Coach on the court

[CMHCoachNRef]

Originally Posted by grunewar

I was told once by a senior official (trainer) that a good technique (for someone who has not obviously snapped a bone or is bleeding) was to go over to them and quietly ask them, "Can you play? Can you continue?"

If no, beckon the coach, if yes and they get up, limp off, etc, let play continue - of course that IS if the coach hasn't come on already.

I used this technique in a GV game this past Tues, and it worked pretty well.

Thoughts on this technique?

This depends on the age and level of the players. For the younger kids games (more often in soccer, but occasionally in basketball), I actually go with a more positive statement. After analyzing what happened, if I don't think that there is an injury, but more of a player either hearing the parents' reaction or perhaps acting momentarily startled, I will make a simple statement. "You sure are tough, you look like you can still play. Do you want to stay in?" Nine times out of ten, the answer is either a nod or a soft "yes." Asking the real youngins usually leads to tears and being replaced.

On the other hand, in high school-aged games, I will typically wave the coach OFF the court/field until I have had a chance to ask the very question that you posed, grunewar. This gives the player a chance to be able to stay in the game.

If the coach insists on coming out, I insist on player removal per the rules. Once again, in the younger age groups I strongly encourage the coaches to wait for my signal -- in the event of a possible "real" injury, I am stopping the play quickly and beckoning the coach.