Stevens says here that “the greatest thing youth coaches can do is teach the basics of the game and not over-coach.” Even as a coach at the professional level, Stevens sees the game as “scripted, but somewhat random,” which emphasizes a focus on fundamentals. Winning a game takes all that you know, and Steven says it’s much more satisfying to watch kids figure it out on the court rather than be robots out there with a scripted set of moves. Teaching the basics and giving them the freedom to play allows kids to win on their own.
Positive Coaching Alliance develops BETTER ATHLETES, BETTER PEOPLE through resources for youth and high school sports coaches, parents, administrators and student-athletes. In addition to 1,000+ free audio-video and printable tips and tools atPCADevZone.org, PCA has partnered with roughly 3,000 schools and youth sports organizations nationwide to deliver live group workshops, online courses and books that help those involved in youth and high school sports create a positive, character-building youth sports culture.