Rick Wolff – författare

What could be easier or more fun than coaching youth sports? How complicated could it be—it’s all fun and games, right? Unfortunately, coaching kids isn’t that simple. If you’ve ever watched a youth league game, you know that all sorts of pressures, worries, concerns, and emotions come into play when your kid is out on the field. In fact, it’s not unusual to witness at least one ugly incident at a game where a coach or parent has gotten out of control. The good news is, as a coach, you can guarantee that kids have fun, get the physical and psychological boost they need, and want to play on your team next year. And now this book shows you how. Written by a nationally recognized sports-parenting expert, coach, and author who is also a former professional baseball player, Coaching Kids For Dummies shows you step by step how to make sports a positive experience for kids of all ages. Packed with practical advice for coaches and parents, it shows you how to: Help kids select the best sports for themCommunicate effectively with your young athletesDeal with losses and winsProvide encouragement without pushing too hardMotivate kids and boost performanceFoster good sportsmanshipPrevent sports burnoutHandle irate parentsEvaluate travel teamsNo matter what your prior experience with youth league sports—even if you weren’t in one yourself as a kid—Coaching Kids For Dummies coaches you in all the essentials. Topics you’ll explore include: What every parent should know about youth sports, including the right age to get them started, how leagues work, and what your kid and you can expectBasic coaching tasks and responsibilities, such as pregame preparation, practice sessions, team meetings with kids and parents, and moreCommunication and motivational skills every coach needs to developCoaching challenges, including scheduling, hostile parents, dealing with injuries, and coaching your own kidsLoaded with tested-in-the-trenches strategies for helping kids get the most out of sports, Coaching Kids For Dummies is every youth league coach’s survival guide.

Since he retired from baseball in 2001, Cal Ripken, Jr., has devoted his time to coaching kids, including his own son and daughter, who play baseball and basketball, among other sports. With a baseball league of nearly 700,000 kids, ages 5-12, named for him, he has also had a chance to meet and work with countless young athletes. Cal Ripken’s simple yet effective philosophy for helping kids get the most out of playing sports is to keep it simple, explain the "why," celebrate the individual, and make it fun! But Ripken is troubled by what he sees in youth sports: a competitive intensity that removes the element of fun from playing. Now, drawing on his experiences as a father, a player, and a coach to his charges at his youth baseball based organization, Ripken Baseball, the legend offers his insights and advice on how to approach organized sports with your kids to ensure they have the best experience possible, stay fit, and enjoy themselves.

Whether you were a star player or a kid who never learned to throw, this book will tell you everything you need to know about sports parenting from the pre-school years to middle school. It covers all the bases, including:

 Teaching the basics of sportsmanshipHow an overemphasis on technique or winning can harm your child’s gameHow to develop a good relationship with your child’s coachThe pros and cons of travel teams and club teamsThe importance of returning the games to the kids and how best to behave as a parentThe latest on performance and nutritionFun games and exercises to do with your kids to encourage themWhy most kids burn out on team sports by middle school and how to avoid it

Few athletes embody sportsmanship and fair play as perfectly as Cal Ripken. His advice will inspire confidence in kids and parents alike.