The Fine Line of Fun...

I think your hardest job as a coach is maintaining leadership. If you are a manager or supervisor in an office, you’re working with adult professionals.  If you are coaching Jr or Professional hockey, again, you are dealing with adults (or almost adults anyway).  As a minor hockey coach, you are coaching children.
 
Earning an adult’s respect is often easier, adults will respect your knowledge, your skills and your experience, children, not so much.  It’s much harder for you to gain and maintain their trust and respect.
 
One of your biggest obstacles is finding that balance between being an authority figure while making sure your team is having fun.  Coaches closer to Novice need more time spent on being a positive fun adult in their player’s lives.  Teams closer to Midget need less fun and more authority.  If you coach a team for more than one year then as your players age, your coaching style will need to change with them, which makes it more challenging for you in trying to find your balance.
 
Regardless of your age group you will need to find your positional middle ground. If you miss this mark then your team may develop difficulties.
 
If your team is goofing around in practice, kids are joking with each other when they take a knee or while you are talking.  If your dressing room is a scene from Home Alone then you have probably leaned too far on the “fun” side.  Your players see you as a playmate rather than an authority figure.
 
If your team is avoiding direct eye contact, kids are not kibitzing with each other, your dressing room is quiet and reserved, your team is standing around in military precision, then you have probably become an overbearing scary figure in their lives.
 
Remember coaching minor hockey is about…..minors, and minor hockey is about developing, making errors, and learning not only to become excellent hockey players but also about becoming excellent adults.