How to Coach Kids Who Know Everything

Coaches generally encounter three types of players on their rosters: those with little talent who still work very hard, others with a lot of talent who also want to work at their game and improve, and kids with a lot of talent who already think that they know everything about their sport. A coach doesn't want the last player's attitude permeating his team, but he may still need the youngster's talent to win games.

Instructions

    • 1

      Keep the priority of character development foremost when you are coaching kids. Establish your limits at the beginning of the season and stick to them. If you set consequences for certain behaviors, make sure that everyone suffers those consequences, from the bench warmers to the starters.

    • 2

      Interact with all of your players on the same level. Many kids who act like they know everything have received special treatment from past coaches because of their higher talent levels, and may come into your practices expecting the same. If you maintain the same coach-player distance with all of your players, the know-it-all will learn that he has to operate at the same level of work ethic as everyone else on the team -- there are no shortcuts with you.

    • 3

      Praise all of your players when they meet or exceed your expectations. The kid who seems to know everything wants praise, too, even if he doesn't act like it. Your hard-working bench warmers will blossom more visibly with praise, but if you give it out to everyone on the same basis of expectations, their attitudes will become more uniformly positive. This works because your positive feedback will replay in the players' minds when they face new challenges, pushing them to achieve with confidence.