Packed with drills and tips for practice and game days The fun and easy way(r) to kick-start your soccer coaching skills Volunteering as a youth soccer coach can be a great experience, both for you and your squad. But what if you've never coached before? Don't worry! This friendly guide explains soccer rules, shows you how to approach coaching, and gives you practical pointers on improving your team's soccer skills and encouraging good sportsmanship. Discover how to Understand soccer rules Develop a coaching philosophy Teach soccer fundamentals Run great practices Lead your team during a game Communicate effectively with parents

If you are a baseball fan, then coaching youth baseball is one the most enjoyable and rewarding activities you’ll experience. But what if you’ve never coached before? Or you haven’t played the game in a while and have forgot some key points to the sport? No worries! Coaching Baseball for Dummies guides you through the rules of the game, explaining all the essential skills and the best ways to teach them to your players. Covering different age groups and great practice routines, this guide is all you need to have a fun-filled season. You’ll discover how to: Fulfill the role of being a coach and parent Develop a coaching philosophy Understand how your league works Evaluate your team Teach your players fundamentals Understand all kinds of children Create your practice plan Prepare for game day Overcome challenges and problems This plain-English guide also shows you how to run all kinds of drills, from hitting and pitching to fielding and base running. And when your team is tense or low on morale, it shows you how to relax your players and keep them focused on the game. There are also suggestions for making your season, and theirs, a memorable one. Coaching Baseball for Dummies shows you how much fun it can be to train kids to be athletes, have good sportsmanship, and work together as a team.

Thinking about volunteering as a lacrosse coach? Even if you’ve never done it before, you can lead your team to a safe and exciting season. Coaching Lacrosse For Dummies shows you the fun and easy way to get the score on coaching youth lacrosse with loads of tips and plenty of offensive and defensive drills. This friendly guide helps you grasp the basics and take charge on the field. You’ll get lots of expert advice on teaching essential skills to different age groups, determining positions for each player, promoting teamwork, keeping kids healthy and injury-free, helping struggling players improve their skills and encouraging your best players to make the most of their talents, and leading your team effectively during a game. Discover how to: Recognize your behind-the-scenes responsibilities Get a handle on rules and terms Plan and execute practices Teach basic lacrosse skills Identify players’ strengths and weaknesses Juggle the dual roles of coach and parent Develop a lacrosse coaching philosophy Motivate all of your players Make practice and skill-building fun Understand the league your coaching Make sure your team has all the right equipment Take different approaches to coaching girls and boys Assign players to positions Motivate players on game day It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it. Make yourself the perfect somebody with a little help from Coaching Lacrosse For Dummies.

Few experiences are more rewarding than coaching a youth football team. Your journey through the season will be packed with moments that make you smile and that you and your players will remember for the rest of your lives. But what if you’ve never coached before? No worries! Coaching Football For Dummies is the fun and easy way to tackle the basics of coaching youth football. This friendly guide shows you how to teach your players effectively, regardless of their age or skill level, and lead your team to victory—even if you’re a first-time coach. You’ll discover how to: Develop a coaching philosophy Teach football fundamentals Encourage good sportsmanship Improve your team’s skills Ensure safety on the field Communicate effectively with parents Packed with valuable information on preparing your game plan before you even step on the field, this hands-on resource gives you expert guidance in building your coaching skills, from evaluating your players and running enjoyable, productive practices to working with all types of kids—uncoordinated, shy, highly talented—at once. You’ll find a variety of fun-filled drills for teaching everything from tackling and blocking to running and catching, as well as advanced drills to take your players’ skills up a notch. You’ll also see how to: Conduct a preseason parents’ meeting—an often overlooked aspect of coaching Gather the necessary gear and fit the equipment to your players Raise the level of play on offense, defense, and special teams Take steps to avoid injuries Deal with discipline issues and problem parents Make critical half-time adjustments Transition to coaching an All-Star Team Complete with tips for working with parents, keeping your players healthy, and leading your team effectively on game days, Coaching Football For Dummies is all you need—besides a whistle and a clipboard—to navigate your players through a safe, fun, rewarding season!

