Coaching the Child Behind the Athlete

What benefits do you want your child and the children of others to get from their youth sports experience? While many answers are likely, 80% of youth sport coaches say development is the primary reason why they coach. Coaching the Child Behind the Athlete: A Developmental Approach to Youth Sport is the comprehensive guide for any coach, from the volunteer T-ball coach to the high school coach in a highly competitive league. The premise of this book is that all coaches have the opportunity to help athletes develop both as athletes and as young men and women. It focuses on those important issues in a child s development that can be nurtured through participation in youth sports. It is not about the X s and Os of specific sports, but rather how youth sports can strengthen personal qualities such as sportsmanship and mental toughness, permitting children to flourish throughout their future sport and non-sport life.