The Importance of Social Training for Coaches in Youth Sports and the Benefits of Offering It Online

As Covid restrictions ease, parks & recreation departments across the country are beginning to think about the seasons to come and the reintroduction of youth sports.

Pre-pandemic, around 40% of children between the ages of 6 and 12 regularly participated in at least one sport. Research has shown that participating in sports helps children to develop many important life skills such as teamwork, relationship building, leadership, continuity, balance, and more. These crucial social and emotional benefits can have a lasting impact, and many of these behaviors that children learn through the social interaction of being on a sports team are then carried over into adulthood, helping to shape who they become.

Sports also provide a social setting for children to grow and develop amongst their peers, and a study by Anne Bowker of Carleton University found that participation in sports had a positive effect on self-esteem in adolescents. This is an extremely important part of development, and it's their coaches have a lot to do with this. Roots of Action, a youth development research organization, notes that “coaching youth sports is one of the most important ways adults influence the positive development of youth.” 

According to the National Alliance for Youth Sports, “sports participation is one of the greatest resources available for instilling valuable life skills in children. But only if it is safe and positive.” In fact, they maintain that one of the most important aspects of youth sports is a comprehensively trained and accountable coach. 

Coaches are often seen by the children they coach as role models that they can look up to and learn from, and these coaches have a huge impact on the overall experience had by each child on the team. A great coach can positively impact a child for years to come, however, oftentimes these coaches end up focusing too much on the outcome of the game, and completely disregard the development and experience of the children. 

While the objective of a sport is, of course, to win, it is important that coaches celebrate and recognize each player for their individual contribution to the team, win or lose. This allows children to learn the necessary skills to cope with disappointment and failure and provides them a positive space to learn from their mistakes while maintaining their self-confidence.

Though it is typical for youth coaches to receive some type of preliminary training, there is a lack of education on social and emotional development, especially when it comes to topics such as equity and inclusion.

According to the Aspen Institute’s 2020 State of Play report, only 32.5% of youth coaches reported having received training in effective motivational techniques within the previous year. Further research by the NRPA found that “less than 50 percent of agencies surveyed currently provide coach training on confronting bias and conflict resolution.”

Because of the pandemic and the limits placed on social activities for the past year, it’s likely that we’ll see higher numbers of children wanting to participate in sports programs in the coming months. Knowing this, it is more important than ever to make sure that coaches are trained in social and emotional skills. This type of training is an important element of preparation, but it often loses priority to more rule-based training and because of time constraints or scheduling conflicts, may end up being left out altogether. 

By providing this training online, coaches can access and complete it on their own time and refer back to it at any point when they need it. They can work through the lessons at their own pace, and without the need for a live instructor, saving time and eliminating overhead costs.

Niche Academy is the only online training platform specifically focused on Parks and Recreation organizations. Our marketplace contains training tutorials on a wide array of topics including mental-health conversations, code of ethics, de-escalation, and more. Plus, you have the option to create your own tutorials to match the needs of your own community.

Learn more.