This study seeks to investigate and analyze how coaches of Brazilian social projects think and act with respect to teaching life skills to young people living in areas at risk of social exclusion. We interviewed six soccer and other sports coaches from different kinds of education through sport projects. A qualitative analysis was implemented by identifying and organizing meaning units, which resulted in the creation of four major dimensions: Teamwork, Discipline, Performance and Bonding, and Integral Education, formed by 28 categories that reflect the philosophies and practices of the educators. The results indicate that all the coaches interviewed have a profile analogous to (Gould et al., J Appl Sport Psychol 1:16–37, 2007) model of life skills training, using strategies for teaching life skills, such as encouraging autonomy, stimulating effort, and giving feedback, although they lack a systematic approach and have precarious resources to carry out such a model.