Principles of Ethical Youth Coaching

Coaches:Would you like to coach your players in an ethical environment where you aredeveloping the character of your players while sti ll being competi ti ve?Parents:Would you like your son or daughter coached in a safe environment wherethey will be able to develop life skills that will maximize their performance inareas outside of sports like educati on?The Principles of Ethical Youth Coaching provides the answers!The reality of sports is that very few athletes ever make it to the highest level ofa given sport. Yet the training resources off ered to youth coaches focus almostexclusively on strategies to promote winning. The techniques advocated bythese training programs may be acceptable for professional athletes; however,they are not acceptable for youth athletes. The overwhelming focus on winningcauses coaches to miss opportuniti es to promote character development skillsin their players. When, if at all, ethical player development skills are broughtup in these programs, it is done so in passing and no concrete strategies areoff ered. On the other hand, some well-intenti oned programs seek to eliminatewinning from the equati on. This is not a realisti c approach, as winning is afundamental aspect of sports and it must be embraced in the appropriatemanner. The Principles of Ethical Youth Coaching shows coaches how todevelop the character of their players while embracing the competi ti ve natureof sports.