Positive Coach Job Description

As coaches, you determine the kind of experience our athletes have with sports. We are committed to the principles of Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) to ensure our athletes have a positive sports experience. We expect you to be a Positive Coach who develops athletes as competitors, while also helping them develop life skills. Below is PCA’s Positive Coach Job Description. Coaches should:

Build trusting relationships with and amongst my team by:

• Leading interactions with empathy by listening to understand the perspectives of athletes and meeting them where they are at.
• Giving athletes voice and choice to help create a collaborative team environment that shows them that their opinions are valued.
• Reflecting on the interactions I’ve had with my athletes to note specific details about the individuals and learn where to improve.
• Offering opportunities within practice for them to get to know each other and connect.

Help athletes pursue mastery of their sport, not just scoreboard wins by:

• Rewarding effort and not just good outcomes and providing specific, effort-based feedback.
• Emphasizing learning and development using ‘feed forward’.
• Re-framing mistakes as opportunities to grow.

Promote positive encouragement by:

• Using encouragement and positive reinforcement as your primary method of motivating.
• Displaying positive body language and tone of voice when talking with your team
• Striving for a ‘magic ratio’ of 5 positive comments to one criticism.

Treat all aspects of the game with dignity by:

• Encouraging athletes to behave respectfully and with dignity towards the Rules of competition, Opponents, Officials, their Teammates, and one’s Self.
• Using my own self-control routine to model positive reactions to challenging situations
• Holding a parent/caregiver and athlete meeting to set expectations at the beginning of the season.

Your adopting these philosophies and actions will contribute to a positive youth sport experience for all the athletes our organization serves. Thank you for all your time and effort!