OUR CALLS FOR COACHES

Working with the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, the Aspen Institute in 2019 identified the research base for the value of coaching for social and emotional skills. We then distilled the findings from that white paper into Calls for Coaches with an easy-to-follow practice checklist. Learn about each below and explore our flexible resources — all of them free.

Note to sport providers: Videos and other materials are designed to fit into existing coach training curricula and can be customized. Contact Project Play for additional information.

Take the time to understand why each child has made the decision to play sports.

PRACTICE SPOTLIGHT

• Ask every player which name they prefer and call them by that name

• Ask questions to get to know every youth, their families and their motivations

• Talk to every youth at every practice and during every game

• Talk with youth athletes about how to seek out and connect with other adults they trust

• Organize formal meetings with your players throughout the season in order to help them express their feelings, wants and needs

RESOURCE LIBRARY

Supportive team culture in youth sport is built by displaying and encouraging positive attitudes and language, caring behaviors and effective emotion management.

PRACTICE SPOTLIGHT

• Set high expectations and clear limits on behavior

• Get trained in the basics of coaching techniques, including the prevention of physical, emotional and sexual abuse

• Start and end practices on time

• Establish a code of conduct that prohibits bullying and creates meaningful consequences

• Incorporate team-building activities throughout the season to create dedicated opportunities for building relationships among coaches and teammates

• Create specific responsibilities to provide leadership opportunities for players, e.g. Stretch Captain, Equipment Captain or Cheer Captain, and rotate these youth leadership opportunities

• Allow youth athletes to make and correct missteps as leaders

• Create community by adopting practices such as composing a team cheer, selecting a team name, logo or slogan, or incorporating team-building activities into games and practices

• Give youth athletes the opportunity to clearly define their goals and objectives

• Engage all youth athletes in co-creating and setting positive norms, rules and routines for practices and games and work with them to consistently reinforce the structure

RESOURCE LIBRARY

Coaches should not limit celebration to wins — celebrate effort and acknowledge that mistakes are a part of learning.

PRACTICE SPOTLIGHT

• Give shout-outs for achievement, effort and improvement at the end of the practice: players to players, coach to players, and players to coach

• Encourage players to cheer for each other

• Establish a ritual for letting go of mistakes, e.g. a brushing motion across a shoulder

• Create a season-ending event to celebrate skill attainment, achievement and growth

RESOURCE LIBRARY

Coaches should identify and communicate the comprehensive set of skills (physical, social, emotional and cognitive) they hope to develop in their youth athletes.

PRACTICE SPOTLIGHT

• Identify and share the particular skills you are aiming to build in your athletes — whether that’s working as a team, staying motivated, empathizing with teammates or other key skills

• Encourage parents and caregivers to reinforce these skills by talking about what they are, what they mean and what these behaviors can look like at home

• Have players set goals and intentions regarding their physical, social, emotional and cognitive skill development

• Establish a circle-up ritual at the start of every practice and game and a reflection ritual at the end of every practice and game that includes discussion of the skills being prioritized

• Have conversations about how to use experiences and skills from games or practices in other settings, e.g. discuss how mistakes are a part of learning and improving

Resource Library

As leaders, coaches should model positive behavior in their interactions with other adults and youth athletes, with opponents and referees, and particularly when mediating conflicts.

PRACTICE SPOTLIGHT

• Participate in drills with players

• Practice the positive interactions that are encouraged of players

• Practice self-care and engage in reflection around your own social and emotional well-being

• Be cognizant of your own and others’ perspectives

• Manage conflicts with calmness and clarity, acknowledging player feelings and emotions

RESOURCE LIBRARY

Coaches should have the mindset that there is always more to learn, and that there is always room for improvement.

PRACTICE SPOTLIGHT

• Participate in learning opportunities with other coaches in the league or in the community such as observing other coaches’ practices or practicing in league-wide professional development

• Actively seek out and participate in professional development to grow your coaching skills

• Get knowledgeable about coaching techniques that identify and prevent physical, emotional and sexual abuse

• Collect athlete feedback and incorporate into practices

RESOURCE LIBRARY

Coaches should think about their role in a child’s web of support and join forces with other adults in their lives, especially for reflection and debrief.

PRACTICE SPOTLIGHT

• Host a preseason meeting with families to discuss your program philosophy, goals and intentions

• Design a practice or family hour for parents/caregivers and siblings

• Learn about the language and strategies used in schools or at home and, when possible, reinforce these lessons in practices and games

• Collaborate with other coaches to design effective practices

• Talk with parents/caregivers about issues arising with their children

• Find regular opportunities to assess and share progress with families

• Start a conversation around what quality coaching looks like to provide a healthy and positive sports experience for youth across your community

RESOURCE LIBRARY

Calls for Coaches report

The original Calls for Coaches report offers tips from the Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program and the National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development to help youth sports coaches develop personal growth in their players.

Practice Checklist

A list of 27 tips and ideas for how to integrate social and emotional development at your first practice, before every practice, on game days, and every day.

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Coaching Reflection Self-Assessment

Resonant Education in partnership with Aspen Institute Project Play has developed a survey instrument to align with Call for Coaches to gauge coaches’ ability to adopt specific actions that cultivate the development of social and emotional skills in their players. If you would like to learn more about this tool, please contact info@resonanteducation.com.

Coaching to Support Inclusion of Young Athletes with Disabilities

The Calls for Coaches are equally relevant for coaching athletes with or without disabilities. Coaches can use these practices to help foster a more inclusive and adaptive environment that supports the social and emotional development of all youth athletes.

Coaching for Coronavirus and Youth Sports

The Calls for Coaches report adapted for physical distancing, stay-at-home orders, and the traumatic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people., to help coaches to continue to provide social and emotional support for their players during a time they need it most.

SEL Kernels

These SEL Kernels represent a small scale, personalized approach to social and emotional skill development, and ultimately aim to provide coaches and other adults with a menu of needs and preference-based strategies that are quick, low lift, and easily integrated into team practices.

Worldwide Day of Play Partner Playbook

Created by Nickelodeon in partnership with Project Play, this guide is intended for coaches, camp counselors, afterschool program leaders and others who work with kids — middle school and below — to plan a Worldwide Day of Play (WWDoP) event and support ongoing efforts in their programs. Contains tips for engaging kids and other Project Play resources.

Coaching Social & Emotional Skills in Youth Sports

A companion white paper to Calls for Coaches, developed by researchers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s EASEL Lab, that underpins the research base for the value of coaching for social and emotional development in young people.