Coaching
A coach is a person, who trains athletes for contest.. In the book "Kunsten at coache" (The Art of Coaching) by Jens Hansen, coaching has something to do with - mental observation - mental training methods - inspiration - motivation - team building - increase peoples "I strength", support teacher - nurse - friend - game organizer

Definition: To coach is through communication to influence before, during and after a match.

The ways to be a coach are surely as many as the number of coaches. We all think and act differently based on our age, trainer personality, experience, knowledge and the way we think and it is therefore normal that we are coaching differently. The aim of the coaching must however be to make the team do it’s best and make the individual player do his/her best in a match.

Spectators

Especial if you are a trainer for the youth it is very important that you have a good relation to the parents of the players. Many times you can have a need for their assistance and many of then are actually willing to help, do don't exploit them ruthlessly - they also have a job to attend
If the parents are engaged, you won't have any problems regarding transport, if your team shall attend a game in another city or part in your own city. It is however important that you have an agreement with them in how to behave as spectators. Often you can hear hyperactive parents shouting to their son and daughter, that they shall take a shot or do something in the match. The referee can receive a large course in the rules of handball, that he is blind and even his guide dog don't know the rules. That won't help your team. Instead teach the parents to show excitement for the game and accept victories and defeats in high spirits. I have had parents to a game, where they were very engaged in the match in the best way. Once one of the players scored with a marvelous jump shot and the mother jumped from the seat with the arms in the air, looked at the other parents and said: "That's my daughter!" Later in the game the player apparently tried to hit the timekeeper watch high on the wall behind the goal. The other parents then asked her if that was her daughter. With a smile she denied any familiar or genetic relations to the girl.

You must also explain your role as leader and the replacements so that the parents can have an idea of why their daughter got 2 minutes lesser time in the game that the rest of the team.

Parents are lovely to bring along, when they are well taught and they can turn any away match to a home match.

BEFORE THE MATCH
Arrival
Be in good time in order that the players can get used to the court and there is time to prepare the match. It is not a good start if you arrive in the last minute, throws the players in the dressing room, makes a lightning warming up and starts the match. If you arrive in good time, the players can finish their small talk and make themselves ready. You also have the opportunity to talk with the individual players and pep on the phlegmatic player and stress down the over strung.

The start lining-up
Make ready who starts on the floor and who starts on the bench. Most trainers normally use the strongest line-up so they from the start they can control the game, but there is also the possibility to start easy and then increase the pressure. The opponents will in the start of the match test the ability of your team, and when they think they know you put your sharpshooters into action. That can break your opponents.

Tactic
It is easy if you know your opponents and the way they play. You can hen inform your players what they shall do about that. It is more difficult if your opponents are brand new. Then you must make a more general tactic.

Mental tension
It is now you must build up the fighting spirit of your team and it is certainly not now that with sepulchral voice you will tell them that they are going to meet the best team in the tournament. Should it be the fact then tell them honestly that their opponents are good, but that we shall enter the court to show them, that we know how to play handball and that certainly we will be not be an easy prey for them. If you are going to meet the weakest team in the tournament there is reason to tell your team, that there are no easy opponents and they shall not take the match as already won. Instead they must enter the court and make their game work.

Warming up
Now you can start warming up, and it is an advantage if you use music. Don't use unknown music but the same music you possibly use in training and other matches. The players will feel more at home. Besides the music restrain the chatter between the players so they can better concentrate themselves on the thing that they came for - to play a match.
After the warming up and battle cry the team is ready to enter the court and if possible get in touch with a couple of balls. If you have the time it is a good idea to make the goalkeeper ready. You or the players start shooting at the keeper with easy balls, which are easy for the keeper. There is no reason to place the balls hard in the corners - it reduces the goalkeeper's self-confidence if too many scores during the warming up and the opponents - who surely are looking - will get an idea where the goalkeeper is weak. The players know they can shoot hard and more in the sides of the goal, but a goalkeeper, who keeps his/her goal clean during the warming up normally has his/her self-confidence in place.

DURING THE MATCH
Engagement
In Denmark we have watched Ulrik Wilbæk in TV when he bounce around on the sideline gesticulating. However it has a clear purpose. It is not easy to instruct the players verbally on a distance of 20-25 meters and an easy understandable body language is a good active. Therefore the body language is very important when you want to make your verbal instructions clear.
To an engaging coaching belongs cheering, clap and enthusiasm, but the most important task is to give your players rational instructions during the match. If the match indicates, that your team is going to loose then keep the enthusiasm and cheering and make it clear to the players that you accept their efforts. If you loose heart your body language will show the players very quickly, that you have given up, and they will also quickly loose the last bit of fighting spirit
A shout from the bench which is called endlessly (in Denmark) is: "Come again, Mia" when she has missed a shot or have been shooting directly into the defense. That is not rational or constructive. Try instead to pull Mia to the bench and say: "Try again but a little more on the outside of the defense" or whatever she must do to increase her chance. Then she has something to work with.
Another good agent is praising, but praise in small doses - it has the greatest effect. Just like vitamins.
There are no players, who make errors on purpose. If the error is caused because of insecurity from the player you are the one to interfere with a clear instruction. Only if the error is caused by a break of a clear agreement you may whip the player - but do it at the bench and not by shouting her name and sum up all her faults to the benefit of all present. That will break most players.

Substitutions
Normally the players don't like to be substituted for some reason. It could be that they need some instructions or simply because you have replacement players on the bench, who also want to join the game. Therefore you must make your players understand why you make substitutions. Beside the natural - they need to resituate and get their wind back - there is the possibility to give them some tactical advice and they have the opportunity to watch the game from the side line, which give the players the possibility to study the match. Here they can see, where the defense is weak and how to use that weakness, when they are on the court again.

Following can be said about substitutions:
- substitute the players when they have deserved it by showing fine game
- give a player, who starts bad a chance to get started
- if the player still plays bad, then take her to the bench and give a short instruction in how to improve her play and send her out again.
- avoid flying substitutions in the youth games if there isn't an absolute need to do it
- make sure that all the players are used in the match
- don't put the worst player on the court in the last 5 minutes of the match if the score is even or nearly even. It is a terrible defeat for the player, if he/she feels that she was the cause of a lost game if she let an opponent pass her defense to many times.

THE BREAK
In youth matches or lower senior matches there is unfortunately not much time in the break, so it is important to use the time as good as possible. The players must learn to gather around you and you must have water ready. If the players start quarrelling who made the worst errors it must be stopped at once. The break is meant to restitution and to make a very short evaluation of the first half. Did the team function optimally? - what must be corrected? - what is the opponent’s weak point? - which agreements must be repeated? - must we change our defense formation?
If the first half is lost it is important to raise the player's motivation and tell them that second half is the most important - this also applies if the first half is won. Too often the second half is lost because the team has got that impression, that the match is already won, so there is no need to make a too large an effort.

AFTER THE MATCH
No matter whether the match is won or not it is important that the game is analyzed so improvements can be made. If the match is won it is difficult to relate to the errors, which unavoidable have been made. If the match is lost the errors will stand clear. Here it is important that you do not allow the players to take over by praise themselves fulsomely or attack the poor player(s) who made some goal giving errors
Praise the players if they have won, but praise them too for the good things they have done even if they lost the match. It is easy to loose to a better opponent even if you have played brilliant. Then tell them what you and them can do to make it better next time- Of course the errors made must be discussed, but in a constructive way so it gets better.
I have always told my teams that: "It is no shame to loose to a better opponent, but it is a shame to give up!"

No matter if it is senior or youth it is worth to remember that you coach your players alike if you coach them differently!