JDYAA Philosophy & Coaching Points of Emphasis

STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY

The objectives of the JDYAA are to provide instructional youth sport programs that will allow the children of our community to learn good sportsmanship, self-control, responsibility, commitment, the respect for authority, the value of teamwork and the fundamental skills of various sports. All participants and spectators of JDYAA programs should bear in mind that the attainment of exceptional athletic skills or the winning of games is of secondary importance to achieving the objectives of the Association.

In order to achieve the objectives of the JDYAA the following Code of Conduct will be maintained:

Coaches shall remind players and supporters of the goals of the JDYAA.Coaches should be a model of good sportsmanship. They should neither encourage nor ignore unsportsman-like behavior.
Players shall display safe and sportsmanlike behavior at all times. Any act of unsportsman-like conduct with the intent to harm another player may result in the immediate ejection from any practice or game as determined by the coach or official. Any repeat offender may be suspended for the remainder of that season’s program.
Any person who publicly uses vulgarity, derogatory language, or excessively negative remarks directed at any player, coach, or official may be subject to ejection from the area. Any repeat offender may be banned from future programs as determined by the JDYAA Board of Directors.
Every player should be applauded for good plays, encouraged if they make a mistake, asked to never stop trying and required to always play fair

COACHING POINTS OF EMPHASIS

Just because some of us have played the game, it doesn’t mean we know how to teach the game. We need to rely on the expertise of others to guide us as coaches.
The mastering of the fundamental skills is more important than any score. If players properly perform the fundamentals than scoring will follow.
Use the K.I.S.S. approach (Keep It Simple, Stupid), especially when working with young players
Be positive and enthusiastic at all times. Always use the positive sandwich approach to correcting a player (eg. "That was a good try, but next time try to keep your little fingers together when catching the ball over your shoulder. You’re working very hard, keep it up.").
There is no usefulness in using negative terms such as ‘bad’, ‘awful’, ‘horrible’, etc. Try to substitute with more positive phrases such as ‘Let’s try to do this better’, ‘We need to get better at …’, ‘How can we do that better?’
Insist that players encourage each other after mistakes as well as after good plays.
Winning is not the most important thing, but wanting to win and always trying to do your best is very important.
A coach is successful if each player feels a little better about themselves after each session.
Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.