What can coaches and parents do to facilitate healthy youth sports?
Adults need to keep in mind that kids look for a model of how to act when it comes to winning, losing, being healthy. In the United States and Canada, we’re seeing an increase in leagues requiring parents and coaches to sign codes of conduct. Coaches tend to put the onus of good behaviour on themselves – if they don’t act as the model, if they’re out of control, parents will be out of control and kids will be too. Yet most leagues don’t properly prepare coaches. If anything is done to prepare them, it’s to get them to understand the sports skills and rules. But their training doesn’t get into coaching philosophy, how to be a role model, how to control behaviour and communicate effectively with kids. But learning these skills is important to give kids a positive sports experience. Leagues also need to be very upfront about their philosophy and what they want kids to get out of the program. I’m drawing up a proposal to have youth leagues rated in a way similar to how films are rated. If
