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When A Kid Makes A Brutal Mistake, They Know It

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Brad Frost is the Head Coach for the University of Minnesota Women's Ice Hockey (@GopherWHockey) team. The Bethel University graduate has guided the Gophers to four NCAA national championships, six NCAA Frozen Four appearances, five WCHA regular season titles and three WCHA Final Face-Off championships. Frost concluded the 2015-16 season with a career record of 293-45-22 (.844) and has not had a team finish lower than second in the WCHA.

Frost, as every youth sports coach should, understands that kids make mistakes in games. Sometimes these are major mistakes. When a kid makes a brutal mistake, he or she does not usually need to be told what they did wrong. Piling on a kid who already feels guilty is the worst thing a coach could do. Instead, the coach should encourage the child to keep his or her head up, and that everything will be alright. Fixing the issue should wait until the kid is ready, like in the next practice or after the game has finished.