Practice Better with Responsible Sports

As a youth sports coach, you know that key preparation usually happens in practice.


This month, Responsible Sports, Positive Coaching Alliance, and USA Wrestling provide 10 steps for Responsible Coaches to create a successful practice:

1. Coaches’ Preparation: Mental preparation is especially important for volunteer coaches, who often come to practice straight from work. Coaches should always take a few minutes to mentally leave the workday behind, so they can bring infectious excitement to the club and their practice.

2. Objective & Priorities: What do you want your athletes to have mastered by the end of practice? Responsible Coaches adopt a Mastery Approach™. Write down 1-3 objectives, and rank them in order to ensure you hit the most important items.

3. Opening Ritual: Responsible Coaches set the tone right away with a strong Opening Ritual, which tells athletes to leave school behind, and focus on wrestling and his or her teammates.

4. Conditioning: Conditioning is critical, but can be a real drag for athletes. Why not make it fun? Change the location you hold each practice. Hold mini-competitions. Pair up kids.

5. Fun: Sports are supposed to be fun. Try to find ways to infuse fun into all aspects of the practice – from conditioning to rituals and everything in between.

6. Scrimmaging: Kids love playing in simulated match conditions. They develop skills faster and have more fun.

7. Club Meetings as Conversation: Clubs come together when they participate with each other. Legendary NBA coach Phil Jackson talks about allowing players to have the first word in a group meeting. When coaches engage athletes in this type of conversation, they’re treating the athletes under their direction as equals. This is a big “tank filler,” which contributes to greater performance.

8. Adding the Life Lessons Question: Responsible Coaches seek to win both inside and outside the mat. So talk about the life lesson from practice with your athletes. Then let them discuss and engage with the lesson.

9. Closing Ritual: Just as the Opening Ritual set the tone, the Closing Ritual helps kids take the positive experience of practice into their everyday lives. Fill emotional tanks. All of us, especially young men and women, need that.

10. Assessment: Assessment happens both with your club, and afterwards, on your own. How did practice go today? What was your favorite part and why? Is there something you got better at? And as the coach – what did I learn about my athletes during this practice that can help me become a better coach? A Mastery Approach holds true for both athletes and coaches alike.

In an effort to benefit millions of youth athletes, parents, and coaches, this article is among a series created exclusively for partners in the Liberty Mutual Insurance Responsible Sports Program powered by Positive Coaching Alliance.

©2013 Liberty Mutual Insurance and Positive Coaching Alliance. All rights reserved. This material may not be distributed without express written permission. Any reproduction in whole or part by and individuals or organizations will be held liable for copyright infringement to the full extent of the law.