Coach Kids the Right Way — Starting Day One
Put Me in Coach gives you everything a youth football coach actually needs: age-smart practice plans, safety protocols, inclusive culture tools, and the confidence to lead before you ever blow that whistle.
The best thing you can do for a kid isn't teach them a perfect spiral — it's show up prepared, stay consistent, and make them feel seen.— Leigh Baumann
What you'll learn
What you'll be able to do
- Design age-appropriate practice plans and game strategies that build fundamental football skills using the 20% of techniques that drive 80% of team success.
- Create a psychologically safe, inclusive team culture where players of all ability levels—including neurodivergent athletes and kids with disabilities—feel valued and motivated to improve.
- Recognize and respond correctly to common field injuries, medical emergencies, and concussion warning signs, and know exactly when to call for professional help.
- Apply youth protection best practices—safe communication, appropriate boundaries, mandatory reporting, and one-on-one situation avoidance—to keep every child and yourself protected.
- Communicate effectively with athletes across different ages, attention spans, and ability levels using positive reinforcement, engagement techniques, and conflict resolution strategies.
- Partner with parents, set clear team expectations, and lead team-building activities that extend skill development beyond practice and foster lifelong love of the game.
How it works
A school that adapts to you
This isn't a set of static videos. Every lesson is generated live and tuned to where you actually are.
We learn your level
A quick placement check tailors your starting point so you're never bored or lost.
Lessons adapt as you go
Each lesson is written for your pace and your goal, adjusting as your skills grow.
Your AI coach keeps you moving
Checkpoints, feedback, and gentle nudges turn progress into a real result.
The curriculum
What's inside your school
6 modules · 29 lessons
Know Before You Blow the Whistle
Establishes the coaching foundation: self-assessment, age-group selection, football terminology, rules, equipment, and the mindset of a youth coach.
- 1.1Who Are You as a Coach? Self-Assessment and Role ClarityIncluded
- 1.2Know Your Athletes: Child Development by Age Group (Ages 3 through High School)Included
- 1.3Football 101: Rules, Terminology, and the FieldIncluded
- 1.4Gearing Up: Equipment Selection, Fit, and Safety Standards by AgeIncluded
- 1.5The Coach's Playbook: Building Your Coaching PhilosophyIncluded
The 20% That Wins 80% of the Game
Focuses on the high-leverage football fundamentals—skills, drills, practice planning, and age-appropriate game strategy that create competitive, confident teams.
- 2.1The Essential Skills: What Every Player Must Learn FirstIncluded
- 2.2Drilling It In: Designing Effective, Age-Appropriate DrillsIncluded
- 2.3Practice Makes Progress: Building a Practice Plan That WorksIncluded
- 2.4Game Day Strategy: Plays, Formations, and Adjustments by Age GroupIncluded
- 2.5Managing Competitive Teams: Rotations, Playing Time, and Winning with IntegrityIncluded
Developing Kids, Not Just Players
Equips coaches to communicate effectively, manage diverse ability levels, and create an environment where every child feels valued and motivated.
- 3.1Coaching the Whole Child: Confidence, Character, and Effort Over OutcomeIncluded
- 3.2Communication That Connects: Talking WITH Kids, Not AT ThemIncluded
- 3.3Keeping Kids in the Game: Attention Spans, Engagement, and Managing BehaviorIncluded
- 3.4Coaching Every Athlete: Beginners, Advanced Players, Overweight Youth, and Kids with DisabilitiesIncluded
- 3.5Understanding Neurodivergent Athletes: ADHD, Autism, Sensory Needs, and MoreIncluded
Building a Winning Team Culture
Guides coaches in creating a psychologically safe, inclusive team environment built on positive reinforcement, teamwork, conflict resolution, and belonging.
- 4.1Culture Starts with You: Setting the Tone from the First PracticeIncluded
- 4.2The Power of Positive Reinforcement: Encouragement That Actually WorksIncluded
- 4.3Inclusion in Action: Making Every Player Feel Like a Key ContributorIncluded
- 4.4Conflict Resolution: Handling Difficult Behaviors and Team TensionIncluded
- 4.5Team-Building Activities and At-Home Skill Development for Players and FamiliesIncluded
Safety First: Injury Prevention, Recognition, and Emergency Response
Trains coaches to prevent injuries, recognize warning signs on the field, and respond correctly to common and serious medical situations.
