Al Ainsworth's guest appearances

Al Ainsworth

The Winning Youth Coaching Podcast: Youth Sports | Coaching | Parenting | Family Resources

Good Things with Rebecca Turner

Michael Phillips

David Klein

Rob Bell

Rob Jones

Randy Jackson

Jon Gordon

Shannon Evans

John Wooden

Sam Walker

John O’Sullivan

Vickie Brett

Amanda Selogie

Pat Williams

Alan Stein

Emily Cohen

OwlTail

Rebecca Turner

Al Ainsworth writes about family, story, and legacy. Though he has written in the genres of memoir, middle-grade sports fiction, Christian fiction, and biography, these three threads run through each of his books.

Good Things with Rebecca Turner 2021-02-26 - Al Ainsworth, Author

What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Al Ainsworth shares stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth sports coach and author.Al has coached middle school and high school baseball for 16 years.  He currently also does the high school color commentary for his local baseball team.  Al is the author of the sports books series 'Coach Dave.'  Al is married, lives in Mississippi and has 3 children - 2 boys and a girl.Twitter: @alainsworthFacebook: /alainsworthWebsites and blog: alainsworth.com; coachdavebook.comListen Now:Listen in ITunes: Itunes linkListen in Stitcher: Stitcher link Quote'Coach defense first'Coaching my own kids	Al coached some of kids early teams, but really saw the value in handing them off to experience other coaches.  With Al's extensive coaching background - he was often asked to help, but he preferred to help coach the coaches instead of coaching the kids, so that the coaches could learn and keep all the authority.My Cringe &amp; ‘Ah-Ha’ Moments	Al had to learn that if you coach players who might not be as die-hard about the sport as you are - you can still value them and enjoy coaching them.	Have fun.  In Al's early years he was too focused on the box score and winning.	Don't coach between every pitch - competitive situations are tough enough - don't talk too much - game time should be minimal instruction.Teaching Children &amp; Keeping it Fun	Build from the ground up.  Start with the why behind the what	Be careful of your terminology	12 things not to yell at a game: alainsworth.com/boosting-baseball-iq-12-things-not-to-yell-at-the-game/Self-Confidence and teaching kids to achieve peak performance	Remember that sports seasons are long - so you really have to make an extra effort of keeping things fun towards the end of the yearHUGE IDEA #1	Define roles.  If a kid understands his role, he is far more likely to perform at the highest level.	Good analogy - in singing: you can't hold back - 'Make big fat ugly mistakes'Culture - Discipline/Rewards/Teambuilding	Establish the culture, but don't overdo it trying to set up a bunch of rules	Celebrate the non-obvious things - the bunts, the sacrifices, the little things	Andy Stanley: 'What is celebrated is what is repeated'Connecting with Kids	Al had to make a move to move a younger kid into a position over a senior who was a super hard worker.  But the kid later told him that he really respected that he made a tough decision.The One that Got Away	Al's team lost a state championship in a 7-6 game.  But the other team rode one pitcher's arm most of the way, whereas Al's team used several pitchers - and his pitchers went on to have more successful college careers.	Al also shared a story of coaching basketball - and how he learned from a mistake he made early in his career and benefited from that mistake by getting it right later in his careerBest Stolen ideaHUGE IDEA #2	'Coach Defense first' - Learned from Bill Marchant at Delta State University	Kids will lose focus as the practice goes on - so when you need their full attention teaching them something - do it early in the practice.Coach Dave - The book	Fictitious account of a recreational baseball league	Written at a player's level, through the eyes of a parent, with the catalyst being the coach	Lots of game action, very positive	Great book for fathers to read with their sons	Find it at: coachdavebook.com or on AmazonParting Advice	Don't try to coach above what you know - reach out for help	If you can, try to stay with the same group for several years	Have funReady to be an Awesome Youth Coach? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter:

What does it take to be a winning youth coach? Listen in as Al Ainsworth shares stories and discusses his journey to becoming a successful youth sports coach and author. Al has coached middle school and high school baseball for 16 years.  He currently also does the high school color commentary for his local baseball team.  Al is the author of the sports books series 'Coach Dave.'  Al is married, lives in Mississippi and has 3 children - 2 boys and a girl. Twitter: @alainsworth Facebook: /alainsworth Websites and blog: <a href="http://alainsworth.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">alainsworth.com</a>; <a href="http://coachdavebook.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">coachdavebook.com</a> Listen Now: Listen in ITunes: Itunes link Listen in Stitcher: Stitcher link   Quote 'Coach defense first' Coaching my own kids 	Al coached some of kids early teams, but really saw the value in handing them off to experience other coaches.  With Al's extensive coaching background - he was often asked to help, but he preferred to help coach the coaches instead of coaching the kids, so that the coaches could learn and keep all the authority. My Cringe &amp; ‘Ah-Ha’ Moments 	Al had to learn that if you coach players who might not be as die-hard about the sport as you are - you can still value them and enjoy coaching them. 	Have fun.  In Al's early years he was too focused on the box score and winning. 	Don't coach between every pitch - competitive situations are tough enough - don't talk too much - game time should be minimal instruction. Teaching Children &amp; Keeping it Fun 	Build from the ground up.  Start with the why behind the what 	Be careful of your terminology 	12 things not to yell at a game: <a href="http://alainsworth.com/boosting-baseball-iq-12-things-not-to-yell-at-the-game/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">alainsworth.com/boosting-baseball-iq-12-things-not-to-yell-at-the-game/</a> Self-Confidence and teaching kids to achieve peak performance 	Remember that sports seasons are long - so you really have to make an extra effort of keeping things fun towards the end of the year HUGE IDEA #1 	Define roles.  If a kid understands his role, he is far more likely to perform at the highest level. 	Good analogy - in singing: you can't hold back - 'Make big fat ugly mistakes' Culture - Discipline/Rewards/Teambuilding 	Establish the culture, but don't overdo it trying to set up a bunch of rules 	Celebrate the non-obvious things - the bunts, the sacrifices, the little things 	Andy Stanley: 'What is celebrated is what is repeated' Connecting with Kids 	Al had to make a move to move a younger kid into a position over a senior who was a super hard worker.  But the kid later told him that he really respected that he made a tough decision. The One that Got Away 	Al's team lost a state championship in a 7-6 game.  But the other team rode one pitcher's arm most of the way, whereas Al's team used several pitchers - and his pitchers went on to have more successful college careers. 	Al also shared a story of coaching basketball - and how he learned from a mistake he made early in his career and benefited from that mistake by getting it right later in his career Best Stolen idea HUGE IDEA #2 	'Coach Defense first' - Learned from Bill Marchant at Delta State University 	Kids will lose focus as the practice goes on - so when you need their full attention teaching them something - do it early in the practice. Coach Dave - The book 	Fictitious account of a recreational baseball league 	Written at a player's level, through the eyes of a parent, with the catalyst being the coach 	Lots of game action, very positive 	Great book for fathers to read with their sons 	Find it at: <a href="http://coachdavebook.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">coachdavebook.com</a> or on Amazon Parting Advice 	Don't try to coach above what you know - reach out for help 	If you can, try to stay with the same group for several years 	Have fun Ready to be an Awesome Youth Coach? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter:

WYC 053 – Youth Baseball – Al Ainsworth talks coaching defense first and making big ugly mistakes