Five Tips for Parents When Choosing Basketball Coaching

Choosing basketball coaching for your children can be challenging and difficult but Coach Charlie Miller gives 5 tips for choosing a basketball coaching program;  goals, experience, plans, costs and likeability.

1.  Basketball Coaching Goals & Expectations

Identify what you and your child are expecting from basketball coaching?  Whatever your reasons, you should understand what your goal is as a parent and what is the goal of your child.  Then, find a program that meets most of your expectations to avoid disappointments later.  Ask the Coach, What will your child learn from basketball coaching?  How will this help them develop?   What benefits does the Coach see from his program?  How well does the Basketball Coaching program align with your expectations?

2.  Experience in Coaching Basketball –

What level of experience do the Coaches provide in dealing with youth, playing and coaching the game?  It is important to get a Coach that has the right attitudes towards your children, towards coaching and has sufficient experience to know how to coach basketball effectively.   Many parents get involved as coaches and though they may love the game and love their children, they may or may not be good coaches.  A good coach knows that it is really not important whether you win or lose each game, although winning is preferable, but doing your personal best and learning the discipline to practice and consistently improve.

3.  Planning, Practice and Patience of Basketball Coaches –

What are the coach’s plans, how well do they plan basketball practice sessions and games?  How much patience do they reflect in their coaching style?  Does the coach work with every player or just favorites?  Is the basketball coaching environment one that encourages growth and improvement or is it too focused on winning the next game?  Many children come away from some sports activities with negative view of sports, coaches and competition in general.  Basketball is first a game and not a war, it should be fun.  Nobody wants to be a loser but young children need to learn positive attitudes about competition and whether they lose or win, they should take in putting forth their personal best.  Your child should be excited about going to practice and playing games should be a fun experience even when they lose.  Ask some other parents what their experience has been?  What do their kids think of the coach?

4.  Costs, Accessibility & Convenience of the Basketball Coaching Program –

Many people want the “best” basketball coaching they can afford but how you define “best” can vary widely.  Spending more money does not guarantee better coaching, just more expensive coaching.  Some “Select” teams require try-outs, are often highly competitive internally and externally and sometimes get caught up in the politics of the parents.  There is no guarantee that the coaching will be better and there is a lot of pressure on the Coach and the children to “win.”  Is your child right for this environment?  Taking a game children love to play and turning it into a stressful, pressure-filled activity can sometimes be the fastest way to teach them to hate the game.  If you as a parent are always stressed-out driving your child 25 miles each way to take them to practices and games, perhaps out-of-town road trips to play other teams and so on, it may not have been the best selection for you or your child.  Be sure the program matches your lifestyle and budget.

5.  Likeability of the Basketball Coaching Program-

No matter how well organized, experienced, patient and affordable the basketball coaching might be, if you or your child do not like the coach or the program or the other players, it is probably not the best program for you.  Nobody wants a child on the team that doesn’t like being there, and as a parent, if you don’t like something about the program, you may keep finding faults and have other issues with the program until your child doesn’t like it either.  If you simply don’t like it, trust your intuition and look at other programs or other sports.

ATTACK  Basketball Academy provides basketball coaching

Led by former High School, Collegiate and Professional Basketball Player Coach Charlie Miller, ATTACK Basketball Academy provides basketball coaching for boys and girls from ages 5-18, and relates coaching to important life skills.  The Academy focuses on continuous improvement and inclusiveness of all youth who want to learn how to play, build their skills and enjoy playing the game.  All coaches pass background, experience and interview tests to ensure the best coaching possible.   Visit our YouTube/AttackBBball channel to see our Coaches demonstrating some of our basketball drills.