- 5.1Prevention is the Best Play: Warm-Ups, Conditioning, and Injury-Reduction HabitsIncluded
- 5.2Recognizing and Responding to Sprains, Fractures, and Common Field InjuriesIncluded
- 5.3Head in the Game: Concussion Recognition, Protocol, and Return-to-Play RulesIncluded
- 5.4Medical Emergencies on the Field: Heat, Heart, Breathing, and When to Call 911Included
- 5.5Health Considerations for Every Athlete: Chronic Conditions, Medications, and Pre-Season ScreeningIncluded
Safe Coaching: Youth Protection, Parent Partnerships, and Professional Responsibility
Covers mandatory youth protection practices, safe communication boundaries, recognizing abuse, mandatory reporting, and building a strong parent-coach partnership.
- 6.1Safe Sport Standards: Boundaries, One-on-One Rules, and Appropriate Coach ConductIncluded
- 6.2Safe Communication: Digital Boundaries, Social Media, and Contact with MinorsIncluded
- 6.3Recognizing Child Abuse and Neglect: Signs, Types, and Your Legal Duty to ReportIncluded
- 6.4Partnering with Parents: Expectations, Communication, and Building Team CommunityIncluded
Who it's for
Is this you?
First-Time Rec Volunteer
You raised your hand when no one else did — now get the confidence and structure to actually lead your team well.
School or Church Coach
You're coaching as part of a bigger mission; this program gives you the child-development tools and safety protocols to back up your values on the field.
Sports-Savvy Parent
You played the game yourself, but coaching kids is a whole different skill set — learn the communication and culture strategies that translate your experience into real impact.
PE Teacher Adding Coaching
You understand kids and movement — now add football-specific drills, age-appropriate practice planning, and safe sport standards to your toolkit.
Returning Coach Leveling Up
You've been on the sideline before, but you want to do better — especially around inclusion, neurodivergent athletes, and building a team culture that lasts.
Youth Program Director
You're responsible for training multiple coaches across your league or organization — this is the complete, consistent standard you've been looking for.
Questions
Frequently asked
Your teacher
A note from your teacher
Leigh Baumann
Let me guess how you ended up here.
Someone asked if you'd coach, and you said yes before you fully thought it through. Or maybe you thought it through completely and still felt that knot in your stomach — the one that says, I care too much about getting this right to just wing it. Either way, you're not looking for theory. You're looking for a playbook. Something that tells you what to do Monday at 4 PM when 18 kids are staring at you on a field.
I built Put Me in Coach because that coach — the one who showed up with heart and not much else — deserves real support. Not a PDF checklist. Not a two-hour certification that rubber-stamps your name. A genuine, start-to-finish training that covers the football, the kids, the safety, the culture, and the hard conversations. The stuff that actually determines whether a kid comes back next season or hangs up their cleats.
Here's what I know about great youth coaches: they're not always the ones who played at the highest level. They're the ones who learn how to meet kids where they are. Who know that a 6-year-old needs something completely different than a 16-year-old — not just in drills, but in how you talk to them, how you motivate them, and how you handle it when things go sideways. This program teaches you all of that. The essential skills and the 20% of technique that actually moves the needle. The practice plan structure that makes every minute count. The way to handle the parent who thinks their kid should be starting. The way to spot a concussion and the exact steps to take. The way to make every kid on your roster — the star, the kid who's still learning to catch, the kid with sensory needs, the kid who's just there because their parents signed them up — feel like they belong.
You don't have to figure this out alone on the sideline. Come learn with me, and let's make sure every kid you coach is glad you said yes.
— Leigh Baumann
Start your journey today
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- 6 modules, 29 lessons
- AI-adaptive lessons tuned to your level
- Quizzes & checkpoints to lock in progress
- Your own AI learning coach
- Learn on any device, at your pace
- Full access for as long as you're subscribed