First-time coaches often are parent volunteers. Typically, Mom or Dad registers a child in a youth sports organization, which then asks parents to volunteer.

The parent might feel capable of being an assistant coach, then all of a sudden is named a head coach.

Many first-time coaches find this role harder than they expected, so here are 11 tips to ease matters and help your young athletes.

• Let your child know you’re considering coaching. Explain that you’re really looking forward to this, and ask for feedback about it. Your child’s opinion may or may not change your decision about coaching, but it’s good to have your child in from the beginning.
• Be clear on your own goals for coaching. Coaches of kids just starting to play a sport should set a simple goal of a season enjoyable enough that everyone returns for next season.
• Share your goals with your players and their parents from the start. Having a preseason parent meeting is ideal. If it’s too late for that, just get the parents together at the end of a practice and let them know why you’re out there. It might sound like this: “My No. 1 goal this season is to give your kids such an enjoyable experience that they all can’t wait for next season. And, yes, I hope to teach them some skills, too.” Of course, if you have more ambitious goals in terms of skill development or imparting life lessons, share those, too.
• Invite the parents to help. It often helps to have some parents pitch in at practices and games. If you invite them directly, they will likely support you with a few extra hands. Getting them involved at your practices also makes it more likely they’ll be comfortable practicing the sport with their child outside of official practice time.
• Welcome each player by name at every practice and game. When kids arrive to coaches who are smiling and greeting them by name, they feel welcome and positive from the start.
• Plan practices that keep kids active. When kids are moving and active, they are more likely to stay focused. At the younger ages, avoid lines. Bring plenty of equipment, so kids are not standing around waiting for their turn. Find games/drills that give kids a lot of repeated practice of the skills.

SEE ALSO: Keeping practices fun helps young players stay engaged

SEE ALSO: 5 ways to keep a young athlete active during the offseason

• Face the sun, take a knee and be brief. When you’re talking to your athletes, get onto their level – at least physically – by taking a knee, so you can literally and figuratively see eye-to-eye. Find the sun, and make sure you’re facing into it so they are not. Then make the most of the 30 to 60 seconds you’ve got their attention. Six 60-second conversations with your players at a practice are much better than two 5-minute conversations.
• Pick one or two areas of focus per practice. You likely only have one hour for your practice. Pick one or two topics to introduce and repeat over and over again. At the start of practice, you might say, “Today is going to be all about passing.” Then each time you bring the players in, ask them, “What is our focus today?” Then have this same focus for your competition that week. Whenever you see it being executed well, let your players know it.
• Create a team cheer and do it often. Young kids love having adults who are willing to be silly with them. Bring them in multiple times during practice to do their cheer, and make sure they see and hear you as an active participant.
• End practice or competition on a positive note. At the end of practice or a competition, call in all of the athletes and the parents. Ask the kids: “Who saw one of your teammates do something well?” The kids are actually good at answering this question. Then ask the parents, “Parents, what did you see that you liked?” This gives the parents a nice chance to recognize specific, positive things they saw, and it ends the practice/competition on a high note.
• Don’t forget, this can be hard. Most parents are surprised by how hard it is to feel successful coaching. We go in with very high expectations, and we don’t have control over the outcome. You are not alone. Find other coaches who have been doing this for a while, and share your challenges. They can serve as a wonderful resource.

David Jacobson is senior marketing communications and content manager for Positive Coaching Alliance. For more information, visit www.positivecoach.org. For free resources, visit www.PCADevZone.org.