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WWELCOMEELCOME TOTO YMCA YYMCA YOUTHOUTH F FLAGLAG F FOOTBALLOOTBALL

Who Me…A Coach???

If you’re like most youth league coaches, you were recruited from the ranks of concerned parents, sports enthusiasts, or community volunteers. And, like many rookie and veteran coaches, you probably have little formal instruction on how to coach. But when the call went out for coaches to assist with the YMCA Youth Flag Football program, you answered because you like children and enjoy YMCA Flag Football.

Like many volunteers, you may not know everything there is to know about YMCA Flag Football, nor about how to work with children ages 5-12. Relax, this YMCA Coach’s Manual will help you learn the basics for coaching YMCA Flag Football effectively.

First of all, let’s look at the Goals and Philosophy of YMCA Flag Football:

Teach youngsters the skills of YMCA Flag Football. Everyone who signs up for YMCA Flag Football, plays in every game.

Help kids to have fun and enjoy playing YMCA Flag Football. Smiles, laughs, and good feelings are important.

Put winning into perspective. Striving to win is an essential part of all sports, but winning is only one goals among many.

Teach teamwork. Cooperate with teammates and help them to play as well as they can. Develop a positive attitude about fair play. Players learn to respect their teammates, opponents,

officials and themselves.

YMCA YYMCA YOUTHOUTH F FLAGLAG F FOOTBALLOOTBALL COACHESCOACHES TEACHTEACH SKILLSSKILLS, , FUNFUN ANDAND VALUESVALUES; ; THESETHESE AREARE VIEWEDVIEWED ASAS MOREMORE IMPORTANTIMPORTANT THANTHAN WINNINGWINNING ANDAND LOSINGLOSING. T. THISHIS ISIS THETHE DIFFERENCEDIFFERENCE BETWEENBETWEEN YMCA F YMCA FLAGLAG F FOOTBALLOOTBALL ANDAND OTHEROTHER Y YOUTHOUTH S SPORTSPORTS P PROGRAMSROGRAMS..

YMCA FYMCA FOOTBALLOOTBALL R RULESULES

SSTARTTART OFOF P PLAYLAY

Teams must field a minimum of five (5) players at all times. A coin toss determines first possession (home team calls). The offensive team takes possession of the ball at its 5-yard line and has four (4) plays to cross

midfield. Once a team crosses midfield, it has four (4) plays to score a touchdown. If the offense fails to score, the ball changes possession and the new offensive team takes over on its 5-yard line.

If the offensive team fails to cross midfield, possession of the ball changes and the opposition starts its drive from its 5-yard line.

All possession changes, except interceptions, start on the offense’s 5-yard line. The ball must be snapped between the legs to start play.

GGAMEAME T TIMINGIMING

Games consist of two (2) twenty minute halves. The clock will run continuously except for the last two minutes of the game in which it will be stopped on all incomplete passes, penalties, out-of-bounds, and scores.

Halftime is five (5) minutes. Each time the ball is spotted a team has 30 seconds to snap the ball. Teams will receive one

warning before a delay-of-game penalty is enforced. Each team has two 30-second time outs per half. Officials can stop the clock at their discretion. There is NO overtime. Ties will end in ties.

SSCORINGCORING Touchdown: 6 points Extra point: 1 point (played from 5-yard line), 2 points (played from 12-yard line) Safety: 2 points

RRUNNINGUNNING

The quarterback is defined as the player that receives the snap. The quarterback cannot run with the ball beyond the line of scrimmage unless rushed by the

defense. “No-running zones”, located 5 yards from each end zone and 5 yards on either side of midfield,

are designed to avoid short-yardage, power-running situations which increase chance of injury. If a team moves across midfield the “no-running zone” on the other side of the midfield line does not apply to them.

The quarterback can run while in the no-running zone if rushed. However, no handoffs or pitches are allowed in the no-running zone.

Once the quarterback has given the ball to another player behind the line of scrimmage all defensive players are eligible to rush.

