First time...

A young girl comes to our junior golf class for the first time. We were out on the course that day, and were using kick balls and soccer balls as our tee shots.

I grabbed a ball and talked with the girl about places she could kick it. After we decided where, I stepped back and said, "Ok, kick it hard!"

She just looked at the ground in front of me. Shy. Maybe even a little embarrassed. Her hands behind her back, head slightly tilted, not making eye contact. So, I told her again, "Hey, it's all right, just kick it right where we were talking about."

Same shy look.

Her mom, sitting on a cart about 50 yards away called to me, and I ran to her. Meanwhile my coworker took the other children through the kicking.

"Coach Milo," the mom said. "Just wanted you to know that she has never kicked a ball."

I think I was equally floored and irritated. The girl was six, almost seven years old, and had never kicked a ball! Isn't that akin to cruel and unusual punishment? Had she been locked away, put in some desk tucked in the back of a dingy classroom, banned from every child's birthright to put foot on ball only to see it sail through the air? The thought of calling CPS, the FBI and the DOD did cross my mind.

Instead, I simply said, "Cool."

Getting back to the group, I called to Leah.

"All right, this what we're going to do. Are you right footed or left footed?"

Same shy look.

"Well, it doesn't matter," I said. "We're going to do this with both feet. I want you put your left foot right here by the ball. Now step back with your right foot. Then you're going to keep your left foot in place and swing your right foot through the air as fast as you can so this part of the foot right here connects with the ball."

She did it. The ball sailed. The smile that followed would've warmed the meanest IRS agent.

"Wait! Wait! Don't take off yet," I said as Leah began running to the ball. "We gotta do the same thing on the other side."

Kick it!!!

Leah was with us several more times that week. By the end of the week, Leah was running up and kicking from both sides of the ball with equal gusto. Each time she'd give a huge kick then skip off singing a song.

Understand this coaches, we will rarely ever know when we will be an integral part of a young athlete's first attempt at something. The way we react to it is crucial to that athlete's development. Say something wrong, use the wrong tone or give a disparaging glance, and the child could have another hurdle to climb, this one an emotional hurdle - which is much more difficult to surmount.

As coaches of young athletes, we are there to teach, encourage and enhance all in a safe arena that allows for ample exploration. At six years old, personalities and attitudes are still being shaped. When it comes to movement and athletics, let's give the children the knowledge of how to do it and the skills to actually do it.

Knowledge + Skill helps develop confidence in our young athletes.

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Moving the Future