When I had to quit soccer due to a knee injury, I felt quite desperate to find a way to still participate in the sport. My youngest brother and his friends were in need of a new soccer coach and I decided that I would take it upon myself to fill that position with the help of my dad. I now coach the Green Tigers, a U9 (ages 8-9) boys soccer team. The experiences I have had while coaching this team has given me the perspective that high school students should coach younger children a sport of our choice as it builds character and life skills.

When I became a coach, I learned that I needed to be an effective leader to have the ability to teach children, or anyone, how to do something. I constantly have to teach new moves and positions to the players. For me being a leader has carried over into school, as well as life at home. Now I am secretary of NAHS and an example for my brothers of how a leader should be. I am not as afraid to take a leading role as I used to be.

Along with becoming a leader, coaching has taught me patience. Coaching is not easy when you are teaching the players a new play or move and the kids don’t seem to understand. Also, the parents can be irritating at times when they try and teach their child in their own way during practice when my father or I are explaining a play. I have learned to calm myself and slow down drills when all I want to do is quicken the pace to get the objective done.

Flexibility in daily life can be difficult to achieve, but coaching helps me improve my ability to be adaptable. I have to be OK with having to change my plans to help players on the team with a move we worked on. If a player doesn’t understand a move, I would stay at the practice fields later to help him and I would have to cancel plans for that night due to the new practice. I am more open to the players’ ideas, such as what play we should carry out, as well as changing plans to fit the schedules of my friends.

High school students should ask around to see if there is a team in need of a coach or go online and sign up to be a coach. Coaching does more than teach life skills, it also gives a rewarding feeling at the end of the day. I view the players that I coach as my brothers and when I see them improve, I feel accomplished. Coaches have to know what they are doing and have a passion for helping children better themselves so people can still coach if they are not sports-minded. Coaching has impacted me personally, as I hope it would for whoever tries it out.