Spinning is allowed, but players cannot leave their feet to avoid a defensive player (no diving). The ball is spotted where the ball carrier’s feet are when the flag is pulled, not where the ball is.

If a player’s flag belt accidentally falls off, play stops and the ball is spotted at the point where the flags were last attached.

RRECEIVINGECEIVING

All players are eligible to receive passes. A player must have at least one foot inbounds when making a reception. A player that receives a pass after his flags have fallen off is down at the point of reception.

PPASSINGASSING

All passes in the no-running zone must be forward and received beyond the line of scrimmage. The quarterback has a seven-second “pass clock.” If a pass is not thrown within the seven

seconds, play is dead, loss of down. An interception is the only change of possession that does not start on the 5-yard line.

DDEADEAD B BALLSALLS

Substitutions can be made on any dead ball. Play is ruled dead when:

- Ball carrier’s flag is pulled.- Ball carrier steps out of bounds.- Touchdown or safety is scored.- Ball carrier’s knee hits the ground.- Ball carrier’s flag falls off.- The ball is fumbled. The ball is spotted where the ball hits the ground.

RRUSHINGUSHING THETHE Q QUARTERBACKUARTERBACK

All defenders who rush the quarterback must be a minimum of seven yards from the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped. Any number of players can rush the quarterback. Players not rushing the quarterback may defend on the line of scrimmage. Once the quarterback distributes the ball to another player the seven-yard rule is no longer in effect and all defenders may go behind the line of scrimmage. The referee will designate seven yards from the line of scrimmage.

BBLOCKINGLOCKING

Contact blocking is not allowed. A player may “shield” block by placing their body in front of their opponent. An offensive player may move in any direction in order to stay in front of the defensive player. A blocker may not outstretch their arms in order to cover additional space. Blocking is in effect cutting off an opponent’s angle and thus slowing them down. Additionally, defensive players may not use contact to get around an offensive player. Incidental contact will be decided by the referee.

PPENALTIESENALTIES

All penalties will be called by the referee.

Defense:Offsides- 10 yards and automatic first downInterference- 10 yards and automatic first down.Illegal contact (holding, blocking, etc.)-10 yards and automatic first down.Illegal flag pull (before receiver has the ball)-10 yards and automatic first down.Illegal rushing (starting rush from inside 7-yard marker)-10 yards and automatic first down.

Offense:Offsides- 10 yards and loss of downIllegal contact (holding, blocking, etc.)-10 yards and loss of down.Running play in the no-running zone – loss of downIllegal forward pass (pass received behind the line of scrimmage in the no-running zone)-loss of downOffensive pass interference (illegal pick play, pushing off/away defender)-10 yards and loss of down.Flag guarding-10 yards from line of scrimmage and loss of down.Delay of game-clock stops, 10 yards and loss of down.

Referees determine incidental contact that may result from normal run of play. All penalties will be assessed from the line of scrimmage.

Only the team captain and coach may ask the referee questions about rule clarification and interpretations. Players cannot question judgment calls.

Game cannot end on a defensive penalty, unless the offense declines it.

SSPORTSMANSHIPPORTSMANSHIP/R/ROUGHINGOUGHING

If the referee witnesses any acts of tackling, elbowing, cheap shots, contact blocking, or any unsportsmanlike act, the game will be stopped and the players can and may be ejected from the game. FOUL PLAY WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.Trash talking is illegal. Officials have the right to determine offensive language. Trash talk is considered to be talk that may be offensive to officials, opposing players, teams, or spectators.If trash talking occurs, the field monitor will give one warning, if it continues, the player or players will be ejected from the game.

Coaching

Coaches for K-2nd will be allowed on the field as long as they do not interfere with play. In all other divisions coaches will only be allowed in the huddle to call plays but must be off field before ball is snapped and remain off the field until play is dead. A 5 yard penalty will be given if Coach remains on the field during play.

