Each individual should be thoroughly introduced to each type of standardized negative reaction which that individual may face in a real life application of the skills learned in this designed course. The first and worst negative behavior would be that of a child monopolizing the practice and/or game and one-upping fellow team mates in order to suit his or her own selfish needs to be better than the rest of the team. This should be the ultimate negative behavior each future coach should focus on based on the negative impact it has on the rest of the team. When an individual child exhibits this type of negative behavior, the coach should immediately address it in front of the other players as to make it known that this type of behavior is not acceptable. Addressing it would most successfully be implemented through isolating the child by pitting them against an older and more skilled player with the full knowledge of that child's failure to reach that skill level. This would humble the child, while also averting similar behaviors within the other children. This would also stem the advancement of other children withdrawing from the game based on bullying or feeling inadequate based on the monopolizing and one upping actions of other players on the team. Another way to address such an issue would be to create a scrimmage environment where the child in question is actually penalized for scoring and rewarded for assisting his or her fellow team mates within the simulation of a real game. This will force the child to associate winning with not only personal achievement but also the team's achievement as a whole.
Another plaguing behavior exhibited by many school-age athletes is that of complaining. This is the probably the most common negative behavior any coach will encounter throughout the length of their involvement with the sport. However hard it may be to conquer the natural response of complaining, it is absolutely necessary to overcome such behaviors. Individuals involved in youth soccer coaching need to understand the importance of bribery within the lives of young children. Once a common goal is established, the entire team can be bribed in harmony to reach tat goal. The reward for a lack of complaining and devotion towards practice exercises should depend on the needs and ages of the children in question. Different age groups will want different things, whether those things are material, a fun trip out to a haunted house or carnival, or other types of positive reinforcement which would motivate the kids to work harder and complain less. All future coaches must understand that complaining is a natural occurrence when dealing with young children, and so must not be reprimanded too harshly. Instead, the best action is preventative action by offering bribes and incentives to the kids based on performance both during practice as well as during league game times. Intellectualizing the situations experienced...
Therefore special attention must always be placed on the in-the-moment type of thinking as necessary for dealing with split second decision in a game situation. Too much in depth thought will only further complicate an already complicated situation. Therefore, coaches should always force split second decisions upon their players. Depending on the age group, high intensity exercises implemented at very high paces should always be incorporated into any practice sessions in order to solidify the idea that true player rely on skill and instinct rather than intellectual decisions which cause a lag in decision making.
The rest of the negative behaviors encountered by future coaches will most likely revolve around the natural behaviors of children including arguing between team mates, clowning around during practice and games, as well as both exterior and interior distractions which present constant threats to the implementation of coaching methodologies. Not only do incentives help complaining, but they also help with creating unified team cohesion. By bribing children to work together with incentives such as mentioned previously, the coach can also create a very unique team environment through constant outside activities and experiences. Through outside team involvement, the coach can create unique team relationships which would help prevent arguments within the team environment. This type of incentive can also help prevent excessive involvement with external distractions as well as clowning around during practice and game environments. However, when these tactics fail to prevent such negative behaviors, the coach must understand that immediate action is the ultimate key in quelling a small incident into a devastating squabble which would threaten the general outcome of the team and individual players. This includes temporary suspension from games and/or outside team events, as well as direct dialogue with parents discussing extreme behavioral difficulties faced by certain children. When in doubt, novice coaches should always involve parents to provide effective results which would benefit both the individual and the team as a whole.
The design of this course is to provide the necessary tools for future coaches to best prepare and install lessons within the hearts and minds of the children which they are responsible for. The most important part of this course is to prepare the future coaches to deal with in depth psychological issues of children which would affect the mind and skill set of the children which they are responsible for. The main goal is to understand the different ways children think and effectively combine those learning styles within one lesson plan that provides synergy.
References
Silberman, Mel. (1998). Active Training: A Hanbook of Techniques, Designs, Case Examples, and Tips. 2nd ed. Pfeiffer Publishing.
