Responsibility

What is responsibility

Being accountable for one’s actions; not diverting the blame/task on to someone else. Communicate it: Teaching responsibility is one of the primary goals of sport, as it is one of the easiest traits that can transfer to other areas of life. Young athletes should be expected to follow all the rules, and to know what is expected of them. They have a responsibility to the team to attend all practices and games, play fair, be a good sport and try their best. If you as a coach fail to show up on time, use inappropriate language and do not respect others, young athletes will not understand the importance of responsibility – so be responsible!

At the start of the season, make your young athletes aware that they’ll be learning more than just basketball skills – it’s about life skills too! When you witness a child being responsible (i.e. has never missed a practice, has never been late, etc), speak up and let them know that they’re doing a great job. Be consistent – make sure all athletes are treated equal and rewarded as such. But be careful: there will be situations where kids have little control over their actions (i.e. their parents could not get them to practice on time). Make sure all parents are aware of the level of behavior that you’re expecting prior to the start of the season.