Coaching Generation Z

Discussion:

Last month we ran our first FREE Webinar for Coaches in Ontario about Coaching Generation Z. Participants were asked to complete a short questionnaire after the webinar, asking what unique challenges they have encountered while coaching this new generation of kids, and how they have overcome them.

We want to thank everyone who participated and took the time to answer the October Coach 2 Coach discussion question. Stay tuned for more upcoming PD opportunities!

Jennifer Tinneberg – 15 years 

“…Athletes arriving to practice staring at their phones & not engaging with each other until practice time starts. This lead to a lack of connection between teammates. I now all my athletes leave their phones in their lockers. As soon as they are on deck, they are “on” for practice…”

Mark Severn – 25 years

“…What was said about attention and commitment is very true. One of the things I have found to really be the base of everything is “Playing time.” Issues come out of playing time in terms of trust, caring, positive relationships etc. All of my mistakes as a coach have come from playing time. I think its’s sometimes hard in the moment for what Glen calls old school coaches to see the value in playing everyone and especially in different situations. I know I constantly write down who has played and do my best to make sure things are fair and as even as I can make it. Like Glen said it’s usually parents that really want to win, the players just want to play…”

Jenna – 1 year

“…THE RULE OF TWO is so so crucial in this political climate- it serves to protect athletes AND coaches. This rule allows for the mitigation of so many problems related to power dynamics (adult-youth, coach-athlete, older-younger, male-female)…”

Renee Matte – 14 years

“…The biggest challenge is that the athletes I coach span more than just one generation, so balancing the different preferences and needs of these groups can be tough. So, I go into practices and coaching seasons reminding myself to coach each person and always spend more time creating that connection at the beginning of the season rather than just relying on general information I’ve gathered about their demographic characteristics (age, gender, experience, etc.) and what the preferences “should be”…”

Scott Morton – 20 years

“…All kids want is to be led and to learn. I Coach curling and all kids seem to be the same. Give them direction, let them learn and make sure you as a coach listen and make it FUN…”

Colleen Merlin – 5 years

“…Attention span. Still working on it. But I have many stations and they rotate through drills…”

Dawn Izzard – 30 years

“…Social Media: use it in training…”

Erin Shaw – 4 years

“…We have begun utilizing social media (Instagram) for team chats and sharing of plays, game strategy etc…”

Matthew Melo – 4 years

“…I have found some individuals that I have coach within this new generation find it hard to focus on the task at hand and not use deliberate practice time as social time. I allow the kids to have breaks during the rest intervals to talk in between sets in order to make sure during practice they have a short time frame to focus on the task the last hand…”

Miranda Tomenson – 15 years

“…Their poor attention span is something that I’ve found hard to deal with. Frequently changing up drills and making them a bit more fun helped…”