Working with teenagers with ADD/ADHD

Working with teenagers with ADD/ADHD

Hi, I am new to coaching, but have played all my life.I have taken on a team of 13 year olds this year, and am enjoying it. I have a few challenges, but the main one is that one of my key players, GK, has ADD/ADHD. She is the tallest girl on the team, and would be so effective if she just tried. She doesn't try. She doesn't engage with me or the other players. I have given her plenty of positive feedback, in the hopes that she will be boosted by that, I even partnered with her tonight at our training session, just to see how she would go. In the warm up with me, she was great, kept up and stayed enthused. When we started running drills and working on different things, she just doesn't even appear to be engaged. I know she is medicated when she comes to training, but I need her to switch on in a game situation. At the end of our training sessions, we always play a small game, and she just loses her enthusiasm and just doesn't try. I'm looking for ways to help and encourage her. Any ideas or suggestions welcome!!

Belinda McNabCoach, Australia
TOP ANSWER
Lyn Coach, Australia

Not sure if this will work, but if you click on the link below it should take you to a sheet I did with my kids last year. I had them fill it out at the start of a training session (only took a few minutes), then gave them five minutes to run around to the other girls and see what they had in common with team mates. It didn`t help with netball at all, but it did help with team bonding. The girls knew each other but didn`t expect they`d have so much in common with team mate, especially those they didn`t know so well. If it doesn`t work, I can always email it to you.

http://www.sportplan.net/drills/OPS.do?id=-74277120_692400896

ANSWERS
Lyn Coach, Australia

My first thought is try suggest giving her some responsibility within the group, by way of asking her to lead a drill or a small group in something you`ve pin-pointed her being good at (rebounding, passing, warm up).
And maybe you could ask her what areas she`d like to improve in and come up with some drills that are specific to that area of her game....whatever the drill is will help the team generally.
My only other idea is to tell the kids what they bring to the team and hopefully she`ll see value in that. I`ve coached the same group for three years and the first year I asked that they thought their role in the team was and what they`d like to work on which was really interesting.......every team has players who are stronger and the kids know who they perceive as the `good` players in the team are. But each kid brings something important to the team usually beyond athleticism....it might be a cool head, game smarts, determination, motivator etc. and explaining their value can be really powerful.
I`m sure there are lots of kids out there who are playing netball (or any other sport) because their parents want them to not because they`re really passionate about it, so that might be part of it too.
Hope that helps and good luck.

Belinda McNabCoach, Australia

Thanks Lyn, really appreciate those suggestions and will certainly incorporate them into my plans.

I am in the process of getting to know the girls, and hence have had a few "get to know you" session, asking questions like "why do you want to play netball" "what do you hope to get out of this season" "what would you like to work on" so those suggestions you made are perfect! Thank you!!

Lyn Coach, Australia

Not sure if this will work, but if you click on the link below it should take you to a sheet I did with my kids last year. I had them fill it out at the start of a training session (only took a few minutes), then gave them five minutes to run around to the other girls and see what they had in common with team mates. It didn`t help with netball at all, but it did help with team bonding. The girls knew each other but didn`t expect they`d have so much in common with team mate, especially those they didn`t know so well. If it doesn`t work, I can always email it to you.

http://www.sportplan.net/drills/OPS.do?id=-74277120_692400896

preseason.xps

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preseason.xps

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Belinda McNabCoach, Australia

That`s wonderful, thank you so much Lyn, what a great icebreaker that will be for the girls!

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