AATTIRETTIRE

Cleats are allowed. No metal spikes. All players must wear a protective mouthpiece. No exceptions. YMCA game jersey must be worn during play. K-2nd will use a pee-wee size football. All other divisions will use a junior size football.

CCOACHINGOACHING T TIPSIPS

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YMCA CYMCA COACHINGOACHING P PHILOSOPHYHILOSOPHY

YYOUROUR C COACHINGOACHING O OBJECTIVESBJECTIVESWhat is an appropriate coaching philosophy? YMCA Youth Flag Football is different because coaches are encouraged to think about their philosophy before they begin coaching. One basic decision you must make is to first decide your coaching objectives. These might include:

Having a winning team Having fun – you and your players Helping young people develop

Which of these objectives is most important to you? When given these choices, coaches usually agree that development and fun should be the most important coaching objectives. However, during games, many of these same coaches scream at athletes who make mistakes and keep their less skilled players on the bench. Despite expressing concern for their players, these coaches obviously believe that winning is the most important objective. Coaches in YMCA Youth Flag Football support a philosophy which attempts to put winning in its proper perspective. This philosophy is simple to remember:

ATHLETES FIRST, WINNING SECONDWinning is fun and exciting. But it is only fun and exciting if it is kept in perspective. Adults who expect their players to perform like the pros and who value winning above all other goals, spoil the pleasure in playing. Winning at all costs leads to an acceptance of cheating and a view of the other team as the enemy. Coaches in YMCA Youth Flag Football should try to remember that the children on their team have come to have fun, to learn new skills, and to participate in a program that will enrich the quality of their lives.

As you begin thinking of ways to put the philosophy Athletes First, Winning Second into practice, consider the following suggestions:

Help Every Player in the Program…Give all players equal attention and help regardless of their skill level. It is impossible to predict a child’s potential ability when given encouragement and assistance.Help Develop Spirit, Mind and Body…Remember that the young people in your program are not just bodies to be trained, but also have minds and spirits. Physical fitness and skills are important, but so are mental attitudes and spiritual growth. The goal in YMCA Youth Flag Football is to bring these elements together in one experience.

YYOUROUR C COACHINGOACHING S STYLETYLEOnce you’ve decided your coaching objectives, you need to plan how you will achieve them. How will you coach? There are at least 3 distinct coaching styles. Will you make all the decisions and expect players to follow your commands without question? You’re probably familiar with the authoritarian “do as I say; don’t ask questions” attitude of many of the “big time” coaches. Is this a style that will help your players develop? Probably not, unless your main objective is to teach young people how to follow orders.

A different style, which might seem attractive to you if you feel you don’t know much about football, is to let your players run the program. If you just throw out the ball and let the kids play, there’s no danger of YOU making silly or embarrassing mistakes! Unfortunately, with this coaching style you won’t really help the players develop skills and values, and with poor supervision there is an increased risk of injury.

A third coaching style, and the one which all YMCA coaches are encouraged to develop, is to let your athletes share in the decision making process. Unless young people are given the opportunity to express opinions and make decisions, they will not become responsible adults. Unfortunately, this coaching style – the cooperative style – is the hardest to develop. You face the difficult task of deciding how much you need to

structure and organize the program and how much input you should encourage from your athletes. Cooperative style coaches give direction and provide instruction when it is needed, but they also know when to let athletes make decisions and assume responsibility.

A cooperative style will help you to develop a good relationship with your players. Your players will show more respect and be more willing to listen if they know that you are genuinely interested in their opinions. This coaching style is especially effective when teaching values and good sportsmanship.

TTEACHINGEACHING V VALUESALUESOrganized sports provide unique opportunities for the development of the whole person. Experiences can be positive or negative depending on the value placed on qualities of fair play and sportsmanship. As the coach, you are responsible for setting and maintaining certain standards in these areas. When your players are uncertain what to do, they will look to you for guidance and copy your behavior. Take a few minutes to reflect on your own values and attitudes.

