Who is coaching our children?

Mike Weaver knows a thing or two about coaching. As a former NHL player, founder of Defence First Hockey School, and CEO & Co-Founder of CoachThem, he has spent years developing players and mentoring coaches. With firsthand experience in both playing and coaching, he understands the challenges that come with youth sports—especially when parents step into coaching roles without prior experience.

Here's what Mike has to say about it:

"In many cases, especially in youth sports, it’s a parent stepping up to coach—because without them, there wouldn’t be a team! Some have experience and training, but most do not. I was lucky—my dad had a strong background in hockey and knew how to run skillful drills. My son, however, didn’t have that same advantage. Two years ago, his coaches were well-intentioned fathers who lacked skating skills and structured drills. Their enthusiasm was undeniable, but ultimately, the players lost a year of development. Watching those practices was frustrating because I knew how much more could have been achieved with the right guidance.

A lack of training and support for parent-coaches is a challenge across youth hockey, lacrosse, and soccer. Many are left on their own to figure out how to teach skills effectively, which impacts player development and progression. If we want young athletes to thrive, we need to provide parent-coaches with the right tools and knowledge.

The great news? We can change this.

CoachThem is a sports coaching software designed to help coaches at all levels create structured, high-quality practices. Our practice planning platform allows hockey, lacrosse, and soccer associations to provide their coaches with the resources they need to deliver a consistent, skill-focused program. With drill planning software and a team practice planner, associations can share and store drills, ensuring every coach—regardless of experience—has access to custom drills and progressive training methods. This standardization benefits both coaches and players, creating seamless skill development as athletes move from level to level.

The real question is: Does your association follow a unified training program, or are coaches left to figure it out on their own? We built CoachThem for this exact reason.

Let’s support the parents who dedicate their time and passion to coaching. With the right tools, we can give young athletes the structured coaching they deserve in hockey, lacrosse, and soccer.

Sincerely,

Mike Weaver with CoachThem