Top Coach for Sports Communication

Volunteering to coach youth sports can be one of the most rewarding experiences in your life. It is a privilege to spend time teaching, coaching and mentoring youngsters in one of the most critical stages of their mental and physical development. Many kids do not have positive role models in their life. Many kids do not get the attention and the discipline that they?need and desire. The main thing I want to discus today is the importance of thinking before you speak and the fact that your words greatly affect the self esteem of your players. Many coaches fail to remember that what a coach says can have long term positive or negative effects on a player. All youth coaches should remember these points regardless of which sport that they coach.

What you say can have long term positive or negative effects on a player. ?It is a coach’s job and responsibility to see, identify, and correct bad player habits, mechanics and incorrect actions and behavior. Coaches should use an approach in such times that is constructive and that produces positive results. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a coach verbalizes displeasure when a player does something wrong as long as it is done professionally and compassionately. What is most important is that if you tell a player when something is done wrong, always make a point to tell that player as soon as possible positive feedback praising something that the player does right.

Maintaining a balance between correction and praising is one of the greatest attributes of a good youth coach. Coaches should always take a moment and think before they speak what is on their mind. Sometimes coaches say something that they wish many times over, that they had not. Once you say something to a player, the damage is done. Regardless of what you do or say, that child will always remember the hurt and embarrassment. Words of praise build confidence and self esteem. A coach’s words of praise and kindness are sometimes the only positive words a player hears outside of school and church.

3 Important Points to remember:

1.?Praise Every Player at Least Once Every Day – Kids look up to you. They hear every word that you say. They take every word that you say to the “heart”. Always strive to find a reason to praise every player at least once or more during every game or practice. Don’t make it false praise because kids are too smart. They know when you are sincere or not sincere in your praise.

2. Maintain a Healthy Balance – Make sure that when you correct a player for poor execution of a skill, drill or action, that you praise that player later when a job is well done. If all the kid hears?are negative comments one right after another, that kids is going to eventually “tune you out”. Keep a healthy balance between your words of correction and your words of praise. Maintaining a positive attitude and a positive approach when correcting bad execution requires a high level of patience. Patience is another valuable attribute of good youth sports coaches.

3. Maintain Your Composure – Think Before You Speak – You can never take words back. Once they are said, they are said! Take a minute to think before you speak when you are irritated and displeased. Words spoken out of anger often come out wrong and have the opposite effect on a player or team than you wished for. If you want your team to play and perform with composure then you must be an example or role model. If you “lose it” every time something goes bad then why should your players not do the same. Be calm and composed at all times. Players and teams emulate the behavior of their coach. If he is calm and collected when the pressure is on, they will tend to be also.

I hope that you find this article useful and informative. Good luck to you and your team, Coach Nick Dixon.

For the casual golfer or fan, Match Play can be confusing. With terms like All Square, Halve, and Dormie, 1-UP, 5 and 4, Match Play is a whole new ball game.

Most golf tournaments are “Stroke Play.” In these events, all of the golfers play a certain number of holes, and the player who has the lowest combined total score is the winner.

In Match Play, golfers are pitted directly against each other. A player is not concerned with the entire field — only with beating the opposing golfer (or side, in team play).

Scoring in Match Play is quite different from stroke play. Each hole in Match Play is scored as a separate event. The player (or team) who finishes a hole in the fewest strokes is the winner of that hole. At the end of the match (however many holes they are playing), the player who has won the most holes is the winner.

The scoring system leads to some unusual terminology. The results of match events are not reported by strokes, or by the total number of holes won, but by how many MORE (or fewer) holes a player has won, along with the numbr of holes left in the match. So, if after 10 holes, Tiger Woods has won six holes and Phil Mickelson has won four, the announcers would report that Woods is 2-Up through 10. At the same time, Mickelson is 2-down. If both players have won the same number of holes, the match is “All Square Through 10.”

Because each hole is played as a separate event, it is possible for one player to get so far ahead in a match that the other has no chance to win. For example, if Woods and Mickelson finish the 16th hole, and Woods is 3-Up, there is no need to continue. The best Mickelson could do is to win the 17th and 18th, and he still would lose by one hole. So the match ends right there.

