Timeout to Vent

[Rich]

Originally Posted by texaspaul

Prior post almost covered my situation. 1st quarter of an uneventfull 8th grade boys game. Home team calls TO and as I go to report it, I look at the coach for a 30 or 60 option. He turns his back to me, so I walk closer and ask again as I approach. He tells the kids," everyone on the bench." Spins to me and says, "Full!..... and tell your partner I want to talk to him". I give him the stop sign and report the full TO and head to my floor position. I'm really not interested in having a head coach ask me to be his message courier. He barked something across the floor, but I really couldn't make it out. Told my partner about it during the quarter break, but we agreed, no sense in creating a commotion. I try to watch my partners back as much as possible.

Speaking of this, when I get in the angry coaches clutch and have to listen to a chewing, I always come over turn my body, perpendicular to them and continue this through the full, usually one sided convo. An occasional nod and a simple "I understand ". Sure, I've had one or two that we went in a semi, funny circle, but it works for me. I think most of the time, I avoid serious problems with the simple fact that I let them vent and acknowledge they were heard. If the convo turns defamatory, I stick-em.....

If they have a question, answer it. If they are venting comments at you, then get to the blocks and make it so they have to go back their team or get whacked. If the coach clearly ignores your question "full or 30," he's bought himself a full timeout. I ask twice, never a third time.

If you stay over by the coach and let him vent, you've made it so one of two things will happen:

(1) You stay there and you send the message to everyone in the building that he owns you. The other coach is watching, the players are watching, and everyone else is watching. The time out is for him to coach his players, period.

(2) You can't whack him without looking like the aggressor, or worse, looking like you were over there to bait him.

So call the time out, report it, answer any quick question, and turn and go to the block. If the coach follows you, now it is obvious to everyone who the aggressor is and if you have to whack him, it will be obvious to all that he had it coming.