Thursday, May 9, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Some people think that becoming a youth coach is no more
than volunteering to coach and being accepted.
There is much more to it than that.
Yes, the first step is volunteering, there are many more steps that
follow. The next step for the Shelby
City Parks and Recreation League is a short personal interview. The interview
is to find out why you want to coach.
The next step is an application and a waiver for a national criminal
background check. Once you clear the background
check, there is a coaching clinic that you are required to attend. The clinic covers coaching philosophy and
standards, sports safety and injury care, rules and football terms, coaching
administration and organization, and finally, basic football skills and
techniques. The most important sections
of this clinic are the safety and injury care and the standards set by the
national, state and local organizations.
At the end of this clinic, there is a test for
certification. Once you obtain the
certification; you receive a one million dollar liability insurance policy. If you are wondering why you need the insurance;
it is better to have than not to have.
You as the coach are responsible for the children under your care. If something goes terribly wrong you may be
sued. The league will be responsible for
part of the liability and the coach is responsible for the rest depending on
the degree of fault. Unless you have
lots of money lying around you should consider this insurance. In the Shelby league, only the head coaches
are required to have the insurance, but it is wise for the assistants to carry
their own policy also.
Safety is a key component of coaching. You have to know the standards that are
set. An example, in 2012 there was a
rule change at the national level that states a child is not allowed to have
contact in practice from a straight on approach of a distance of more than
three yards unless it is in a scrimmage situation. For years this was a standard drill used at
all levels. Keeping up with rule changes
are essential and is the responsibility of the league and coach.
First aid certifications are not required for coaching but I
personally would recommend that someone on the staff be certified. Each coach is required to know the treatment
process for common football injuries such as strains, scrapes and bruises. At this level injuries more severe than those
are very rare but they are possible. It
would be very nice to have someone their qualified to treat or stabilize those
type injuries if they occur. In 2011 the
state of North Carolina implemented a concussion rule. This rule states that there must be someone
present who know how to analyze head injuries and determine if there is a
possible concussion. This includes at
all games and practices. Therefore each
coach is required to attend and pass training to recognize concussion symptoms.
All of the above are documented requirements. There are other undocumented or personal
requirements such as time and patience.
The time requirements are unrecognized by people on the outside looking
in. Barry Hopper, the 2012 youth
football coach of the year, states the time required is double what is
scheduled. (Hopper) If you schedule one and a half hours of
practiced you have to be prepared to give up three hours.
Recetta Lee, the parent of a player says, when she signed
her son up she never thought about the coach.
As the season progressed she realized that the coach was more of a
mentor than a coach. (Lee)
She elaborates that the coach is
required to reinforce discipline not only on the field but in the home and
school also.
Doug Hull, The Shelby City Parks and Recreation Youth Athletic
Director explain that the type of person is more important than the knowledge of
the game. The type of person he looks
for is a person who is going to take time with them not only on the field but
in their personal lives also. Although
it’s not required, it is expected that the coach will encourage their players
to stay out of trouble and keep up with their school work. Mr. Hull states that in a lot of cases, the
coach is, “The male role model in that child’s life.”
Works Cited
Football, Youth. coachparker.org.
Hopper, Barry. Youth Football Coach of the Year
Tony Whisnant. 25 03 2013.
Hull, Doug. Athletic Program Supervisor Tony
Whisnant. 25 03 2013.
Lee, Recetta. Parent Tony Whisnant. 30 04
2013.
photography-on-the.net. Youth Football.
Player, Youth Football. bayareayouthfootball.com.
public.teamzonesports.com. Geneva Jr. Panthers.
www.sheknows.com.
youthsportsdaily.palmbeachplayer.com
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