So you’re thinking about volunteering to coach youth basketball? Great! You’re in for a fun, rewarding experience. Whether you’re new to the sport and looking for some guidance or you’re a seasoned coach hunting for some fresh tips, Coaching Basketball For Dummies will help you command the court with confidence. Each friendly chapter is packed with expert advice on teaching the basics of basketball—from dribbling and shooting to rebounding and defending—and guiding your kids to a fun-filled, stress-free season. You get a crash course in the rules and regulations of the game, as well as clear explanations of what all those lines, circles, and half-circle markings mean on the court. You’ll assign team positions, run great practices, and work with both beginning and intermediate players of different age groups. You’ll also see how to ramp up your players’ skills and lead your team effectively during a game. This book will also help you discover how to: Develop your coaching philosophy Understand your league’s rules Conduct a preseason parents’ meeting—crucial for opening the lines of communication Teach offensive and defensive strategies Keep your kids healthy and injury-free Encourage good sportsmanship Make critical half-time adjustments during a game Help struggling players Address discipline problems and handle difficult parents Coach an All-Star or Travel team Complete with numerous offensive and defensive drills and tips for helping your kids relax before a game, Coaching Basketball For Dummies is the fun and easy way to get the score on this worthwhile endeavor!

What could be easier or more fun than coaching youth sports? How complicated could it be—it’s all fun and games, right? Unfortunately, coaching kids isn’t that simple. If you’ve ever watched a youth league game, you know that all sorts of pressures, worries, concerns, and emotions come into play when your kid is out on the field. In fact, it’s not unusual to witness at least one ugly incident at a game where a coach or parent has gotten out of control. The good news is, as a coach, you can guarantee that kids have fun, get the physical and psychological boost they need, and want to play on your team next year. And now this book shows you how. Written by a nationally recognized sports-parenting expert, coach, and author who is also a former professional baseball player, Coaching Kids For Dummies shows you step by step how to make sports a positive experience for kids of all ages. Packed with practical advice for coaches and parents, it shows you how to: Help kids select the best sports for them Communicate effectively with your young athletes Deal with losses and wins Provide encouragement without pushing too hard Motivate kids and boost performance Foster good sportsmanship Prevent sports burnout Handle irate parents Evaluate travel teams No matter what your prior experience with youth league sports—even if you weren’t in one yourself as a kid—Coaching Kids For Dummies coaches you in all the essentials. Topics you’ll explore include: What every parent should know about youth sports, including the right age to get them started, how leagues work, and what your kid and you can expect Basic coaching tasks and responsibilities, such as pregame preparation, practice sessions, team meetings with kids and parents, and more Communication and motivational skills every coach needs to develop Coaching challenges, including scheduling, hostile parents, dealing with injuries, and coaching your own kids Loaded with tested-in-the-trenches strategies for helping kids get the most out of sports, Coaching Kids For Dummies is every youth league coach’s survival guide.

Your hands-on guide to coaching youth volleyball Have you been asked to coach a youth volleyball team? This friendly, practical guide helps you grasp the basics and take charge on the court. You get expert advice on teaching key skills to different age groups, running safe and effective practices, helping struggling players, encouraging good sportsmanship, and leading your team with confidence during a match. Lay the groundwork for a great season develop your coaching philosophy, run an effective preseason meeting, and get up to speed on the rules and terminology of the sport Build your team size up the players, find roles for everyone to succeed in, and coach all different types of kids Teach the basics of volleyball from serving and passing to setting, attacking, and blocking, instruct your players successfully in all the key elements Raise the level of play teach more advanced offensive and defensive skills and keep your kids' interest in volleyball going strong Make the moms and dads happy work with parents to ensure a successful and fun season Score extra points keep your players healthy and injury free, resolve conflicts, and coach a volleyball club team Open the book and find: Clear explanations of the game's fundamentals An assortment of the sport's best drills The equipment your team needs Player positions and their responsibilities Tips for running fun-filled practices Refinements for your coaching strategies How to meet players' special needs Ten ways to make the season memorable