Colorado Youth Education in Shooting Sports
What it takes to coach, and how to start a new team.
A head coach must be at least 21 years old
“The first and foremost responsibility of the head coach is to ensure the safety of all participants” — this is the job, before scores or wins (source: USAYESS Participant Eligibility policy)
Most COYESS coaches aren't former competitive shooters. What actually matters:
Patience teaching total beginners, kids will miss a lot before they hit
Comfort enforcing safety rules consistently, every time, no exceptions
Willingness to learn the sport alongside your athletes and get certified
Basic organizational skills, scheduling practices, tracking who's signed up
Expect weekly or biweekly practices during the season, plus tournament weekends your team attends. Most head coaches also handle scheduling and communicating with parents between practices.
Reach out to a local range about practice availability. Colorado ranges COYESS teams already use include Colorado Clay, Kiowa Creek, Great Guns, Golden Gun Club, Silver Creek, and Pikes Peak Gun Range, a nearby range on that list may already have relationships to build on.
Most new teams start with a handful of athletes, roughly 4 or more is enough to begin practicing as a team. Don't recruit away an existing team's athletes, “cherry-picking” is against USAYESS rules.
A single coach shouldn't run practice alone once the roster grows. Recruit an assistant coach or a parent willing to get certified, both for safety coverage and so practice can run if the head coach can't make it.