4 Core Values AttitudesHonesty Are you honest with yourself about your reasons for coaching?

Are you honest with your players and officials?Caring Do you show compassion and a caring attitude to ALL participants? Respect Do you respect yourself?

Do you respect your players, your opponents and the officials?Responsibility Do you make your players responsible for their own actions?

Most coaches want to help young people learn values but sometimes are uncomfortable about how to do this. It is best to view this responsibility as a skill to be learned just like other coaching skills. Here are some tips to help you fulfill this responsibility:

Ask open-ended questions instead of always giving answers. Why did you decide to play soccer? How did you feel about the game last week? What did you learn today?

Demonstrate important YMCA Youth Soccer values in your actions during practices and games. Key areas on which to focus are fair play, teamwork, the YMCA House Rules, and ATHLETES FIRST, WINNING SECOND.

During practices and games, reward good sportsmanship frequently. Recognize players who exhibit CARING, HONEST, RESPECTFUL and RESPONSIBLE attitudes.

Hold a team circle at the end of each flag football practice and game. This is a time for players and coaches to get together and talk. Team circles should be short – 5 to 10 minutes at the most.

Give each person a chance to respond. Players can pass if they want to. Don’t feel you need to comment on their responses. You can reinforce their participation with nods, smiles and short words, such as yes, thanks, okay, etc.

Be yourself. Teaching values does not mean preaching or being phony. Children respect an adult who listens to them and who talks honestly.

When the circle comes back to you, briefly summarize the responses, showing that you heard and respected each of the players. You may want to add your own feelings or opinions but don’t lecture. Remember, the value of the team circle comes in raising questions, not in answering them. Close by praising some aspect of the practice session or game. Thank your players for coming to the practice or game.

Coaching during YMCA Youth Flag Football games is a great opportunity to get closer to your team. It is also an important time for you to model the kind of behavior you expect from your players. In the excitement of the game, it is easy to forget your coaching objectives and become over concerned with the game result. REMEMBER – Athletes First, Winning Second.

CCOMMUNICATINGOMMUNICATING W WITHITH P PLAYERSLAYERSCCOMMUNICATIONOMMUNICATION S SKILLSKILLSSuccessful coaches know how to communicate effectively. To improve your communication skills, consider the following:

Communication consists not only of sending messages, but also of receiving them. Many coaches are good at giving information but poor at receiving it. Listen to what your players are saying.

Speaking, or verbal messages, is only one form of communication. Non-verbal communication – gestures of hostility, facial expressions of joy or sadness, and behaviors of kindness – express clear messages to your players. When coaching your players, remember that how you express a message is as important as what you say.

Successful coaches, faced with the pressures and excitement of competitive sports, think carefully about what they say and the emotions they communicate.

The YMCA House Rules provide excellent advice for improving your communication skills and those of your players and parents.

CCOACHOACH WITHWITH AA P POSITIVEOSITIVE A ATTITUDETTITUDEYou will improve your communication skills by adopting a positive approach. The positive approach emphasizes praise and rewards to strengthen desirable behaviors, whereas the negative approach uses punishment and criticism to eliminate undesirable behavior. The positive approach helps athletes to value themselves and raises your credibility in their eyes. The negative approach increases fear of failure, lowers self-esteem and destroys your credibility. Here are some suggestions for putting the positive approach into practice when you coach:

When an athlete performs a skill, even if you notice several errors, look for something specific in the performance worthy of praise.

Reward your athletes’ performances and efforts regardless of the game results. Reward frequently when young people are first learning a skill. Reward occasionally once the skill is

learned well.

YMCA HYMCA HOUSEOUSE R RULESULES

Speak for yourself – Not for anybody else

Listen to others – Then they’ll listen to you

Avoid put-downs – Who needs ‘em?

