Coach Mando's Advice For Dads Coaching Youth Sports

When you watch the hit Star Wars TV show The Mandalorian — or the new film The Mandalorian and Grogu — and you start to wonder if there’s something about being a bounty hunter with a heart of gold that can help you with youth sports, you’re not nuts. It’s possible that just through osmosis, thanks to the motions of Mando himself, you’re getting some good sense of how to be a better sports parent. Here’s why: The actor who has played the body of The Mandalorian since 2019, Brendan Wayne, has been coaching soccer for 23 years. In addition to starting a new podcast, Hats & Helmets , Wayne is currently the coach of the Lady Lancers soccer team at Grant High School in California. “I’ve played sports my whole life,” Wayne tells Fatherly . “It’s one of the greatest things a kid can learn to do.” As the summer starts to give way to the beginning of school, we reached out to Wayne to get his core principles as a longtime coach of youth sports. This man may know how to calm down Baby Yoda, but that’s just acting. As a soccer coach, Wayne is an even bigger expert. Here’s his clear advice for parents of sporty kids, youth coaches, and why athletics can be great for all kinds of kids. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images Fail together, succeed together. Counter/DigitalVision/Getty Images Wayne’s core coaching philosophy isn’t focused on winning; instead, he feels the only thing that makes a team is the notion of togetherness. “I want my kids to fail together. I want them to suc…