One of  the biggest concerns for moms who are interested in helping their child develop at a higher level faster is “How do I choose a coach?”.
Since this question comes up so often, I decided to address this issue with what I believe are 11 things that will help give you ‘peace of mind’ when choosing a coach.
So whether your child is going into football for the very first time, you are transferring to a new community, considering the hiring of a private positions coach or deciding on what college they should go to, these simple but important points should help.
- Does the coach have Integrity? Check around the community and see what his reputation is outside of the athletic field as well as on it.
- Does the coach have knowledge of the game? Talk with him at length and see what he knows and where he has coached and played. It would be very good if he belonged and is in good standings with top organizations of the game such as AFCA (American Football Coaches Association)
- Does the coach have experience in training young men? See about his length of tenure as a trainer. Also, has he trained in more than one section of the country and it will help if he has various levels that he has coached.
- Does the coach have experience in the sport and position? Because football is a challenging sport to coach it is important that a private coach has experience training the position for which he is trying to coach. Even head coaches have their expertise in various positions and side of the ball.
- Does the coach have a positive, motivational attitude? It is so important the approach that a coach takes when he is teaching young men. Ask yourself, Is he a dream maker or a dream breaker? “A great coach is one that can critique a player’s performance without demeaning his enthusiasm for the game.†John Wooden (legendary UCLA basketball coach.)
- Does the coach have a proven track record? “Finding testimonials, referrals and video is usually one of the easiest ways to find out if the coach has the proven skills to help your child. Have any of the coaches former students moved on to play at the next level such as a D1 college or the pros.
- Does the coach have multiple examples of players who have received scholarships to college? “Did you know that in some cases a student athlete can have some, if not all of their college tuition taken care of because of athletic scholarships? Most small colleges are now charging over $35,000 per year in tuition and larger schools upwards of $85,000.
- Does the coach allow you to interview players he has coached? Without a doubt, this could be the most important question of all as former players will tell you what an important role the coach has played in his life and the level of coaching he received. Make certain you can do this.
- Does the coach offer additional services? A true professional coach will assist in various additional ways; Including, but not limited to, conversing with his coaches, finding proper equipment, helping with his schedule of camps, and assisting the recruiting process, and searching the right agent when the time is right.
- Does the coach have video or live workouts of players He started and molded into outstanding players? (Not just a big list of players who he exercised after they had already made it) Â Discuss with him the methods and time it took to make these top players.
- Does the coach make a difference in the lives of his players? Will the players testify to what the impact of spending several years with this coach has meant to their overall success as a human being? Does he have a strong faith and foundation for the way he teaches.