Take charge of yourself – You are responsible for you

Show respect – Every person is important

Reward small improvements. Some children may never be great players. The too, deserve praise. Look for opportunities to praise players for showing desirable social and emotional skills. Good

sportsmanship, teamwork and cooperativeness deserve to be noticed. Choose carefully how to reward your players. Generally, a smile and an expression of approval or a pat on the back is more effective. Athletes

should learn that playing sports brings its own rewards – a sense of accomplishment, pride and a feeling of competence.

DDEALINGEALING WITHWITH M MISBEHAVIORISBEHAVIORHow do you deal with misbehavior? You can respond with either a positive or negative approach. One technique of the positive approach is to ignore the behavior; neither reward nor punish it. This approach is often effective when a youngster is misbehaving to seek attention. Ignoring the behavior teaches the youngster that unacceptable behavior is not worth anything.

Sometimes you can’t wait for misbehavior to extinguish itself through non-reward. If players are spoiling a practice or endangering themselves, you must take immediate action. Tell the youngster that the misbehavior must stop or punishment will follow. One warning is sufficient. Always use punishment sparingly and, remember, it is the behavior not the person you are punishing. A good method is to remove the player from the activity. Never use physical punishment. For most young people sitting out and missing the fun of play is sufficient punishment to eliminate continued misbehavior. When punished players return, try hard to make them once again feel valued as a member of your team.

PPLANNINGLANNING Y YOUROUR S SEASONEASONWWHATHAT T TOO T TEACHEACHThere are two levels of YMCA Flag Football based on school grades: Pre K – 2nd and 3rd – 5th

YMCA Rookies (Grades Pre K – 2)To capture the interest of younger players, emphasize fun and skill development. Concentrate on developing the basic skills of passing, receiving and hand-offs. Young players will neither understand nor enjoy technical team drills. The games approach to Flag Football is effective at this level. Basic team skills can be introduced, but players should be encouraged to play in different positions.

YMCA Winners (Grades 3 – 8)Players at this level who have received a solid grounding in the basic skills will be reading for more advanced techniques. These should include offensive and defensive team skills. Don’t forget, these players also will enjoy many of the football related fun games played at the previous level. The main focus should still be on the skills of passing, receiving and hand-offs. It is likely that new and inexperienced players will want to join the program and will need help learning the basics. Players should be encouraged to continue to develop all-around playing skills rather than specializing in a particular position.

GGAMESAMES A APPROACHPPROACH TOTO F FLAGLAG F FOOTBALLOOTBALLCan you recall learning a sport by playing with a group of your friends in the neighborhood? You did not learn the basic skills first; there was no time for that. You began playing immediately. If you didn’t know the basic things to do, your friends told you quickly during the game so they could keep playing. The YMCA Games Approach is a very similar tactic.

On the surface teaching flag football by first teaching the basic skills of the sport and then the tactics of the game would seem to make sense, but we have discovered that this approach has two serious shortcomings. First, it teaches the skills of the sport out of the context of the game. Kids learn to pass and catch the ball, but they find it difficult to learn how to use these skills within the game because they do not understand the tactics of the game. Second, learning skills by doing drills outside of the context of the game is extremely boring to the child.

With the games approach, all teaching of football skills begins by playing the game, usually a modified version of the game. As the children play the game, you help them learn what to do, what we call tactical awareness. When your players understand what they must do in the game, they are then eager to learn the skills, you can demonstrate the skills of the game, have players practice using game-like drills, and provide individual instruction by identifying players’ errors and helping correct the error.

In the past we have put too much emphasis on learning the skills and not enough on learning how to play skillfully – that is, how to use those skills during play. The games approach, in contrast, emphasizes learning what to do first, then how to do it. The games approach lets children discover what to do in the game, not by you telling them, but by them experiencing it. What you do as a coach is help them discover what they have experienced. It empowers your children to solve the problems that arise in the game, and that is a big part of the fun in learning the game. The key to success is to carefully monitor the games and help them learn and improved by discovery.

