Finding the right football coach is the most important step when your kid starts to play the game. A good coach will instill a love of the sport that lasts a lifetime, teaching life lessons and community along the way. A bad coach, however, can quickly turn your kid off the sport by promoting a toxic culture and attitude.

This article will look at some of the traits of a good football coach at the youth level. The focus will be on the right Texas football coach but look for coaches that display these characteristics no matter where you are in the country.

Are They Qualified?

Don’t fall into the trap of having a random parent coach your kid on how to play football. This is a bad idea on several levels, the most obvious being that they are unlikely to be qualified for the role. Being a football coach isn’t just about knowing the game – if it were, millions of Americans would be the next John Madden – but it is about knowing how to teach concepts and principles that get more intricate as your kid gets older. A qualified coach will not only be a better teacher, but they will also have to pass courses on first aid and SafeSport.

Are They Safe?

A football coach can be qualified and not be safe. Thankfully, the way the game has evolved means that the old-school coaching mentality of lining up the kids to run into each other head-first on the opening day of practice has gone away. Instead, coaching has turned to make the game safer by ensuring that players use the correct tackling technique in contact situations, protecting the head and neck through muscle memory when it comes to giving or taking a hit. Tackle coaching is the biggest aspect of football safety, and the right Texas football coach will use resources like this site to ensure all their players are safe in every game and practice drill.

Are They Fun?

This is a trait that is most important for coaches or younger kids. If their football coach doesn’t make practice fun, then they simply aren’t going to want to go. When they are at an impressionable age, you might not want to find a coach obsessed with fitness that will have them running nothing but sprints for an hour-long practice. Find a coach bubbling with enthusiasm and creativity, a coach that can make even the most mundane of drills fun with an interesting twist. That type of coach will have your kid wanting to do extra work outside of practice with their friends because of the fun they have training.

Are They Reliable?

A good coach sets the tone for your kid with their reliability. This means that they arrive at practice well before it is time to start, ensuring they have all the right tools for the practice they want to run.  This is another aspect of football where young children will be influenced by what they see around them. Finding a coach with the right attitude towards reliability – and being reliable as a parent to get your kid to practices and games – will be huge in their development as an athlete and a person.

Are They Invested?

Coaching isn’t easy. It is not just about showing up for a game and winging it. There are hours of work that have to be put in behind the scenes, from building practice plans to dealing with the internal drama and tension (and parents) that happens on even the most well-run teams. Keep your kid away from a football coach with a quick temper or flighty attitude. Teaching the skills needed to be effective on the football field takes time to bring a kid’s true ability out. A good coach will be dedicated to doing that with all the athletes they are in charge of, no matter their beginning level or expected ceiling.

Are They Able To Communicate?

The best Texas football coaches are excellent communicators. They have to be able to balance communicating with their players and also with the parents of those players. This can be difficult, especially if the coach is friends with some of the parents, and their kid will not be starting for the team. Verbal communication is one thing to watch for but also look for a coach with positive body language no matter the situation. That type of coach will teach your kid how to work through problems in life with lessons learned on the field.

There are six things that you should look for in a potential Texas football coach for your kids. Our website has a ton of information and links to coaching clinics with just the type of coaches we have described above!

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