Coaching young kids sports teams

[guroo270]

i bet johnny footballs parents were a real joy to have around.
b

I played rec league basketball with Trent Edwards (former starting Bills quarterback, current benchwarmer) and all of his friends from school. He was being raised to be a pro athlete in something. He was pretty good, but there was an annoying vibe from parents, the coach who was their familie's very good friend, and his friends who all lived by some mystic "give Trent the ball" syndrome.

The people were nice, but that was really just odd. At least he amounted to something, I guess. It was only third grade for fuck's sake.

[~mikey b]

understood

I want to teach my son footy, skiing, climbing, life.

I don't want to coach him right now. I want to be his dad. I can do quite a bit for him.

I think as he gets older I'll be more inclined to get trained as a coach and work with him and his friends. For now, I'm going to trust my friends that have their own kids and coach mine.

[1080Rider]

understood

I want to teach my son footy, skiing, climbing, life.

I don't want to coach him right now. I want to be his dad. I can do quite a bit for him.

I think as he gets older I'll be more inclined to get trained as a coach and work with him and his friends. For now, I'm going to trust my friends that have their own kids and coach mine.

I hear ya, btw, I have been coaching for quite a while and have a few USSF licenses, so I feel that I'm more qualified than most of the coaches- even in our club. I've coached tons of kids who weren't mine and I've had countless teams that I didn't have a kid on, this is just my time to be selfish and coach my step-son (and son in the future). Some of the games I remember most were watching high school games from the bleachers. I had kids on both teams that I had coached, and I didn't have an interest in the outcome

[spook]

Make enough 8x10 copies of this and hand them out to all parents at the beginning of the season.





Tell them you know what you're doing and to hold all questions till the end of the season, then walk away.

it's sad that he's such a fucking freakshow

[spook]

I met Bruce Jenner when I was a little kid. He trained at my high school and local jr college. He was a fucking hero.

totally agree. too bad he turned out to be such a freakshow.

[spook]

Many work multiple jobs and can't afford to take time off.

Many don't speak any English and rely on their kids for translating and navigating new places. Getting out and going anywhere can be stressful and difficult.

Most don't understand why they would interrupt their busy lives to watch their kids play, when they've got other serious shit to deal with.

The idea that youth sports should be regarded as more than a chance to play is also utterly unfamiliar. My biggest challenge is getting the new kids to understand why they need to show up every day on time.

Many Muslim (have had some great West African wrestlers, most of them refugees or asylees) mothers seldom go beyond their neighborhood without their husbands, while many fathers are busiest driving cabs at the time of competitions.

I've got a heavyweight who has been in foster care since his dad attacked him with a pool cue.

My best ever wrestler lived in Brooklyn with his mom who works three jobs. His father is in Senegal with two more wives and families. His mom did come to the banquet when he won the award for best wrestler in NYC, but has never seen him wrestle. I dropped him off at college a couple weeks ago because he doesn't know anybody else with a car. He's at Tompkins Cortland Community College, working out with the Cornell team. If he gets A's and B's he'll wrestle for Cornell next year.

I've had lots of kids bring younger siblings to weekend matches and tournaments because they were responsible for babysitting on the weekends.

So yeah, sometimes it's sad, sometimes uplifting and sometimes it just is. I meet many parents of wrestlers at the school for parent teacher conferences (a concept which is not alien) and they are generally deeply appreciative. Other times they seem amused by the fact that their son takes something so silly so seriously.

i've seen the reasons. wrestling can fill a lot of gaps better than most things.

[skiballs]

What do you guys think of this statement.

"I am not concerned with W or L or if we even play a game. boys get better in practice not games."

Quoted from today's email, from parent dipshit.

[jfost]

What do you guys think of this statement.

"I am not concerned with W or L or if we even play a game. boys get better in practice not games."

Quoted from today's email, from parent dipshit.

false.

there is nothing like getting reps in actual game time, in most if not ALL sports.

[1080Rider]

What do you guys think of this statement.

"I am not concerned with W or L or if we even play a game. boys get better in practice not games."

Quoted from today's email, from parent dipshit.

The statement in its entirety is false. Players get better in practice- true, but it is difficult to simulate game speed in practice. You also can never challenge your team since you'll never play against a "better" team if you only play against yourself.