Traditional Approach:Learn the skill → Learn the tactics → Play the game

YMCA Games Approach:Play the game → Learn the tactics → Learn the skill

The games approach to learning allows players to play more in practice, and once they learn how skills fit in with their performance and enjoyment of the game, they will be more motivated to work on those skills, which will help them to be successful.

The games approach to teaching soccer involves a four-step process:

1. Play a modified soccer game.If you teach using the traditional approach, you start with a little warm up activity, and then line up for a simple dribbling drill and go from there. With the games approach, you begin by playing a modified game that is developmentally appropriate for the level of the players and also designed to focus on learning a specific part of the game.

Modifying the game to place emphasis on a limited number of situations in the game is one way you guide your players to discover certain tactics in the game. For instance, you have your players play a two versus one game, making the objective of the game learning to play with a teammate. Players can only have three touches before passing the ball. Playing the game this way forces players to think about what they have to do to pass and receive accurately.

2. Helps players discover what they need to do.As your players are playing the game, look for the right spot to “freeze” the action, step in, and hold a brief question and answer session to discuss problems they were having in carrying out the goal of the game. You do not need to pop in on the first miscue, but if they repeat the same types of mental or physical mistakes a few times in a row, step in and ask them questions that relate to the goal of the

game and the necessary skills required. The best time to interrupt the game is when you notice that they are having trouble carrying out the main goal, or aim, of the game. By stopping the game, freezing action, and asking questions, you will help them understand:

What the aim of the game is; What they must do to achieve that aim; What skills they must use to achieve that aim.

Asking questions allows the players to think through the process and discover on their own what they need to do to accomplish the task. Resist the temptation to tell them what to do.

3. Teach the skills of the game.Only when your players recognize the skills needed to execute the tactics they have come to learn from playing the game, do you want to teach the specific skills through focused drills. Now you can use the more traditional approach to teaching sport skills:

I Introduce the skillD Demonstrate the skillE Explain the skillA Attend to players practicing the skill

Remember children have a short attention span and will respond more to actions than words. Keep explanations brief and give them plenty of time to work on the skills. Do not overkill the practicing of the skill. When players begin getting bored with the routine, move on to another skill.

4. Practice the skills in another game.Once the players have practiced the skill, you then put them in another game situation – this time a lopsided game (such as 3 vs 1 or 3 vs 2). As a coach, you want your players to experience success as they are learning the skills. The best way to experience success early on is to create an advantage for the players. Use even sided games at first and lopsided games after they have practiced the skill. The idea behind this is to first introduce players to a situation similar to what they will experience in competition and let them discover the challenges they face in performing the skill. Then you teach them the skill, practice the skill, and put them back in a game situation that is lopsided and give them a chance of experiencing success.

FFOOTBALLOOTBALL S SKILLSKILLSPPASSINGASSING

RRECEIVINGECEIVING

RRUNNINGUNNING / H / HANDAND-O-OFFSFFS

SSNAPPINGNAPPING

DDRILLSRILLS ANDAND S SCRIMMAGESCRIMMAGESUUSINGSING D DRILLSRILLSHere are some guidelines to help you use drills effectively:

Use individual and partner drills frequently. These give each player more of an opportunity to practice and handle the ball than group drills do.

Use group drills (a) when there are only one or two footballs for an entire team, (b) to practice teamwork, (c) to slow down the pace. Group drills leave players standing around.

Arrange your players so that everyone has room to practice at the same time. This ensures plenty of activity. It also allows a youngster to practice and make mistakes without fear of being ridiculed in front of teammates.

Don’t feel that drills need to have winners and losers. Players will know whether or not they did the drill successfully by whether they made the shot or completed the pass. It’s not necessary (or helpful) to rank players by who did best and worst.

Make sure you are moving from player to player making corrections and giving encouragement.

Always be conscious of the ability of your athletes. If your players seem to be experiencing difficulties with a drill, look carefully at your choice of drill or your explanation, before criticizing your athletes for their poor performance. You must expect to make some adjustments for the abilities of your players. Perhaps your players need more time on some skills and less on others. Try to progress at a speed compatible with the abilities of your players.

