Author: Gunnar Kolrud

From Player to Coach: Coaching in an Organized Fashion

In the summer of 2017, I was still in college, finishing up my undergrad while also getting experience in my field. I was approached by a coaching director of a local club if I had any interest in coaching a U10 boys soccer team. Growing up, I was passionate and engaged with the game of soccer but never thought to coach the game. I accepted the position and could not wait to share my knowledge with the youth players. Right away, I found a few challenges when it came to the entire process. Like most coaches at the youth level, I was not certified or licensed at a high level, so I was pretty much working off of previous experience from my coaches in the past years. The season went pretty well because the kids had so much passion for the game and were excited, but I know this is not the case for a lot of teams. It’s one thing if you have a team who is motivated on their own, but when it comes to a team that needs a motivating coach, that’s where having a system in place would be extremely valuable.

Now let’s jump about 8 months later. I was doing research for this club I had previously coached at regarding coaching education. I came across a platform called Moti
Sports Inc. I started diving into this company to see exactly how they stood out compared to other programs. This company took the “See-It, Do-It” approach, which is extremely valuable in today’s visual age. A few things jumped out to me right away that would have made my coaching experience much more effective.

Consistency

MOTI Sports allows coaches and clubs to be on the same page by creating 3D graphics centering around drills and skills that are accessible on your laptop, tablet, or mobile
device. This would’ve helped my youth players because if a player was needing help with a specific skill, I would simply tell them to go home and watch that specific video
on the Moti Sports app for extra guidance. I would still be able to teach them in person, but this would be an additional training tool for the kids to visually see how to do the skill. In addition, entire clubs would be able to teach their players the same way and have a more consistent coaching plan throughout the different age levels.

Messaging Board

The Moti Sports app also allows you to communicate with parents about any concerns they may have about the season. When I coached the U10 team, I was emailing parents regarding any updates or weather changes. This was ok, but people get so many emails daily that the email could have easily been lost in the clutter. If I had the Moti Sports messaging system, I would have been able to send a message to all the parents in a separate app, allowing the parents to easily have access to the message, creating a more consistent communication across the board.

Top 5 Coach to Player to Parent Communication Tips

As the season gets started, it is important that the entire team is on the same page when it comes to communication. As a coach, the best way to make sure the parents and player’s questions have been addressed is to simply update the Announcement board through the Coach’s page. At any point in the season, communication is the most important part to make sure parents stay informed as well as players. Here are some tips to ensure coach-parent-player communication:

  • One of the biggest influences for a child in sports is their parents. In order for a child to have a good experience, that requires the parents to be encouraging their youth player and supporting them if they have any questions or concerns to address it with the coach.
  • For coaches, it is very easy to simply add comments to the announcement board, but good coaches always dig deeper. Learn about your player’s background, their goals and passions. This will allow you to have a better understanding of your players and parents.
  • If there is a conflict with a player or players, coaches need to make sure parents are notified immediately and it is dealt with carefully. This can be done quickly and easily through the messaging system to players. Or directly with the parent and player. Often it is better to talk face to face when possible as not everyone can read emotions via a message when there is conflict.
  • Parents should encourage their player, if the player has a concern, to address it with the coach directly. This method of player to coach communication is a positive thing for a player to learn.
  • When using the messaging system, players and coaches are also able to message each other. Utilizing the messaging system and Announcements Board allows coaches and players to communicate in a positive manner as well as a convenient and consistent outlet.

Gunnar Kolrud is a soccer coach, former player at the University of Minnesota and Marketing Specialist at www.motisports.com