It's amazing how much passion and intensity adults bring to the role of coach. Most of the men and women whom take on the role of coach do it for the all the right reasons. Having participated themselves while growing up, they know first-hand the valuable lessons participating in sports can impart and the lasting impressions the experience can make. At times, however, a coach's passion to see the team succeed can frustrate and hinder player development and detract from the playing experience.
Balance is key. Practice time must be balanced; it cannot be just "work," but must include opportunities for the players to just play and have fun. Opportunities of this sort can, and should be built into the practice's organizational structure. Every sport has its own rhythm which a player must come to sense if he or she is to enjoy playing the game, must less succeed at it. That rhythm cannot be felt, embraced, or internalized in repeated walk-throughs of a play. The process is stifling. Additionally, no matter how many times practiced, designed plays break down more often than not, and at these times, it is each of the players' ability to adjust and improvise on the fly that is critical. It is at these times that a player's "feel for the game" enables him or her to make something out of nothing. The need to allow players the freedom to make and overcome mistakes their way is probably one of the hardest concepts to become comfortable with as a new coach.