It is a struggle at times to "develop" players. Everyone wants results and you want to win, but wins at 12, 13, 15, 17 don't mean shit. If a player isn't getting better all along, it doesn't matter what accolades you hang around their neck. Would you play a premiere leveled team at a select or rec level just to win games? I hope not!

[Hugh Conway]

I hear ya, btw, I have been coaching for quite a while and have a few USSF licenses, so I feel that I'm more qualified than most of the coaches- even in our club

well, you are more qualified than many coachs and most parents. A vast majority of them I'd say, which makes it a bit different

yes, refereeing games sucks. tournaments are better than regular games, the older the kids the fewer and better the parents.

[SterlingSpikeDancer]

My wife coaches 6th-8th grade girls' volleyball, and the local YMCA hosted a Positive Sports Parenting clinic. Really good stuff centered around this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Positive-Sport.../dp/0982131712

Worth checking out for coaches and parents, as there are coaching clinics around this stuff too. Anyhow, all of you that coach, THANK YOU. And SheRa, your advice in one of the "teaching kids skiing" threads a while ago was great for my mini-mag, I wish she had you as a coach this winter, but we will be at WP.

[gatorboy]

Coached youth baseball for the past 5 years. Sometimes 2 teams at once because other parents are too busy. BUT....they seem to show up early for every game and practice.

Coached football for the past 3 seasons. One dad wanted to know what my intentions were for his son. I said, "learn the plays". Next game I called his sons number three times in a row to run a sweep. Each time, he turned up behind the tackle and made no gains. Each time, I told the boy to run farther outside. Dad screams from the stands, "Run sweeps. Coach, run sweeps". I immediately replaced his son and shortly later put him back in the game....at guard. Dad never said another word. Until that night when he emailed me and mentioned that his son scored 9 touchdowns the previous year. Playing flag football. WTF?

[uglymoney]

Many work multiple jobs and can't afford to take time off.

Many don't speak any English and rely on their kids for translating and navigating new places. Getting out and going anywhere can be stressful and difficult.

Most don't understand why they would interrupt their busy lives to watch their kids play, when they've got other serious shit to deal with.

The idea that youth sports should be regarded as more than a chance to play is also utterly unfamiliar. My biggest challenge is getting the new kids to understand why they need to show up every day on time.

Many Muslim (have had some great West African wrestlers, most of them refugees or asylees) mothers seldom go beyond their neighborhood without their husbands, while many fathers are busiest driving cabs at the time of competitions.

I've got a heavyweight who has been in foster care since his dad attacked him with a pool cue.

My best ever wrestler lived in Brooklyn with his mom who works three jobs. His father is in Senegal with two more wives and families. His mom did come to the banquet when he won the award for best wrestler in NYC, but has never seen him wrestle. I dropped him off at college a couple weeks ago because he doesn't know anybody else with a car. He's at Tompkins Cortland Community College, working out with the Cornell team. If he gets A's and B's he'll wrestle for Cornell next year.

I've had lots of kids bring younger siblings to weekend matches and tournaments because they were responsible for babysitting on the weekends.

So yeah, sometimes it's sad, sometimes uplifting and sometimes it just is. I meet many parents of wrestlers at the school for parent teacher conferences (a concept which is not alien) and they are generally deeply appreciative. Other times they seem amused by the fact that their son takes something so silly so seriously.

Great work man. Great post.

Sent from my SCH-R970 using TGR Forums

[userA]

...as far as skiing is concerned i will wait till my boy is in his teens before i let a bro get ahold of him.
so much to learn about the mountain that isn't taught in comp. skiing.
b

[~mikey b]

I get it.

We let race coaches teach racing.

We teach skiing.

[east or bust]

I think a big part of coaching is who you had for past coaches. I've had both ends of the spectrum as far as that goes, once you've had a bad coach you know pretty well what it takes to be a good coach.

[MMP]

yes, refereeing games sucks. tournaments are better than regular games, the older the kids the fewer and better the parents.

you need to experience a high school summer club tournament game between 2 long island teams. its really unbelievable, the parents and coaches are painfully obnoxious by and large. there is an acronym is officiating circles for them. FLIDs. fucking long island douchebags.

