Welcome to Carolina Bears Youth Athletics Organization’s
"Coaches Corner"

Coach: One who instructs, teaches or trains

As a coach, you are a teacher and a mentor. You spend a considerable amount of time with young athletes and have the potential to greatly influence their development.

The "Coaches Corner" has been designed to enable coaches of Carolina Bears Youth Athletics the resources needed to enhance their knowledge and skills of youth football. The most important feature of any player development is the quality of coaching. With the improvement of the coach will become the improvement of the player. The Coaches Corner is where the coaches get coached.

Coaching youth football is more than gathering at a practice or game and running through the X's and O's of the playbook. More importantly is teaching the necessary fundamentals and skills of every position. Many times in youth football, coaches become frustrated when their team cannot move the ball on offense or cannot stop the opposing team on defense. In most of these cases the coach begins to "search" for the right player for the position. The truth of the matter is, if a coach can teach and the child is coachable, then that child and several others are right in front of them.

The experience you give that child during his/her season, will be carried on for many years to come within that child’s life. How you speak, look, act and teach will be something the players under you remember for their entire lives.

Many times, the coach is the difference between a child continuing to play or never playing again.

Search through the links below and challenge yourself to become a better coach!

RECOMMENDED LINKS:

www.yfbca.org

www.usafootball.com

www.nflrush.com

www.americancoachingacademy.com

http://www.cdc.gov/concussion/HeadsUp/online_training.html

Coaching Youth Football

Youth Football Coaching Fundamentals

Youth football coaches need to focus on the fundamentals of football, as well as the fundamentals of life. There is more to youth football than just X’s and O’s -wins and losses. Youth football needs to teach values that can be used outside of football.  A winning season is always great and always should be the goal to start the year, but there is more to youth football than that.

Five Key Points of Focus

1. Focus should be on fundamentals and less on winning.

I am not saying coaches should go into a season not caring if they win or lose. You should never do anything to lose; the goal is always to work hard towards victory.  If the proper fundamental drills are practiced, winning will take care of itself. Focus should be on proper tackling, block shedding, blocking, confidence building, physical education, catching, throwing and teamwork. The basics are vital; it will only help the children as they move up in older age competition. Winning at all costs should never be the philosophy. Do not win at the expense of the kids.

2. Motivate the Players to do Their Best

All great coaches are great motivators. Getting your players to play for you is critical. Great motivators get their players to practice and play hard. Great motivators push their players to become better in practice-ultimately it will pay off come game day. Reward hard work, because when you work hard in life good things happen. So let’s teach that at the youth level, so these children know hard work will pay off.

3. The Parents

Be friendly with the parents. Write a letter to the parents about what they can expect from coaches and what the coaches expect from the parents and players. I have an old saying “Real Recognizes Real”, if you are there for the right reasons and care about the kids the parents will know. Just be fair with the players, no favoritism. I very rarely ever have a problem with a parent.

4. Promote Good Academics and Good behavior in School

Education is vital to overall success in life. You can only play football for so long-education is the most important ingredient to a successful life. You cannot get a good job without an education. Remember, youth football is about promoting positive traits that these children  will use as they progress into teen and adulthood. Ask yourself these questions coaches-have I promoted the importance of school to my players? Do I push them to do their best in school, like I push them in football practice? Do my players understand the importance of proper nutrition and physical education?

Remember, Education above All!

5. Yourself

Youth football coaches need to be professional at all times. Being a youth football coach comes with a lot of responsibilities. Leading by positive example is probably is one of the most important aspects. How coaches react to a win/loss or even a bad call will determine how your players react. The kids look up to the coaches, so be positive at all times.  You’re a coach, lead by positive example.