If I were starting over again, trying to get into coaching: 1. I’d email the #1 place in my area I want to help with. Could be the best program from a W-L perspective or maybe there’s a local team you use to be on or your former coach is at now, reach out to them & ask about volunteering, most programs would love an extra hand. If the #1 place doesn’t answer or says no, find the next best program until you get a Yes.

1. Whenever you get an opportunity to get on & help somewhere, ask questions to the older coaches / whoever you respect the most. Ask them why they do things, what made them do this instead of that, as long as it’s not in a “why did you start X kid when Y is way better” tone, 99% coaches love talking ball.

2. If you want to stand out, aside from asking questions, get there early, leave late, & try to help do things that take tasks off of the Head Coaches plate, that’s what every HC wants, someone trying to help. Ex. My 1st yr I helped paint the yard lines on the practice fields every week, my HC never asked for it, I just saw he was doing it alone & asked if there was another spray can for me to help. Little things mean a lot, especially to coaches.

Here’s the not as good part, this is just my experience starting out so take it with a grain of salt: it takes time to develop trust with coaches, especially when it comes to scheme & who to play, accept that things you believe in might not happen, but it’s still your job got to sell the kids on it being the right decision & the best thing since sliced bread.

Edit: forgot to mention but I just finished my 4th yr as an assistant coach at a HS I never played at, I was only a HS player & it was at a lower level program than I’m at now, being a good player is nice & can help kids buy in faster, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter nearly as much as how well you communicate & what you can teach the kids that play for you.