Saturday, I coached my first ever game of any kind. It was a U7 soccer game at 9am. We play with Oxford Soccer. It was great!
I have officiated ball games, watched many, many more, but this was my first a shot at coaching from the sidelines instead of the stands or the couch. I was nervous.
Having never coached before, I struggle with what drills to run, how to substitute players, what to say to parents and whether to keep score. I know more than my 5-6-7year olds, but I am not schooled in the ways of futbol. So, I did what pretentious, overeducated, people like me do when faced with a problem, I bought a book. Then, this time, I actually read it.
The book pictured above is Coaching Outside of the Box by Richard Shaw and Paul Mairs. It is an excellent read that is much less about the Xs and Os of coaching and is more about creating a mindset and opportunities for kids to learn and grow in their sport. The sport they speak of is soccer, but the principles and criticisms they make can be applied across the board to all sports, especially for those who play with traveling teams and tournament clubs for soccer, baseball, volleyball or softball.
If your child plays sports, this book is worth looking at. If you want to borrow my copy, you can. But, if you live prohibitively far from Oxford, North Carolina, just pick it up through your local store or the evil interweb. I think you will appreciate their work.
chris aho (rev. dr. christopher r aho) 