What do kids want in a coach?

We asked kids in an online survey: "What should a coach care about most?" You might expect them to answer "to focus on winning." But "Put me in, coach!" is what most kids really want.

In fact, the majority didn't think winning was all that important. Only 7% of girls said coaches should be most concerned with winning, while about 18% of boys said so.

Here's what boys and girls value most in a coach:

• 64% said giving everyone a chance to play
• 27% said teaching new skills
• 9% said winning

Striving for excellence is a great goal, but when coaches and parents apply too much pressure, kids can get overly worried or push themselves too hard physically, leading to injuries. Some kids may even go on unhealthy diets to lose or gain weight to be better at their sport.

And when sports become too competitive, kids who have only average or below-average skills might spend too much time on the bench instead of learning new skills.

7th Degree master instructor Kyoshi Ocasio says, "I have been a martial arts instructor for 40 years. I believe there are no better coaches than martial arts teachers." Martial Arts instructors know that the door to success open "in" not "out". That means the success to building an athlete who is well balanced yet understands that being in top shape and a top performer begins with the proper attitude, confidence, self-esteem, sportsmanship, and self-control. This building from the "inside out" will prevent kids from being lazy, giving up, or quitting. The nature of martial arts with setting continuous goals is a key to it's success. And there is no bench to sit on. All kids learn, train and compete while playing the "game" in every class they take.

To see how martial arts teaches so much join us in our free "Beginners Martial Arts" Workshop At any of our locations, call for scheduled times.