The score would be reported as Woods wins, 3 and 2. That means that Woods won because he was up by three holes, with only two holes to play.

If a player wins 1-up, that means that the match has gone to 18 holes. The last hole was played either because the match was all square after 17, or because a player was only 1 up, and the other player could have made the match All Square on the final hole.

If the match is All Square in individual stroke play, the two players generally play until the tie is broken. In many team events — such as the Ryder Cup — a tie would result in both sides getting a half a point. This is known as a “Halve”

Confusingly, the term Halve also is used when players tie on an individual hole. Tied holes, however, are not counted in scoring an individual match. You will never see a score like Woods 3 1/2 Mickelson 1 1/2.

This also explains why there will often be a result where the holes just don’t add up. Woods could win four holes, Mickelson win three and they could tie the other 11. If you just added up the number of holes won, it would look like they didn’t play a full match.

The term “Dormie” is used to describe a situation where one player is up by the exact number of holes left in the match. The best the opponent can do is to tie. So, if Woods and Mickelson were on the 16th tee, and Woods was 3-Up, the match is Dormie. The best Mickelson can do is to win the final three holes (16, 17 and 18)and make things All Square.

One seemingly strange score is when a player wins 5 and 3. On the surface, it looks as though the match should have ended with four holes to play, because one player was up by five. But what actually happened was that the match was Dormie with four to go. That is, Woods was 4-Up on the 15th tee (four holes to go). At this point, Mickelson can Halve the match by winning the final four holes. But Tiger wins the 15th, and the match is over. Woods wins by five, with three to go, or 5 and 3.

Another interesting aspect of Match Play is that the players do not have finish every hole. Consider the following situation: Mickelson hits a hole-in-one on a par three. Woods hits the green within inches of the cup, but the ball does not go in. At this point, there is no need for Woods to finish the hole, and he will concede to Mickelson. Even if Woods finishes with a birdie, he still has lost the hole. And there is no need to see if Woods can make the putt because unlike Stroke Play, the score does not carry over to the next hole.

Similarly, players often will “concede” a stroke. This usually happens on a short putt. Mickelson knows that Woods is going to make the tap-in, so he grants the “gimmie.” The real question for that hole is whether Mickelson can make 12 footer to win the hole, or if he two putts for a halve.

Players need to be sure that a ball is conceded before picking it up, though. In the last President’s Cup competition, Davis Love picked up a ball, thinking that Mike Weir had conceded. Weir had not, so normally a one stoke penalty would be assessed. However, because Love honestly thought he had heard Weir concede (Weir did say something that could have been reasonably misheard), there was no penalty.

There are also a couple of other major rules differences in Match Play. For example, in Stoke Play, if you play out of order, it’s just a breach of etiquette. But in Match Play, your opponent can force you to replay the shot.

The other major changes generally have to do with the penalty for breach of rules. In Stroke play, most of the penalties involve the addition of strokes. In Match Play, the rules violations generally involve the automatic loss of the hole.

Match play is very exciting golf. But one of the reasons that you don’t see it a lot on television is that it is unpredictable. Individual matches can end quite suddenly, because you don’t have to play all the holes to determine a winner. For that matter, you don’t even have to finish every hole. A network could schedule three hours for a match, only to have one player win the first ten holes. The match would be over, and the network still would have an hour of programming to fill.

Match play events also are usually played in brackets, like the NCAA basketball tournament. The winner continues on, and the loser goes home. This means that it is entirely possible for the matches on the weekend — when television viewership is highest — to be devoid of the stars. In match play, one bad round means that you are done. In Stroke play, you can have a bad round and still come back the next day, have a good round and make the cut.

Match play events are most famously played in international competitions, like the Ryder Cup, the President’s Cup, the Walker Cup and the Solheim Cup. It also is the featured format in the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship.

“Who am I to tell Tiger Woods how to play golf?” says Hank Haney, Tiger Woods’ new coach. It is probably true when it comes to the legendary Tiger Woods. It is probably not so true for some one who is just getting into the world of golfing. Golf is a great sport and many share the joys of golfing across the world.

