Personable, funny and keeping it light - The key ingredients for coaching young kids
For those of you interested in finding the right coach for your child, the article that I reference below which was written by Edith Thys for Ski Racing magazine describes such a coach. Coaching young kids is more of an art and a feel that must be centered around fun and enjoyment.
The best coach for a young child is the coach who makes the initial stage of sports participation fun and enjoyable while still creating a learning environment. Coaches of young kids must have the skill which allows them to have patience with and the ability to relate to children and kids. In fact, no amount of technical knowledge in a sport can overcome this requirement, when coaching beginners and those in the early learning stage.
Hans Standteiner had a joy for life and people and brought that attitude and approach to all of the kids that he coached. A longtime friend and colleague of Hans, Ernst Hager said the following about his friend and coaching partner: “We believed in being personable with the kids, and motivated them by being funny and keeping it light. Kids loved Hans.” Edith Thys, 2019. Ski Racing.