Last week, Positive Coaching Alliance hosted a webinar with our partners, MOJO, for their “Return to Sports''. MOJO’s Jordan Ligons moderated the conversation with PCA trainers and staff members Marti Reed, Kelly Kratz, and Ruben Nieves providing useful coaching tips and educational tools for upcoming seasons.

Check out the full replay and our 5 major takeaways from the conversation…

1. Start with a check in. As we return to sports and play, it’s important to check in with players and find out where their headspace is. Building empathy in your culture, and helping players get back to their “why” and what makes sports fun for them will help coaches set the tone and create a caring environment that emphasizes fun.

2. Coaches and parents can build healthy relationships through early, positive contact. Don’t let the first interaction between a coach and parent be because of an issue. Establish early positive contact by filling the emotional tanks and encourage parents to stay focused on their child's health, well-being, and enjoyment of the sport while the coach does his/her part.

3. Involve athletes in the decision-making process to keep them motivated during tough times. Ask for feedback from your players and get them involved with decisions on activities and games you can play as a team. When players are empowered to lead more, their commitment will increase and they will be more motivated to play.

4. Create a culture of inclusivity by getting to know your players as individuals.  Get to know each player’s unique story, background, personality, and culture. Allow for players to have the space to share their uniqueness and validate those experiences to create an environment that supports ALL to belong.

5. Normalize mental health and the various emotions we all feel. To improve mental health, we can help athletes identify their emotions, normalize those feelings by letting them know it’s okay, help them focus on the things they can control, and allow athletes to take a break or a step back if they need time to process their emotions. Practice things like journaling, and make sure they know about other resources available to them.

As we return to play this fall, MOJO and PCA will be with you every step of the way. MOJO is committed to making coaching less stressful, easier, and more fun for every parent, player, and coach--you can join the MOJO Community here.