Whether you are just edging in to golfing or whether you have spent some years playing golf, the trick to professional golfing may always need some extra help. There have been different opinions on whether one should take golf lessons or not. As it is for many other areas of life, the decision of whether or not taking a coach is and should be a personal decision. Here are some pros and cons that may help you take a decision.

Pros of taking golf lessons:

o When you are starting off, believe it or not, you need someone to guide you with stances and the shots/swings. There are chances of getting seriously injured if you do not follow the correct steps.

o Golf is said to be the single largest reason for back injury and back pain. So remember technique is very important, not just to improve your game but also to avoid injuries.

o Golf lessons will also help you get rid of bad habits/stances and get the correct equipment and shots.

o Golf coaches generally accompany the student during his/her shots. This helps immensely if you listen to them and follow their tips.

o When you are with a coach or a friend may be who plays good golf, you have for yourself a set time when you can learn new shots, unlearn bad stances and concentrate on improving upon your game. Since this time is strictly away from your regular play time, you will have a relaxed mind to learn better.

Whether you are into golfing for a while, many golfers have needed coaches or external help at different stages of their golfing career. So do not hesitate if you feel you need guidance.

Cons of taking golf lessons:

o A golf coach will try to correct your wrong shots. You will have to be open to changes. After a certain age, most of us tend to stop taking criticism. In such a case a coach will be a waste of time and money.

o All lessons will require you to set aside some time and attend the classes. If you miss one class, then that may harm your learning curve.

o A coach will inspect all your moves and comment. If you think continuous attention from someone will not let you relax and would rather distract you, then probably having a coach is not such a good idea for you.

o If you are a long time golfer, then probably you have good idea of the game and can learn easily and improve your golfing skills by observing.

Having a coach or taking golf lessons will always be a personal choice. Analyzing the pros and cons will probably help you in setting your goals.

Sports coaches come under a lot or pressure to perform well, measured by how well their sports team performs on the pitch or the court. These days sports coaches are often as famous as the players they mentor and so they can now command large salaries for their wisdom and direction. Below are just five of the most successful sports coaches in modern times, as well as being successful in their respective fields they also command impressive pay cheques way up in the million dollar “ball park” that some of their players are in.

Bill Bellichick – Salary: $5 million
Bill Bellichick took control of the New England Patriots in 2000 and ever since then he has led them to victory in the 2001, 2003 and 2004 Super bowls. Regularly finishing 1st in the AFC East Bill Bellichick is as well known in Massachusetts as star quarterback Tom Brady.

Glenn ‘Doc’ Rivers – Salary: $5.5 million
Doc Rivers had spent many years at the helm of the Boston Celtics but it wasn’t until the 2007-2008 NBA season that the record signing of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett that his Celtics side showed promise and skill that would win them the first NBA finals trophy for decades. Doc Rivers is well known in the league for being a calm coach, rarely flying into a rage that some other NBA coaches have been prone to doing.

Arsene Wenger – Salary: $7 million
Since Arsene took over the reins at UK football club Arsenal in 1996 he has managed to turn them into true title contenders with a string of Premier League titles and FA Cup trophies. In 2009 Spanish league leaders Real Madrid approached the French manager with a tempting large pay rise but he turned them down to continue his work with a young Arsenal side showing great promise to the fans.

Phil Jackson – Salary: $10.3 million
Jackson is the inspirational leader of two of the greatest NBA teams in history: The Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers. More importantly he has coached two of the greatest players of all time; Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Phil Jackson has won an astonishing 9 NBA finals over his career and there’s every chance he could add a tenth or even an eleventh in the coming years!

Luiz Felipe Scolari – Salary: $24.05 million
Scolari is best known as the coach of the World Cup winning Brazilian football team, later as the coach for Chelsea where he over saw one of the longest runs of games unbeaten at home with 86 games. Scolari has a fiery passion for the game of football and is never shy of letting his feeling be known when he is angry, but considering the amount of clubs and countries that have clamoured for his services it is easy to see why his salary is so high.