Willmar Parks & Rec utilizes volunteer coaches for all of our youth sports programs. 

Thank you for your willingness to coach.  Coaches are one of the most influential people in the lives of young athletes.  You have the opportunity and responsibility to teach valuable lessons that can impact the development of a child for a lifetime.  Please take that responsibility seriously!

For more information about becoming a coach, please contact Devin at dhatch@willmarmn.gov

COACHING TIPS

1. Welcome each player by name at every practice and game and greet them with a high five.  When kids arrive to coaches who are smiling and greeting them by name, they feel welcome and positive from the start.
2. Plan practices that keep kids active.  When kids are moving and active, they are more likely to stay focused.  At the younger ages, avoid lines.  Bring plenty of equipment so kids are not standing around waiting for their turn.  Find games/drills that give kids a lot of repeated practice of the skills.  Additional help at practices will assist in keeping the kids active.  Consider having "stations" where a different skill is taught at each one and the kids will rotate through the various stations.
3. Be brief!  Six 60-second conversations with your players at a practice are much better than two 5-minute conversations!  Make the most of the 30-60 seconds you've got their attention!  A suggestion: when you're talking to your athletes, get onto their level (at least physically) by taking a knee, so you can (literally and figuratively) see eye-to-eye.  And be positive!
4. Pick 1-2 areas of focus per practice/game.  You likely only have one hour for your practice.  Pick one topic (two at the most!) to introduce and repeat over and over again.  At the start of practice you might say, "Today is going to be all about passing."  Then each time you bring the players in, ask them, "What is our focus today?"  Then have this same focus for your competition that week.  Whenever you see it being executed well, let your players know it, "Milo, awesome pass to Nathan!"
5. End practices/games on a positive note, regardless of the result.  At the end of practices and games, call in all of the athletes and the parents.  Ask the kids, "Who saw one of your teammates do something well?"  The kids are actually good at answering this question.  Then ask the parents, "Parents, what did you see that you liked?"  This gives the parents a nice change to recognize specific, positive things they saw, and it ends the practice/competition on a high note.  This would be a great time to review sportsmanship and identify those who exemplified it.
6. Be positive and encouraging.  Remember, most of your athletes are just being introduced to the game.  Your role is to help the kids fall in love with the sport.  Please do not be a "drill sergeant" coach.  Focus on fundamentals and make it fun and positive for everyone.  Don't be the reason a child quits a sport!
7. Don't forget, this can be hard!  Most parents are surprised by how hard it is to feel successful coaching.  We go in with very high expectation, and we don't have control over the outcome!  You are not alone.  Find other coaches who have been doing this for a while, and share your challenges.  They can serve as a wonderful resource.