Start With Fun

Kids want to play.  We want to teach.  The next time you are working with your kids or wanting to teach them something, start with a game, then lead into teaching.

Purposeful play is the best way to learn something.  Skill work is the best way to master something.

Start with a game, lead into skill work, finish with a game.

Right now, I'm trying to teach my basketball player how cut and move better defensively and how to be lower and more explosive offensively.  I'm trying to teach my soccer player how to shift her body offensively to shift her defenders body.

I used to say, 'Let me show you something,' or, 'let me teach you something.'  Now I just say, 'Let's play.'

When I try to teach them first, I sometimes get a positive response and I sometimes get an eye roll.  When I try to play with them first, I usually get a smile.  This happens with my own kids and the teams that I coach.  Instead of trying to start with something serious, I start with something fun.  The something fun is pre-planned to lead into something serious and after some time of fun play, it's been much easier to transition into skill work.

After I beat my basketball player a few times by being low and explosive and because she isn't moving as efficiently as she can defensively, I'll teach her the moves that I'm using to beat her.  Then, I'll show her how to move more efficiently so that she has a better chance to stop me.  I do the same with my soccer player.

With my young teams, I might start practice with who can score from kicking the furthest away; it's a lot more fun and engaging than the static stretching I used to do or high knees and karaoke running.  With my high school basketball teams, I might challenge a player to a game of horse or a shooting challenge.  After the game or challenge, we will work on striking the ball properly or shooting form.

Kids want to play.  They want to have fun.  They also learn that winning, performing well, and the positive recognition from a job well done is fun.  We have to be smart about how to get them to do the work that we know they need for them to have the results that they want.  As they get older, I teach more and more the importance of practice to become the best that they can be.  I teach grit. I teach growth mindset.  But first I teach them how to have fun, how to enjoy the game, and teach them how to fall in love with the game and the competition.

Start with fun - it is 'just a game.'