Coaching Kids for Dummies [Paperback]

Rick Wolff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 21, 2000

What could be easier or more fun than coaching youth sports? How complicated could it be—it’s all fun and games, right? Unfortunately, coaching kids isn’t that simple. If you’ve ever watched a youth league game, you know that all sorts of pressures, worries, concerns, and emotions come into play when your kid is out on the field. In fact, it’s not unusual to witness at least one ugly incident at a game where a coach or parent has gotten out of control. The good news is, as a coach, you can guarantee that kids have fun, get the physical and psychological boost they need, and want to play on your team next year. And now this book shows you how.

Written by a nationally recognized sports-parenting expert, coach, and author who is also a former professional baseball player, Coaching Kids For Dummies shows you step by step how to make sports a positive experience for kids of all ages. Packed with practical advice for coaches and parents, it shows you how to:

• Help kids select the best sports for them
• Communicate effectively with your young athletes
• Deal with losses and wins
• Provide encouragement without pushing too hard
• Motivate kids and boost performance
• Foster good sportsmanship
• Prevent sports burnout
• Handle irate parents
• Evaluate travel teams

No matter what your prior experience with youth league sports—even if you weren’t in one yourself as a kid—Coaching Kids For Dummies coaches you in all the essentials. Topics you’ll explore include:

• What every parent should know about youth sports, including the right age to get them started, how leagues work, and what your kid and you can expect
• Basic coaching tasks and responsibilities, such as pregame preparation, practice sessions, team meetings with kids and parents, and more
• Communication and motivational skills every coach needs to develop
• Coaching challenges, including scheduling, hostile parents, dealing with injuries, and coaching your own kids

Loaded with tested-in-the-trenches strategies for helping kids get the most out of sports, Coaching Kids For Dummies is every youth league coach’s survival guide.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A Sports Illustrated columnist and nationally recognized expert shows parents and coaches how to unleash kids' athletic potential.

From the Back Cover

Packed with practical advice for coaches and parents

The easy way to motivate kids and boost performance How do you get kids started in sports? Or provide encouragement without pushing too hard? Or instill a sense of sportsmanship? In this friendly guide, noted sports-parenting authority Rick Wolff provides the answers — and shows you step-by-step how to make sports a positive experience for kids of all ages.

Discover how to: Help kids select the best sports for them Communicate effectively Deal with losses (and wins) Foster good sportsmanship Prevent sports burnout Evaluate travel teams

The Dummies Way^™ Explanations in plain English "Get in, get out" information Icons and other navigational aids Tear-out cheat sheet Top ten lists A dash of humor and fun

Get smart! www.dummies.com Register to win cool prizes Browse exclusive articles and excerpts Get a free Dummies Daily^™ e-mail newsletter Chat with authors and preview other books Talk to us, ask questions, get answers

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Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (March 21, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764551973
• ISBN-13: 978-0764551970
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #435,841 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #60 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Coaching > Children's Sports

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to coach or just be a supportive parent!, August 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Coaching Kids for Dummies (Paperback)

I bought this book when I heard the author was going to be on Oprah. I wasn't sure I was ready to let my child participate in organized sports at a young age, but this has helped me figure out what my child should expect from her coach and how I can be a supportive parents too, without putting pressure on anyone.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for first-timers, January 20, 2003

By 

E. Johnson (El Cajon, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coaching Kids for Dummies (Paperback)

I have appreciated the Dummies series as the publisher has some fun with topics that we might not have a clue. Having coached both Little League and softball (ASA), I saw this book on the shelf and decided to buy it to see if there are any hints that I might have been missing. Overall, this book is excellent for those who are just starting out in the coaching world. Handling kids and knowing the sport can be quite tricky, especially when parents are part of the equation. I think looking this over before stepping onto the field (and looking like a "dummy") is a very wise investment of money and time. I pretty much experienced most of what he explained, but Wolff was very straightforward and to the point. I appreciated his insights and will consider using several of the tips that I had not thought of before. Parents, get out of your lawn chairs, quit complaining behind our backs, and help us other parents coach!