WYC 011 Youth Football – Darin Clark – Step up and Coach even if you’re not an Expert

What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Darin shares coaching stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth coach. Darin is a graphic designer, he is married and father of four boys ages 5-14, and has coached a mix of basketball and flag football for the past 19 years. He also is the founder of the Father and Son Bowl community event in Franklin, Tennessee – which has grown from a few families in 2006 to over 1,100 players in 2013 - which raised over $38,000 for fatherless children. Facebook: Father and Son Bowl Twitter: DarinClark@FatherSonBowl Websites: fatherandsonbowl.com, dclarkcreative.com Listen Now: Listen in ITunes: Itunes link Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link   Coaching/Leadership Quote ‘Encourage fathers to be the loving and strong leaders that they are created to be’ click to tweet! What do I do when they need a parent to coach but I don’t know much about that sport? HUGE IDEA #1 : Be willing to step up and coach – even if you’re on an expert in a sport – you can get the help you need to learn! Seek advice from others and don’t be afraid to admit that you don’t know that much about coaching this sport! Evaluate what level the kids are at and adjust accordingly My ‘Cringe’ Moment Being too competitive and losing my cool during games Teaching Children & Keeping it Fun Involve the Dads! – Darin has seen good success when he brings in some of the Dads to play some games and do drills with the boys. Be engaged as a coach! – Darin also personally jumps into the games and drills so the players can see his passion and connect with the boys Best Stolen Idea Having a very simple playbook – and letting the kids name the plays so they can remember them Playbook for 7-8 year olds & Calling Plays Have 3 or 4 base formations – then 3 or 4 simple variations Don’t overworry about other coaches ‘stealing’ your signals – they usually are focused on their own team and aren’t paying attention to that Discipline Throw a penalty flag – Darin actually brings penalty flags with him to practice and throws them as needed Consequences have to be tied to kids making a bad decision Reward, Recognition, and Teambuilding Words of affirmation is the primary method Darin uses – lots of praise, fist-bumps, chest-bumps  The One that Got Away Listen to your assistant coaches! – Both Coach Darin and Craig share stories of not listening to their assistant coaches – and how this hurt their teams  Coaching/Leadership Motivation Book: The Bible – be a humble, servant-leader HUGE IDEA #2 - The Father and Son Bowl Backyard style football – Kids from 5 years old to grandfathers who are 75 play flag football together Grown from a few families in 2006 to over 1,100 players in 2013 - which raised over $38,000 for fatherless children. Interview Links HUDL Dave Cisar’s WinningYouthFootball Ready to be an Awesome Youth Coach? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter @ WinningYouthCoaching.com