Three Goals of Every Coach

 Championships. Scholarships. Records.

 Those are the three things I hear every season from youth coaches. Unfortunately, they're the three things that matter the least. And, if you coach without the real "Big Three" goals in mind, they're unlikely to happen.

Here are the "Big Three" that every coach should concern themselves with:

1. A smile - If your athletes are smiling, you're providing the right environment. Not all the time, of course. If they're never challenged, they're not improving. But when the thought of your team enters their minds, they should smile. There are a million ways to get to that smile, one of which is on-field success. But, if you're cultivating an environment that evokes smiles, you're accomplishing Job 1.

2. A registration - Kids have a million options for their free time. It's my firm belief that every kid should sweat and compete, but not every parent agrees. Kids are also at their best when they're well rounded, So, the piano, the paint brush and the library card can also play a huge role in their development. And let's not ignore the power of the remote control and the video game controller.
      If your coaching style, practice structure, and general team environment brought the kid back for another season of that sport, you've accomplished Job 2.

3. A referral - There's no better compliment as a college coach than when another respected coach or a former player tells a prospective student-athlete that their best option would be to play on your team. It's not much different with kids. The kid who didn't play for your team last year and does this year is likely not by mistake. Somebody probably told that kid about their experience and convinced them to play. If your smiling little-leaguer tells you about a friend who is going to play next season, you've accomplished Job 3.

   If you talk to a youth sports coach about their season and the first thing they mention is their team's record, they're going about this all wrong. It often makes me wonder what's missing in that coaches life that a championship for a team of small children is so important to them.

  But don't mistake the message. Competition is good. It's healthy. It's right. Participating is a hotly-contested game or match is good for everyone involved. The goal is balance. Compete as much as you smile.

   Success in coaching is not measured in final scores. It's measured in smiles, registrations and referrals. Most likely not coincidentally, I'm finding more and more that the coaches who's players smile, sign up again next year, and bring a friend with them are also the ones who win consistently.