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The Coach As A Positive Partner

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This resource is from a case study in Jim Thompson’s (@JimThompson18) book, The High School Sports Parent.

The Coach As Partner: Your son has a new coach for the upcoming season. As a Second-Goal Parent®, what can you do to ensure a positive relationship with the coach?

Students do better academically when they know their parents support the teacher and school. The same is certainly true for sports. Here’s how you can help establish a coach-parent partnership to help your athlete have the best possible experience.

Contact your athlete’s coach as soon as you know who it is. Introduce yourself, and let him know that you appreciate his commitment that goes way beyond the amount of time spent at practices and games. Most coaches only hear from parents when there is a problem. By establishing a positive relationship early, it will be much easier to talk with him later if a problem arises.

Make the coach’s job easier. Attend parent meetings. Check with the coach before scheduling vacations during the season. If you can, offer to help if he ever needs volunteers. Don’t say or do anything that might undermine the coach’s authority. Display a positive, upbeat attitude around the coach and other parents. This will help the coach focus maximum attention on helping the players improve rather than worrying about the parents.

To read the full response, including more ways to establish a coach-parent partnership to help your athlete have the best possible experience, download the book excerpt found below.

To purchase the entire book The High School Sports Parent, and to learn more about other PCA books, click here.

These books are used in PCA’s live workshops. To learn more about our interactive sports parenting workshops, click here.

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