[shera]

My wife coaches 6th-8th grade girls' volleyball, and the local YMCA hosted a Positive Sports Parenting clinic. Really good stuff centered around this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Positive-Sport.../dp/0982131712

Worth checking out for coaches and parents, as there are coaching clinics around this stuff too. Anyhow, all of you that coach, THANK YOU. And SheRa, your advice in one of the "teaching kids skiing" threads a while ago was great for my mini-mag, I wish she had you as a coach this winter, but we will be at WP.

Awesome, thanks for letting me know. I'm sure she'll have a great season. I know Bob Barnes over there, did a race clinic with him last year and learned a lot. As a matter of fact he even offered me a job, but they can't compete with Breck's wages.

I'm still evolving all the time, both in my own skiing and my teaching. I do a LOT of clinics. I tend to be pretty demanding on the hill and want to see change every day - we don't just go skiing around, wedging every turn. I can't see the point in reinforcing non-ideal body mechanics. Change can be really hard, especially if the kid has a long history of skiing with parents or even some instructors that tolerate it. Yeah, I'm definitely a hardass. But the kids all want to come back, we have plenty of fun too.

[booner]

you need to experience a high school summer club tournament game between 2 long island teams. its really unbelievable, the parents and coaches are painfully obnoxious by and large. there is an acronym is officiating circles for them. FLIDs. fucking long island douchebags.

When I was a kid I played hockey against teams from all over the country. Long island and jersey had the most obnoxious parents by far... No contest




Sent from one of those fancy cellular telephones

[Marshall Tucker]

On parents and money, may be where I live, but -

(names changed, not that anyone here knows any of these people...) at a buddy's nhood poker game a few years ago I see Dr. Beeper. "Hey wasn't your kid (11 yr old) on the mets team this spring, didn't they run away with the championship?" Mets were run that year by Jones who's two kids two years apart are absolute studs. Beeper rolls his eyes, tells Me "first day of practice, jones says "Ok. Every kid with a pitching coach go to the mound, rest of you to the field." 7 of 13 kids to go the mound.

Pitching coaches around here are $100 an hour.

[stfu&gbtw]

There must be a happy medium in here. I coach baseball and soccer in a nearby town, and most years, ask any of the u10 kids if they've even watched a game, and maybe you get two kids who have. The parents are involved enough to get their kids to practice and game, and usually one can be cajoled into bringing a snack. But performance wise, they couldn't possibly care less. This is just something for Johnny and Mary to do before they go work at the mine or McDonalds.

[Timberridge]

[Timberridge]

There must be a happy medium in here.

There is. Because if it was so fucking awful as most people here are making it out to be then why coach or umpire/referee?

Its like East Coast skiing. Everyone bitches about the ice and crowds but there are lift lines each weekend. So I guess it doesn't suck as much people say or they'd just stay home.

[chatton18]

What do you guys think of this statement.

"I am not concerned with W or L or if we even play a game. boys get better in practice not games."

Quoted from today's email, from parent dipshit.

Disagree - learning to win is a part of getting better in any sport. Knowing how to handle nerves and developing a sense of pride is just as important as learning fundamentals when developing a great athlete. Sean Connery said it best...losers whine about doing their best, winners go home and fuck the prom queen.

[Hugh Conway]

I realize you always got the gold star to take home to mommy and were always a winner (isn't everyone on TGR?) but youth sports don't work if the only goal for everyone is winning all the time.

Kind of a math thing.

That attitude is why the sports kinda suck - bunch of assholes and their asshole parents going around thinking they are winners because their shitty 8 year old swarmballed the other shitty 8 year olds better. Not that winning's not important, just blunt fucking out - NOT EVERYONE CAN WIN! YOUR CHILD LIKELY WONT PLAY COLLEGE BALL BECAUSE THEY SUCK! MOST OF THE KIDS ON THIS TEAM SUCK! So they cheat, and berate the ref, and the life lesson is be a cunt. Which many of them take to heart, because their parents are cunts.

Edit before the inevitable hugh's a bitter shitter from some asswipe: if you look at, say, the euro soccer powers they've a ton of soccer players at many ages and many skill brackets. People aren't playing on their Non-league Division South Football team "because they are a winner" it's for some other reason. Same for the many, many teams in Germany or Spain or wherever. The idea that everyone can, and has, to be a winner is what'll kill College Football because ultimately most schools can't compete or field a good team. It's fucking basic math.