Becoming a Youth Soccer Coach

I want to lose weight so I can coach my daughter’s soccer team this fall.

My daughter played in her first game ever this past Saturday — t-ball — and she did great. I practice with her at home and she’s naturally athletic — tall and fast.

While her t-ball coach does a fine job, I’m a very much a type A personality and am incredibly competitive. I would do some things differently, things that I picked up while coaching youth (10-12 years old) football a few years ago. For starters, kids, especially the younger ones, need to see an insanely energetic coach; they feed off of the energy and excitement. Kids need to be active at all times during practice — otherwise they get bored and distracted.

So goes their attention, so goes any ability to teach them anything.

While my daughter does well in t-ball, she excels at soccer. We have a soccer ball and a portable goal (pictured above) that we play with in the front yard. I’ll often kick the ball around by myself to burn some calories while she’s on her scooter or doing something in the yard. I played soccer through the YMCA for several years when I was a kid — playing again is like being reacquainted with a long-lost friend.

Knowing that I’ll make a good, hopefully great coach, something youth sports leagues around the country desperately need, I’ve already committed to coaching my daughter’s soccer team this fall. I’m more than fit enough to coach the kids in my condition today — but I want to get in really good shape. I want to be able to run up and down the soccer field while keeping a high level of excitement for the kids, not gasping for air every 5 minutes.

I want a high energy practice every week. As a coach, it will be my job to make sure the kids have fun and learn the basics of soccer.

The more fit I am, the better I’ll be at my job.