Youth Coaches Start Here: Why Do You Coach?

A 3-Part Series Designed to Make Your Season More Successful, More Enjoyable, and Easier

Plus Free PDFs to Help Get Your Season Started the Right Way

Don’t Make the Same Mistake I Made

I coached youth basketball for more than a decade, and looking back, it took me far too long to recognize one of the biggest mistakes I was making as a coach.

Every season, I stepped onto the court prepared.

Offense. Defense. Practice plans. Drills. Plays. Game situations.

You name it, I had a plan for it.

But during those first few years, I overlooked something that ultimately may have been more important than all of it:

I never really stopped to ask myself why I was coaching.

Watch the full video below before your first practice:

A Lesson I Learned the Hard Way

One year, shortly before our season started, I received an email from a parent asking why our team wasn't playing in an upcoming tournament.

From the parent's perspective, it made perfect sense. The tournament was a fundraiser for another athletic program at our school. We could play some basketball and support another program at the same time.

There was just one problem:

Our team was only going to have one practice before the tournament started.

I believed then—and still believe today—that particularly with young players, practice and player development are more important than simply adding another game to the schedule.

I wanted our players to have time together first. I wanted to teach. I wanted them to learn what we were trying to do before putting them into a tournament setting.

So I explained that I didn't think playing in the tournament was the right decision for our team at that point in the season.

The parent didn't see it the same way.

Looking back, the real issue wasn't that one of us was right and the other was wrong. We were looking at the situation through two completely different lenses.

The parent saw an opportunity for the kids to play basketball while supporting another school program.

I saw a team that needed practice and development more than it needed another tournament.

Neither of us really understood the other's perspective before the conversation started.

That's where I could have done a much better job.

If I had taken the time before the season to clearly define and communicate my coaching philosophy, the parent may not have agreed with my decision—but they would have understood why I was making it.

That's an important lesson for every youth coach:

A coaching philosophy isn't just something you develop for yourself. It's something you communicate.

When players and parents understand what you value, how you define success, and why you make certain decisions, it won't eliminate every disagreement.

But it can prevent a lot of confusion when difficult decisions arrive.

And I wish I had understood that much earlier in my coaching career.

Why Do You Coach?

That's why we're starting this three-part series with one simple question:

Why do you coach?

Before you choose an offense...

Before you search for the best basketball drills...

Before you decide how you'll defend, break a press, organize playing time, or structure your first practice...

Take some time to answer that question.

Your answer will influence almost everything you do. It will affect:

• How you run practice.
• How you respond when a player makes the same mistake for the fifth time.
• How you handle losing.
• How you make decisions about playing time, discipline, effort, parents, officials, expectations, and competition.

And most importantly, it will affect the experience your players have with basketball.

This is Part 1 of our three-part series for youth basketball coaches:

Part 1: Why Do You Coach?
Define your purpose, coaching philosophy, and what success should look like.

Part 2: What Kind of Environment Are You Creating? (coming soon)
We'll look at core values, respect, learning, confidence, mistakes, and creating a gym where young players are challenged without becoming afraid to fail.

Part 3: Does Your Coaching Match Your Philosophy? (coming soon)
We'll take those ideas into practice, playing time, games, winning and losing, parent communication, and the difficult decisions every youth coach eventually faces.

If you're getting ready to coach a youth team—or even if you've been coaching for years—start here.

It's the preparation I wish I had done before my first season.

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