Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) is a Stanford University-based non-profit dedicated to ensuring a positive, character-building experience for all youth athletes. A Double-Goal Coach has two goals: to Win (goal #1) and the more important goal (#2) of using baseball to teach positive life lessons.

PCA has been a Little League partner since 1998.

Download past issues of Momentum Magazine highlighting the achievements made in creating a positive culture for youth athletes: 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011.

• Sign up for the FREE Conversation Starters to bring you closer to your children who play sports.
• Too Many Kids Leave Sports Because Of The Car Ride Home
• The Worst Part Of Youth Sports For Kids Is The Car-Ride Home
• How Parents Can Resist Analyzing Kids Performance During The Car-Ride Home
• Parent Tip From Charlie Slagle: What to Ask Your Kid On The Car Ride Home
• 3 Questions Parents Can Ask For A Better Car-Ride Home Conversation
• The Car Ride Home: Ask the Right Questions

• Take an online course to learn the value of positive sports parenting.
• Second-Goal Parent® Self-Assessment
• A Doctor's View On Attrition Rates In Sports And Why Kids Quit

• Tommy Amaker on Playing Multiple Sports
  
• Nomar Garciaparra's Views on Specialization
• MLB Pitcher: The Absolute Worst Thing You Can Do Is Specialize Young
• The Common Myth: Sport Specialization Will Make My Kid The Best
• Why The Cleveland Indians Prefer Multi-Sport Athletes
• Stanford Golf Coach: Coaches Love To Recruit Multi-Sport Athletes
• Issues With The Youth Sports "Pipeline"
• AJ Hinch: Being A Teammate In All Aspects Of Life

• Joe Maddon On The Importance Of Playing Multiple Sports
  
• Stanford Golf Coach: Coaches Love To Recruit Multi-Sport Athletes
• Pat Fitzgerald On Specialization In Youth Sports
• Brad Stevens: Playing Muliple Sports Leads To Better Athletes
• How To Make Sports The Best 2 Hours Of A Kids Day
• Coaches Shouldn't Spread The Myth That Specializing Makes You Better
• Parents Can Guide Their Kids In Sports, But Kids Need To Make The Choices
• Multi-Sport Athletes May Learn More Life Lessons

Handling Failure

• How to Help When Your Child Fails in the Clutch
• Parents' Reaction To Failure Translates To Their Children

Winning vs Mastery

• Did You Win? Did You Lose? Those Are The Wrong Questions For Parents To Ask
• Parents Need To Stop Trophy-Chasing And Let Their Kids Learn
• Silence On The Sidelines Lets Kids Learn And Coaches Coach

Safety

• Protecting Youth Athletes From Sexual Abuse: Parents And Coaches
• Protect Athletes From Sexual Abuse: Key Actions For Parents & Coaches

Motivation - Character Building

• Accountability Now Is A Life Lesson For The Future
• Brad Stevens: The Key To Unlocking Potential
• Dare To Chill? Re-Think Sports Parent Behavior On The Sidelines
• George Karl On Sports Parenting
• Help! My Child Wants To Play For A Coach I Don't Like
• Here's What Happens When Parents Remove Pressure From The Sidelines
• Kids Always Answer That They Want To Hear Nothing From Sideline Parents
• Parent Tip: Praise Effort, Not Performance to Motivate Kids
• The Difficulty And Value Of Letting Your Student-Athlete Face Discipline
• The ROOTS Of Honoring The Game And Sportsmanship
• Too Many Kids Leave Sports Because Of The Car Ride Home
• What Happens When Coaches And Parents Set The Wrong Example In Tough Times

• A Cautionary Tale: When Parental Sideline Behavior Causes Player Cuts
• A Message To Parents: Why It Bothers Me That You Coach From The Stands
• Brad Stevems: Staying Calm on the Sidelines
• Coaching Your Own Child
• Doc Rivers: Sports Parenting In 4 Words
• How Parents And Coaches Can Break The Ice Between One Another
• Joe Ehrmann On What Sports Parents Need To Know

• Nomar Garciaparra and Mia Hamm Share Parenting Insights
• Parents Handling Peer Pressure From Other Parents
• Parents Helping Players From the Sidelines
• Parents Shouldn't Be Involved In Playing Time Discussions
• Pat Fitzgerald: Sports Parents Seeking More Playing Time
• The Big Picture in Youth Sports
• The Bulldozer Parent Who Protects their Kid From Life Lessons
• Top 10 Tips for Sports Parents

ELM TREE OF MASTERY

Focusing on what you can control is the key to performance and success. Great coaches teach this! And a tremendous body of research backs this up! The scoreboard is an important part of youth and high school sports...but still just a part. Winning is neither everything nor the only thing. While youth learn how to compete, a necessary lesson now and throughout their lives, they also should take a mastery approach to sports. That means focusing on what they can control: their Effort, Learning and ability to persist through Mistakes and adversity.

HONORING THE GAME

Sports provide a great framework for cultivating ethical behavior. Winning and losing gracefully are hallmarks of people equipped to live in and lead a civil society. And learning to treat people with dignity, especially under the pressure of competition, is one of the most valuable life lessons sports can offer. In sports, this is "Honoring the Game," respect for Rules, Opponents, Officials, Teammates and Self. These are the ROOTS of positive competition and a healthy team culture!

FILLING EMOTIONAL TANKS

Each person has an "Emotional Tank" that works like the gas tank of a car. When the tank is empty, we go nowhere. When the tank is full, we can go nearly anywhere. Athletes with full E-Tanks feel connected to their team and coach, which enables them to learn, perform and compete better! The best mix for a full Emotional Tank is five parts specific, truthful praise for each piece of constructive correction. 5:1 is the Magic Ratio!

High School Sports Parents Filling Their Athletes' Emotional Tanks

MISTAKE RITUAL

This is a technique that helps people quickly acknowledge a mistake and move beyond it, ready for the next needed action. Some rituals include "flushing" mistakes (immediately ridding one's mind of the mistake) and "parking" the mistake for later consideration.

Parents have the opportunity to ask questions about hot topics in youth sports through the PCA Live sessions on Facebook.

• Use of Social Media
• Coaching Better Body Language
• Sport Specialization
• Parent-Coach Partnership
• Dealing With Mistakes
• Coaching Tips

ASK PCA

Positive Coaching Alliance's Free Parent Course

You want the best for your children, leaning on Little League® to provide a great environment to facilitate their growth. Get the most out of your Little League experience with the FREE online Parent Course from Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), a Little League national partner since 2006.

ACCESS FREE PARENT COURSE

PCA - a national non-profit developing Better Athletes, Better People through youth and high school sports - offers a Parent Course comprising:

• Proven, research-based tools that can be easily and immediately implemented
• The latest in sports- and educational-psychology
• Practical advice from top pro and college athletes and coaches.

In a matter of minutes, you will learn tips and tools, down to the specific terminology you can use with your children to help them develop resilience, determination, teamwork, and many other character traits that will help them develop as players and as people.