When most people hear the term “coach,” they think of an athletic coach. Academic Games coaching has much in common with sports coaching. Here are suggestions that apply to any kind of coaching.
- Do not tolerate a player speaking negatively of a teammate. Even if a player’s loss or low score cost the team victory, train players to console and encourage the teammate because they might be in his or her shoes the next time.
- “Practice makes perfect” is not true. “Perfect practice makes perfect” is the correct adage.
- Tell players that you will never fuss at them after a defeat or poor score as long as you think they did their best.