Coaching

Most of those who coach youth sports are men. If you are a woman, particularly a mom, here's what you need to do if you want to become a coach.

The absence of woman coaches in youth sports has been termed one of the most backward traditions in sports today. Far from being ill-equipped to be good youth sports coaches, women actually have natural advantages when it comes to coaching at that level and make excellent youth sports coaches.

The most successful sports seasons are the ones that begin with a pre-season meeting of coaches, team moms, parents and players. A preseason meeting sets a positive tone for the season by opening the lines of communication early so everyone is on the same page and understands and agrees on what they expect from one another.

Most youth sports coaches, especially up to the level of so-called "elite" or "select" teams, have a child on the team. If you are coaching your own child, or even if you are an assistant coach or team mom or team parent, there are three keys to follow to make it a positive experience.

Of the estimated 4.1 million youth sports coaches in the United States, only an estimated 650,000 are women. Even women who take th time to get their coaching licenses and want to coach are sometimes denied coaching positions. Find out what happens when a mom ends up coaching a team of sixth- and seventh-grade boys who are used to being coached by men.

It is a myth that a good athlete automatically makes a good coach. "Unfortunately, there's still sort of this belief when it comes to sports that if you've played it, you can coach it, and if you've played it really well, you'll be a really good coach," observes Karen Partlow, National Director of American Sports Education Program, one of the country's best-known training programs for coaches and administrators.

The tragic death of soccer referee Ricard Portillo is just the latest example of the abuse of game officials and poor sportsmanship that has led to a shortage of referees, leading leagues and states legislatures to enact rules of conduct and criminalize assaults.

The Games Based Approach differs from more conventional methods of instruction, characterized by lining up and standing around, which relies on repetition. With the Games Based Approach to teaching sports, all aspects of the sport, from the basic skills to more technical moves and strategies, are taught in the context of fun, yet instructive, games. Players practice skills with creative exercises.