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Avoid The Natural Desire To Constantly Instruct Kids As A First-Time Coach

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Ben Dudley (@Oldudley) is the Executive Director of the Positive Coaching Alliance-Portland Chapter. He grew up a multi-sport athlete with soccer being his favorite. Having traveled to many parts of the world, Ben quickly realized that knowing the language of sports allows you to communicate with anyone in the world. He has dedicated his life to serving people and believes that sport is a very powerful way to help make a difference. Ben also serves as the Chaplain for the Portland Timbers and is a sports parent of two young boys.

In this video, Dudley talks about his experience being a first-time coach to his 5-year-old son’s tee ball team. He focused on being positive, but also found himself wanting to “overcoach” and instruct the kids on every skill. Through this experience, he realized that at this level of play, it is more important to have fun and to put aside the skill-building in order to make room for enjoying the experience.