Kids Sports or Children Sports? Does it Matter, Nope. One and the same …

The messages that we will be presenting to you in this space will reflect the beliefs that we have about sports and the people who play them. We expect the coaches and the parents of the players to interact with these “Kids” in their growth to “Players” and “Performers” in a caring, positive manner at all times.

Here are the basic beliefs that we maintain in our writings and in our interactions:

The Game is for the Kids. We have always said, “After all the game is for the kids.” Since this is true, let’s live-up to it.

Kids are Kids. They are not small adults. The world of Sports is a venue that must be designed to enhance the childhood experience. We don’t coach the Kids in such a way that we are allowing Sports to deprive them of their Childhood.

Kids are people, too. Can we treat our kids as if they are human beings who sometimes make mistakes but are doing their best?

Kids are eager learners. They want to improve themselves and their skills as Players of the game. Our job is to be constant encouragers of them in their growth in skills and understanding of the game.

The Coach’s job is to make The Game a good experience for the kids as they grow into Players and sometimes into Performers.

The Coach is a Master Link in the chain. She can and must be the model of good behavior and sportsmanship; she can teach the kids, direct the crowd, and deal effectively with improper behavior.

Parents are Partners with the Coaches in their kids' experiences. The game is a combining of the goals and aspirations of three elements: the kids, the coaches, and the parents. They are ALL Partners in the venture.

Kids play better in a non-threatening, positive environment. That is a fact for all of us. We do better when someone is not continually telling us how poor we are as people and how bad our performances are. The psychological principles shared throughout our messages are positive and human-oriented.

Making mistakes is an important aspect in the improvement of performance as the Kids mature into Players. We all make mistakes as we learn new skills -- that's part of the process. Learning from our mistakes is made better and easier when our mentors understand and deal with this.

The Coach must create his own successes rather than trying to be successful through the efforts of his Players.

Every person is unique. There are no two people exactly alike so we Coaches must deal with each of our Players in ways that match their unique qualities, strengths, and purposes. One size does not fit all kids: their abilities, their goals, their ways of learning, their ways of looking at life.

And last but certainly not least: There are values for kids in sports besides WINNING. Can we reach those goals for our kids and players without having to win every game? Does our ‘having to win’ prevent us from giving the kids experiences in attaining these other values?