Tip by Mary Franke from Fort Wayne, IN.
On Monday, pair off your kids into accountability partners. Give each kid a goal (set more quicks, be more vocal, meet a weightlifting goal, etc.) or allow them to pick their own goal. For the rest of the week, each kid needs to observe their partner and prepare to give them encouragement/feedback. On Friday, pair off and have them talk about their progress. It can be done in 5 minutes at the beginning/end of practice. You can change it up to where the partners reconnect daily for 2 minutes or just expect them to speak up during practice to keep their partner on track. Kind of little a mini coach.
I think pairing off helps athletes to see one another from a coach’s eyes. It also encourages accountability to your teammates. Kids get used to hearing the same phrases over and over again from their coaches, but to get pressure from a peer is totally different.