APIVEO

Changing the World Through Youth Sports

volunteer youth coach

APIVEO™ LESSON FIVE

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Verbal LeadershipExhibiting Verbal leadership.

The influence of your words – How can your words help or hurt people?

In this lesson the goal is to teach kids that words have a great impact. Communication is essential to all human interaction. The most common means of communicating is through the use of words, which can be spoken as well as in writing such as letters, emails and texting. A word is like a spark; it can start a raging and destructive fire just as easily as it can start a furnace that warms a home. In this lesson we will teach the kids that once their words are shared, they can’t take them back. This is true for bad or hurtful words as well as good or helpful words. To share this lesson, you will need a small tube of toothpaste, a paper plate and napkins*. [Read more…] about APIVEO™ LESSON FIVE

APIVEO™ LESSON FOUR

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Listening is the starting point of leadership.

In this lesson our goal is to teach the kids that leadership starts with listening. Being a leader requires that you know something about the people you are leading. Most conversations between kids aren’t really conversations at all. Often, a child is simply waiting for his or her turn to talk rather than listening to what is being said. Listening is a skill that needs to be learned and practiced or the child will grow up waiting for their turn to talk. [Read more…] about APIVEO™ LESSON FOUR

Good Friends Make Great Teammates

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When you are coaching youth sports, it is important to allow time at every practice for the kids to talk to each other. It will build friendships and respect that will last a lifetime. Youth sports offer kids a lot of opportunities. One of the greatest is to make new friends.

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Cure the “Warm Body Syndrome”

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I recently had a conversation with a friend and fellow coach. I asked him if he was coaching this season, and he said, “I thought about it, but when I coached last year, I was just a warm body standing in the outfield”. My heart broke.

Many volunteer youth coaches of kids in grades K-6 succumb to the “warm body syndrome.” This occurs when an individual graciously, but often reluctantly, agrees to coach because there are not enough coaches to form teams for all of the kids that signed up (including his or her own kid). [Read more…] about Cure the “Warm Body Syndrome”

APIVEO™ LESSON THREE

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What is a leader? Who is a leader?

In this lesson our goal is to teach the kids that they are all leaders. As early as pre-school kids know there’s something special about being “the line leader.” It’s exciting to have the class follow them. However, it’s not the number of people following that makes one a leader; it’s the actions that result from the choices made. If a child makes a decision and acts on it, he/she has led themselves even if no follows. Therefore, every child on your team is a leader that influences his/her own behavior as well as those around them. In subsequent lessons, we will discuss how to lead but at this point we simply want them to believe that they are leaders. [Read more…] about APIVEO™ LESSON THREE

APIVEO Lessons: Overview

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Here is a list of lesson topics that will be provided over the coming weeks. Each lesson will consist of a lesson goal and a script. The lessons are designed to be presented at the close of the post-practice meeting. After giving specific feedback to your players about the practice, you have the opportunity to present the lesson.

 

I close each lesson by having the kids come in and put their hands together and I offer a summary statement and/or a prayer that is based on the lesson that was presented. If you decide to pray, I suggest you start the prayer with an announcement that you are about to pray and that the kids can listen or not, but ask that they be respectfully silent during the prayer. After the summary statement we celebrate with our team cheer. I believe it is best to send the kids home with a single message that applies to all of them, which is why I present the lesson summary at the close to reinforce it.

 

I suggest you hold your post-practice meeting where you are accessible to the parents so they can hear the lesson. This will give them the opportunity to continue the discussion about the lesson during the drive home. It will also clearly demonstrate your focus on their child’s future. [Read more…] about APIVEO Lessons: Overview