What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Todd shares coaching stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth coach.

Todd Grosse is married and has 2 children: a 16 year-old son and a 13 year old daughter. Todd grew up in Michigan and played youth hockey at the highest levels, and still plays today. They now live in Franklin, Tennessee.
Listen Now:

Listen in ITunes: Itunes link
Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link
 
Coaching/Leadership Quote
▪   ‘Iron sharpens iron as one man sharpens another’ – Proverbs 27:17

click to tweet!
Coaching your own Kid
▪   You have to keep a balance between coach and Dad, and you have to be very honest with your son/daughter.
My ‘Cringe’ Moment
▪   Not being prepared for practice and being extremely organized
Coaching AH-HA Moment
▪   Using terminology that the kids understand and making everything simple
Teaching Children
1 – Have a plan

2 – Instill discipline, kids are starved for discipline

3 – Communicate the plan clearly and simply
Keeping it Fun
▪   HUGE IDEA #1: Small area games instead of full-scale scrimmages so you can teach while having fun
Best Stolen Idea
▪   To bring the kids in – create a game that if you are the last player to the huddle you have to take a lap – and the players self-enforce it
Coaching Resources
▪   USA Hockey – great coaching materials, classes

▪   Coach Nielsen’s hockey drills
Discipline
▪   Putting kids in the penalty box for not listening is very effective
Reward, Recognition, and Teambuilding
▪   Team recognition instead of individual recognition; and recognizing assists more than goals

▪   HUGE IDEA #2: ‘The Bucket Hat’ – The kids nominate after each game who deserves to wear the hat during warm-ups for the next game

▪   Offseason gatherings and teambuilding activities – whitewater rafting, dinners

▪   For parents – have a great team mom/team manager

▪   If you have a difficult parent – give them a job!
Inspiring Story
▪   Teaching a child by showing him grace – Young man was supposed to sit out the next game for violating rule – but Todd only had him sit our first shift and the young man was so excited and appreciative that he turned around his behavior and attitude
Winning
▪   Winning should be one of the goals – but it’s a team goal and learning fundamentals will lead to improvement which often shows up in more wins

▪   Playing time can be determined by a player’s willingness to practice as hard as possible
 The One that Got Away
▪   They played a team that was above their level – and Todd regrets he told his team about how good the other team was, his team played intimated – he wishes he had just let them play
Coaching/Leadership Motivation
▪   Quote: ‘Iron sharpens iron as one man sharpens another’ – Proverbs 27:17

▪   Book: ‘The Gold Standard’ by Coach K. – story of bringing together the Dream Team
Parting Advice
▪   Have a detailed practice plan!

▪   Keep a binder of great drills
Interview Links
▪   HUDL
Ready to be an Awesome Youth Coach? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter @ WinningYouthCoaching Newsletter