APIVEO

Changing the World Through Youth Sports

Coaching Tips

APIVEO™ LESSON FIVE

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Verbal LeadershipExhibiting Verbal leadership.

The influence of your words – How can your words help or hurt people?

In this lesson the goal is to teach kids that words have a great impact. Communication is essential to all human interaction. The most common means of communicating is through the use of words, which can be spoken as well as in writing such as letters, emails and texting. A word is like a spark; it can start a raging and destructive fire just as easily as it can start a furnace that warms a home. In this lesson we will teach the kids that once their words are shared, they can’t take them back. This is true for bad or hurtful words as well as good or helpful words. To share this lesson, you will need a small tube of toothpaste, a paper plate and napkins*. [Read more…] about APIVEO™ LESSON FIVE

APIVEO™ LESSON FOUR

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Listening is the starting point of leadership.

In this lesson our goal is to teach the kids that leadership starts with listening. Being a leader requires that you know something about the people you are leading. Most conversations between kids aren’t really conversations at all. Often, a child is simply waiting for his or her turn to talk rather than listening to what is being said. Listening is a skill that needs to be learned and practiced or the child will grow up waiting for their turn to talk. [Read more…] about APIVEO™ LESSON FOUR

Good Friends Make Great Teammates

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When you are coaching youth sports, it is important to allow time at every practice for the kids to talk to each other. It will build friendships and respect that will last a lifetime. Youth sports offer kids a lot of opportunities. One of the greatest is to make new friends.

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Cure the “Warm Body Syndrome”

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I recently had a conversation with a friend and fellow coach. I asked him if he was coaching this season, and he said, “I thought about it, but when I coached last year, I was just a warm body standing in the outfield”. My heart broke.

Many volunteer youth coaches of kids in grades K-6 succumb to the “warm body syndrome.” This occurs when an individual graciously, but often reluctantly, agrees to coach because there are not enough coaches to form teams for all of the kids that signed up (including his or her own kid). [Read more…] about Cure the “Warm Body Syndrome”

APIVEO™ LESSON THREE

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What is a leader? Who is a leader?

In this lesson our goal is to teach the kids that they are all leaders. As early as pre-school kids know there’s something special about being “the line leader.” It’s exciting to have the class follow them. However, it’s not the number of people following that makes one a leader; it’s the actions that result from the choices made. If a child makes a decision and acts on it, he/she has led themselves even if no follows. Therefore, every child on your team is a leader that influences his/her own behavior as well as those around them. In subsequent lessons, we will discuss how to lead but at this point we simply want them to believe that they are leaders. [Read more…] about APIVEO™ LESSON THREE

APIVEO™ LESSON TWO

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How do we use our talents and gifts to Always Play 4 Each Other?

This lesson is at the core of APIVEO. The goal is to demonstrate that “Always Playing 4 Each Other” is an intentional effort in that we use our gifts to help others achieve something. “Always Play 4 Each Other” is not the same as simply letting others go first and putting you second. Instead, your purpose is specifically to benefit someone else and that takes effort regardless of where you may end up. The following dialog will demonstrate this concept in a fun and engaging way. [Read more…] about APIVEO™ LESSON TWO