Better every time: U6s coaching & performance

For a while I wasn’t sure if I would ever become a mum. And I really didn’t anticipate that I would become a Sunday morning football mum.

So, as I am standing outside on a crisp and sunny Sunday morning cheering on the under sixes, I am observing all the benefits of playing the sport. In particular, I am noticing how the coaches getting the most out of our young players.

It is making me think about how the focus and techniques of these coaches can apply to coaching for performance in the workplace.

Here are the top tips, I have picked up from watching a group of 5 year olds in the first proper football match:

Positivity – the first thing I noticed is, it’s all really upbeat. The tone, the body language and the spoken communication. It is all very much concentrated on engaging the players and keeping them focused.

Enthusiastic – feedback from the coach tells them how well they’re doing. Im hearing lots of ‘well done’, ‘let’s keep it going’ and ‘you are getting better and better’.

Focused – the communication is focused on what is going to happen and what the coach wants them to do. The instructions are simple and clear.

Expectations – there is clarity of expectations. Stopping when needed and making sure the children have understood what is not negotiable e.g. Shaking hands with the other team at the end of the game.

Praise and recognition – there is lots of individual and team praise. Identifying individuals and telling them when they have done well. And telling the team when they doing well as a group. Lots of ‘well played’, ‘that’s really good’, ‘great tackle’ and so on.

It is a worthwhile reminder of how to lead teams in the workplace. The coaches here are all volunteers and they are doing an amazing job of bringing together lots of lively under sixes to focus on a shared goal. The kids are learning lots of important lessons for life set as how to be resilient and support your team.

So whilst it’s an early and cold start to my Sunday, I am really enjoying the learning that I’m taking from it and thinking how I can bring more of this back to achieve even greater success within my own organisation.

Are you a school mum or dad? Do you and similar learning from your children’s sports? Tell us about it in the comments below.