OFFENSIVE SETSOFFENSIVE SETS

Y O O OO

O

Dueces Right O O O OO

Dueces Left O O O OO

Stack Right O O OO

O

Stack Left O O OO

O

Trips Right O O O OO

Trips Left O O O OO

OFFENSIVE PASS ROUTES

Route #1 Route #2

Short, 1-2 yds. Turn and look Curl, 6-7 yds. and curl in

Route #3 Route #4

Slant, 5 yds. and cut in toward pylon Run 5-6 yds. up then cut out, away from QB

Route #5 Route #6

In, 5-6 yds. and cut in toward QB Streak, go straight up field for the bomb

****The plays will be called from left to right. Example, Y 5225 Y set, Left rec. 5, Center 2, Back 2, Right rec. 5****The Left receiver always goes under on routes that cross.

RUNNING PLAYS

Right/Left Boom O O OO

O

Right/Left Sweep O O OO

O

Reverse O O OO

O

Lt/Rt End Around O O O OO

O

Pitch Pass O O OO

O

***We will add fakes later!

DEFFENSIVE SETS

Man

Stay with them where ever they go. X

X

X X X

O O O OO

2-1-2 ZoneGuard the players that X Xcome into your area.

X

X XO O O

O

O

3-2 ZoneGuard the players that X Xcome into your area.

X X X

O O OO

O

OPTIONAL (NEW) PLAYS

Option Pitch Rt/Lt O O OO

O

Option Pitch Reverse O O OO

O

Center to QB Pass O O OO

O

Gather-Go Pass O O O(Can also hand-off to Orunning back.) O

BBILLILL OFOF R RIGHTSIGHTS FORFOR Y YOUNGOUNG A ATHLETESTHLETES

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Ozarks Regional YMCA Coaching Contract

I understand that my responsibilities as a youth coach are of great importance and that my actions have the potential to significantly influence the young athletes I coach. Therefore, I promise to uphold the following rights of young athletes to the best of my ability.

I. Right to participate in sports

II. Right to participate at a level commensurate with each child's maturity and ability

III. Right to have qualified adult leadership

IV. Right to play as a child and not as an adult

V. Right of children to share in the leadership and decision-making of their sport participation

VI. Right to participate in safe and healthy environments

VII. Right to proper preparation for participation in sports

VIII. Right to an equal opportunity to strive for success

IX. Right to be treated with dignity

X. Right to have fun in sports

I also promise to conduct myself in accordance with the Code of Ethics for Coaches as given next.

1. I will treat each athlete, opposing coach, official, parent, and administrator with dignity, based on the four values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility.

2. I will do my best to learn the fundamental skills, teaching and evaluation techniques, and strategies of my sport.

3. I will become thoroughly familiar with the rules of my sport.

4. I will become familiar with the objectives of the YMCA Youth Super Sports program with which I am affiliated. I will strive to achieve these objectives and communicate them to my athletes and their parents.

5. I will uphold the authority of officials who are assigned to the contests in which I coach, and I will assist them in every way to conduct fair and impartial competitive contests.

6. I will learn the strengths and weaknesses of my athletes so that I might place them in situations where they have a maximum opportunity to achieve success.

7. I will conduct my practices and contests so that all athletes have an opportunity to improve their skill level through active participation.

8. I will communicate to my athletes and their parents the rights and responsibilities of individuals on our team.

9. I will cooperate with the administrator of our organization in the enforcement of rules and regulations and in the evaluation process for coaches, and I will report any irregularities that violate sound competitive practices.

10. I will protect the health and safety of my athletes by insisting that all of the activities under my control are conducted for their psychological and physiological welfare, rather than for the vicarious interests of adults.

With my signature, which I voluntarily affix to this contract, I acknowledge that I have read, understood, and will do my best to fulfill the promises made herein.

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Sport Signature

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Date Director