(Coach & Mentor Training: Ready for Fall! – Published 9/8/2026) Each off-season, FTSV hosts trainings for our paid Instructors and Volunteer Coaches. Our instructor training takes place in the morning, and our volunteer training occurs in the afternoon. These trainings take place the weekend before each season begins and offer both new and returning coaches and volunteers alike the opportunity to build connections with each other, expand their coaching techniques, and grow as leaders within FTSV.
FTSV’s service area is from highway 92 on the Mid-Peninsula and Milpitas towards the East Bay south to Hollister. As a result, we have coaches spread out across a large region. Meeting quarterly helps our coaches from Baylands, Rancho del Pueblo and Gavilan meet each other and build new connections. We make sure that in each training they have time to build bonds by working in small groups and in pairs. In this pre-season Instructor training we ordered lunch for everyone so we could all hangout after the training was over.
In both the instructor and volunteer trainings, we explored different Neuro Hacks from Sports Neuroscientist, Dr. Izzy Justice, and techniques that our coaches can use to maximize performance and class management. Additionally, we practiced a technique to implement our life skills throughout class, while keeping the class active and engaging. Lastly, we recapped our golf cue curriculum and best practices for each cue.
FTSV is about teaching life skills and positive character through golf. We bring this same philosophy to our coaches. Our quarterly trainings are based on the four main building blocks of First Tee chapters nationwide – Empowering Youth, Mastery Driven, Activity Based, and Continuous Learning – taking a deep dive into each building block. We strive to provide our coaches with time to practice with specific coaching techniques that we learn from partner organizations like Positive Coaching Alliance and the Search Institute as well as from First Tee Headquarters and other outside research-based sources like Dr. Izzy Justice.
“We are fortunate to have so many great people coaching our youth,” said FTSV Program Director, Chris Moreno-Hunt. “We hope that our trainings are helpful in skill building and provide everyone with feeling like they are a part of something meaningful and big.”