Your team captains have a huge impact on your team’s success, your sanity, and your satisfaction as a coach. Coaches should choose responsible and respected team leaders as their captains. Look for leaders when selecting your team. Of course you will look for talent when you select athletes for your team – but also be on the lookout for leadership ability. Look for athletes who were team captains at other levels, involved with student council, or voted class president.
It is much easier to help athletes further develop their leadership skills than to start from scratch. Sit down with your leaders to discuss exactly what you expect from them. Let them know their responsibilities and how you expect them to conduct themselves. Clarifying your expectations and their roles ahead of time will greatly minimize problems down the road.
