Quote:
Originally posted by Hawks Coach
Tim
Sadly, I have quit thinking that "training" does much for many coaches. It is a good thing to introduce and remind people of the concept of teaching the game and making it fun, but it is a competition. Some people will never be able to handle competition in a responsible manner. As soon as you put a score up, regardless of age or level of play, there are a fairly large number of people out there who will care just a bit too much. And unfortunately, some think that the way to satisfy their competitive urge is to coach.
....Many of my peers have no idea how to control their personal feelings when coaching. Some do, but there are far too many who do not. And that will not change in a sport that needs volunteers to run programs. Its simply that the wrong type of person volunteers for all the wrong reasons. And programs need coaches, so they take them every time.
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Unfortunate, but true - and therein lies the problem. It's supposed to be about the kids, not the egos of the adults trying to vicariously relive their youth through their kids.
I applaud the efforts that you and thousands of volunteer coaches like you put forth. You do make a difference.
In all fairness, I've run across very few youth coaches that are really and truely jerks, and they are easily dealt with. By contrast, a good number of volunteer coaches either simply don't understand bench decorum because nobody ever taught it to them, or wind up copping an attitude to cover up a lack of coaching skills or knowledge. Unfortunately, the majority of officials that work these games are those with less experience & often as a result are less likely to set firm limits early, which compounds the problem.
Will a little coaching education, either formal training or informally on the court - help? Maybe....but for the sake of the kids, I think it's worth a shot.