During the course of a season, even the best coaches make mistakes. Some are trivial in nature, and unimportant to the players and team. Others are disastrous, and can ruin the development of a player and team.

I think one of the worst mistakes a coach can make is by setting a bad example for players. Whether it is yelling at a Referee, being a general poor sport or treating some players differently, the coach is a leader and teacher simultaneously, and it is hard to do either properly when you are behaving inappropriately. Coaches who yell at the Ref, have players and parent’s who yell at Refs. Set a good example for your team first, and it is much easier to keep control of the team’s attention. From that point, teaching them about the game becomes much more manageable.

So what do you think are the biggest mistakes a coach can make?