It's ALL about The Players - Rights and Responsibilities

Kids (and Parents) seem to know a lot about their Rights but they aren’t as clear on the Responsibilities that accompany and insure these Rights. If we just have a bunch of Rules written down for the kids to follow, for example:

Take care of your equipment.

Be to the practices and games on time.

Don’t be a jerk.

We often will find our Kids going blank when we call them for some transgression; “I didn’t know I was supposed to . . .’. So, we have to put those Rights and Responsibilities together and deal firmly and honestly with them from the very beginning of the season. Here is how this works:

The Beginning of the Season - Hand out a copy of The Player’s Rights and Responsibilities shown on the next page to each of your players. Go over each and every item. The best way to do this is to have a Coach read each ‘Right’ and have the kids read the corresponding ‘Responsibility’ out loud. Be clear with the meanings of these items. Answer questions and clear up any concerns. Then have each player sign two copies that you have already signed. They take one copy with them and you keep the other copy in your files.

Throughout the Season - Remind them about an item if you see a problem: “We coaches have been hearing some inappropriate comments some of you are making about each other. Let’s review R and R items 6 and 12.”

Incident - Tommy the Terror has just been called out by the umpire. He throws his bat against the backstop and is mumbling something about “Blind guys calling inside pitches strikes.” Head Coach Lopez says, “Tommy, what’s the correct way to deal with your bat when you’re done batting?” “I’m supposed to put it in the rack.” “That’s right but this time I want you to pick it up and give it to Coach Jackson. He will keep that bat until after the game when you and he will go over some of the R and R items with you.” “But that means I won’t bat again in this game.” “That’s right - so get the bat and give it to Coach Jackson.”

After the game, Coach Jackson will follow through on this and give the bat back to Tommy only when he is clear about the correct practice as described in items 5 and 11. Coach Jackson will remind Tommy that he signed the document and has agreed to live by it.

This procedure is called Logical Consequences. When you do A, B will automatically follow.

Note

A copy of Player’s Rights and Responsibilities appears on pages 147-148 in our book - Grassroots Coaching - Using Sports Psychology & Coaching Principles Effectively. You may make copies of it or the one below with our permission.

You may want to use the concept and write items of your own. Twelve is not a magic number.

PLAYERS' RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. The right to be treated fairly.		​The responsibility to treat others fairly.
​2. The right to express my ideas and be listened to.		​The responsibility to listen to others and consider the worth of their ideas.
​3. The right to participate as a unique person and learner.		The responsibility to do my best.
​4. The right to have good coaching.		​The responsibility to cooperate with my coach.
​5. The right to be safe.		​The responsibility to follow safety rules and not to endanger other people.
​6. The right to be treated with respect.		​The responsibility to treat others with respect.
​7. The right to have my personal belongings safe and unharmed.		The responsibility to leave other people's property alone unless I have their permission.
​8. The right to share in making the decisions for the team.		​The responsibility to act and think in a responsible manner and to allow others to have their opinions on decisions.
9. The right to learn and not be left out.		​The responsibility to do my work to the best of my ability and to be a constant learner.
​10. The right to be a member of the team.		​The responsibility to be a trustworthy team member.
​11. The right to have good playing equipment.		​The responsibility to take care of the playing equipment.
12. The right not to be embarrassed or insulted		​The responsibility to not embarrass or insult others.
THE RIGHT TO EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF PLAYING.		THE RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE THE BEST OF MY PLAYING EXPERIENCE.
Signed by Player		Signed by Coach