Youth Basketball Coaching
Written by Zak Scharfen   
Tuesday, 20 June 2006
If you want to make a difference in the lives of young people, you should try coaching youth basketball. I did, and boy am I happy about the whole thing. There are many many places that will show you how to coach youth basketball, from charities to workshops to who knows what else...

I can tell you that I have been involved in youth basketball coaching for over a year now, and there has never been a more rewarding experience in my life thus far. You really should not take my word for it alone. You have to try youth basketball coaching to believe it.

The great thing about youth basketball coaching is you can, with very little experience or background in sports, be the one to keep kids away from bad or dangerous influences in their lives. It is a scary world out there, what with crime, drugs, and all manner of other temptations which plague our youth today.

Why, when I was a kid, we did not even know what drugs were. But anyway, using youth basketball coaching – especially when working with a good, well organized community center – you can help kids to say no to crime, drugs, and any other dangerous or destructive influences in their lives. You have to see it to believe it. The difference it makes is amazing.

I do not know why my work in youth basketball coaching has done so much for kids, but they have told me all about it themselves. It is really true. I have one kid – Mikey – who joined about when I started youth basketball coaching. Before he joined the team, Mikey was bad news. He had a mother with a drug problem and was getting in to drugs himself. He had friends who were very bad influences. It was kids like Mikey who made me decide to volunteer for youth basketball coaching in the first place.

I did not know much about youth basketball coaching when I first got into it. I did not even have any training. I had to watch youth basketball coaching videos, and hustle to prepare for my first day as a coach. But boy was it worth it. I crammed in all of those coaching aids, and soon I was directing the team like a pro. Now that I am good at youth basketball coaching, I'll tell you a secret. With youth basketball coaching, it does not matter where you start, as long as you persist.
Last Updated ( Friday, 30 June 2006 )