The Joys of Coaching

By: Susan Hickey

If you have had kids in sports, you’ve likely been there.  Your phone rings, the caller ID says YMCA.  You answer, and the friendly voice on the other end says, “Hi!  I’m calling about your son Joey’s basketball team.  Right now, they don’t have a coach.  Can you help?”

This has happened to me several times, not just at the Y.  Parents are getting their children involved in sports at earlier ages, which places an increased demand on leagues to find adequate adult help.  It’s not isolated to one particular sport – I’ve been called for baseball, basketball and soccer.  So it’s not an issue of a particular skill set.  To me, it seems to come down to misconceptions about what is required to be a coach.

I was first asked to help coach my 5 year old son’s soccer team.  Back then, I had never stepped on a soccer field.   I didn’t understand the rules, wasn’t familiar with the game, and surely lacked skills.  The assistant coach’s medical issues limited her physical activity on the field, so she ensured me that she would handle the cognitive aspects, if I would essentially chase – err, direct – the kids around the field.   So, I agreed.  I learned so much about the game that year and enjoyed teaching the kids while I learned alongside them.  They had no expectations of me.  They were there to have fun and make friends while playing a game.  My job was to facilitate, help develop strength and coordination, and hopefully teach a few life lessons along the way.

Since that first experience, I have coached 2 more seasons of soccer and assisted with 2 seasons of basketball.  Each season, I meet new faces eager to learn and play and I try to get to know each player at her level.  In this age of intense competition, I find this a great opportunity to focus on playing for the love of the game and for increasing physical fitness.  Watching players develop skills, both on and off the court, is tremendously rewarding.  Giving that hardworking child a high-five when they make their first basket is heartwarming.  As you stand in a team huddle and offer some last minute encouragement, and you see little eyes intently listening to every word, you realize how humbling this job is.  These little people need you to help them succeed.  They need you.

So, what’s holding you back?  Time?  You are probably at the game anyway, and you likely brought them to practice.  Parenting, by nature, makes all of us busy.  Fear of inadequacy?  I’ve never had a child criticize my ability (or lack thereof).  In fact, when I make a bad shot, it’s an opportunity to teach another lesson:  “Oops, that wasn’t my best try.  Here, I will try again and maybe get it this time.” Inability to work with challenging kids?  Working with other people’s kids can be hard, but it adds new skills to one’s parenting toolbox. 

Billy Graham once said, “A coach will impact more people in one year than the average person will in a lifetime.”  The next time you get that phone call, think about how you could bring a positive influence to a child’s life.  Coaching requires effort, of course.  However, consider the rewards I mentioned above, and many more not listed here.  Ultimately, Magic Johnson may have said it best:  “All kids need is a little help, a little hope, and somebody who believes in them.”  Will you be that somebody?  A little person out there is counting on you.