Coaching-A Tool for Teaching Character

Nothing pulls the character out of a person more than playing competitive sports. I have seen the most calm, cool, and collected person turn into a wild, flagrant, tyrant on the basketball court. For training young boys to be Godly men, a round orange ball, or an oval brown ball, or a little white ball can be used as tools to chisel out and refine young people with discipline and Godly Character. I love to have the team near muscle exhaustion, huffing and puffing then tell them the true story of Christ and his perseverance. There was one instance where a young boy just lost his temper and hit another player. I was glad it happened. It was my opportunity at that moment to share about the dangers of uncontrolled anger and how Jesus was the man's man when it came to temperance (self control). Coaching is full of opportunities to teach life lessons to the team and give them biblical applications.

I encourage parents to not try and get their child on the "best" team when they are young. Get them under a coach that will reinforce your Godly values and teach sound fundamentals. Skill and ability will develop over the years with consistent practice. Likewise, Character is also developed over the same years. If you choose a coach that is all about the sport and not your child's character, you could have a coach that is undoing all that you are trying to instill. One time we had our sons in a flag football league where the coaches and the referees were coming to blows in the middle of the game in front of the youth. In another instance a coach used cursing and intimidation to make his point. He really belittled the boys to their face all the time. That wild, yelling, cursing, coach model may work for older players (even though I don't endorse it), but not in the formative years of a child's life say 13 and under.

What is my point...I love coaching. Never thought I would be the one with the whistle in my mouth shouting "on the line!". When you follow your children's interest you begin to open up all types of new chapters in your life. I coached basketball at the YMCA for two years and now I am coaching for the Oklahoma City Storm. I am truly no authority on the sport just a dad that loves to train fearless followers of Christ. By any means necessary! A father on the court first then a coach.

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