WYC 005 Sports Parenting Survival Guides; youth football and softball – Janis and Ted Meredith

What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Janis and Ted share coaching and parenting stories and discuss the journey to becoming a successful youth coach and sports parent. Janis and Ted Meredith have 3 children: a 26 year-old daughter, a 23 year-old son and a 21 year old daughter. They live in the Fort Meyers area of Florida and Janis has a blog and many great books about being the mom of athletes and a wife of a youth coach, which you can find at jbmthinks.com. Listen Now: Listen in ITunes: Itunes link Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link   Coaching/Leadership Quote ▪   ‘As a coach my goal is that each player ends the season as a better person and player’ – Coach Ted Meredith click to tweet! Coaching your own Kid ▪   You have to keep a balance between coach and Dad, and you have to be very honest with your son/daughter. My ‘Cringe’ Moment ▪   Coach Ted talks about sometimes being too tough on the kids in his early days of coaching, but learned how to strike a balance between being tough and being a friend via learning from his head coaching mentor Being a coach’s wife ▪   Janis quickly discovered – being a youth coach is not a glamor job! Parents are often tough on the coach and dealing with the many issues ‘was tougher than I anticipated.’ ▪   As a coach’s wife – she realized it worked better to disconnect from some of the more verbal parents if they are being negative and let the coach deal with any issues Coaching AH-HA Moment ▪   Explaining the ‘Why’ to the children on what you are doing in practice and games ▪   Teaching the kids that practices/life are not all fun – sometimes you have to grind through things and it is work – but the payoff is worth it! Teaching Children USA football has great form-tackling drills HUGE IDEA: EDD’s – EveryDay Drills – ABC’s – Agilities, Brief Contact, Contact Be organized and make the practice pace quick Keeping it Fun ▪   Piano drill in football – always teaching form tackling ▪   Cut-throat in softball – 3 teams of 5 so everyone stays involved What does a Mom want from a Coach? ▪   For her child to be challenged to get better – AND be in a supportive environment that celebrates as they meet those challenges Coaching Resources ▪   USA Football ▪   Youtube - Always can find great ideas and videos here ▪   HUDL - great way to watch video of friends/relatives in other parts of the country Discipline ▪   You have to decide whether you’re there to be a teacher/mentor vs. being a friend to the kids Rewards/Recognition ▪   Quick ‘Put-ups’ after the game are a great way to point out extra hustle and effort Dealing with parents and Teambuilding ▪   24 hour rule – parents need to wait 24 hours after a game until they discuss any issues with the coach ▪   Find a couple of parent advocates that will support you! Inspiring Story ▪   It’s very telling of what kind of coach you are – if the kids connect with you on Facebook after the season is over ▪   Janis shares the story of a coach who believed in her son even when he was having a tough time – the coach gave him 3 reasons he wanted him to succeed and it was a huge influence to him. ‘When we believe in kids – it matters and makes a difference to them and they feel that.’ Coaching girls ▪   Watch your eye-contact – If you stare at one of them – they might think you’re singling them out ▪   Your volume (yelling) might be more needed for boys vs. girls who often will respond quickly and do not respond well to yelling Be Part of the Positive Parents Tribe ▪   Jbmthinks.com – Janis has created this site to help parents teach positive life lessons through sports ▪   Check out ‘The Sports Parenting Survival Guide Series’ – 7 e-books that provide insight into how to thrive while being a sports parent Parting Advice ▪   Talk less!! Be to the point. ▪   Seek to understand then be understood ▪   Communicate clearly and consistently Interview Links