Are You An Athlete?

If you are a sports fan who can play fairly well why not become a sports tutor? You cannot only enjoy playing; you will be helping kids gain skills and earning money.

Let's face it, some folks are sports whizzes, but a lot of us are sports impaired. As adults, we are free to pick-and-choose our activities, but kids are forced to compete. Whether by over-eager parents who want the next Olympic gold medalist, or just in school, sports rule a child's life.

Unless you are one of those lucky few who are great at everything, specialize in one or two sports. Choose those that you feel most able to teach and start advertising.

Posters near gyms, soccer fields, and ballparks are your best bet, plus ads in the newspaper. Talk to school gym coaches and let them know you are available if parents want someone to tutor their child. Pump the self-confidence factor in the ads. For example, 'Build your child's confidence level, hire a sports tutor!? Parents want their kids to be well adjusted and happy, so take full advantage of that.

You will need a space to teach. For sports such as soccer, football, and baseball, you can use the local field or park. Just make sure that you check that no games scheduled to be played during your classes.

Individual classes are most productive, but you will have to charge higher prices than if you have small groups. When scheduling groups keep them very small, no more than 3-4 children per group. This allows you to focus on individual problems, which is what the parents are paying for.

Group classes should not have wide age ranges. All the children should be within two years of each other. This means they will have similar skills and height.

You should try to make the tutoring sessions fun, after all, happy kids mean more classes and more money for you! Mix some games in with the regular practice and hold a match for all your students once a month or so. They can meet other kids and have fun playing. Try not to stress the winning factor too much.

As a tutor, you can give homework. Send home exercises written out on notepaper. Your students should know how to warm up for a class and you can request that they do this before arriving, so you can get right to work.

Another option, if you don't enjoy working with children, is to offer adult classes. These can easily be group classes and may offer older students a chance to learn sports skills that they never had the opportunity to learn.

Being a sports tutor is a great way to use your athletic skills as well as help out those of us who are less blessed, and you can make some great dough having fun!

Helpful Resources:

http://www.specialolympics.org/Special+Olympics+Public+Website/English/Coach/Coaching_Guides/Bowling/Teaching+Sport+Skills/default.htm

http://www.iula.org/general-hints-on-the-teaching-of-games-4433/

http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/primary/pdhpe/gymnastics/gym_007.htm