport and Health,

Len
www.youthsportsfitness.com