HS coach In need of Advice

[JJsqueeze]

Here is what I do not get about your position on the Cannonball. We are not talking about a kid who needs to miss practice for a frivolous reason, it is so she can work. And it sounds like it is a couple of hours within a 15 hour practice week so it is not even that much practice. I do not understand how if the point is to teach life lessons that his should preclude a kid from playing a sport altogether. You seem like a guy that values hard work so how can you view a kid that wants to do both as not committed? This kind of kid sounds more committed than most if she is willing to dedicate that much time to two productive activities (work and sports).

 

[JJsqueeze]

The training of HS coaches emphasizes the teaching of life lessons. Believe it or not ... but much of the training that HS coaches receive emphasizes that only a small percentage of HS players will go on to play at a high level ... and they emphasize that they are more interested in the teaching of life lessons than on simply winning games.

So are you the HC of a HS team or not?

 

[JJsqueeze]

oh ok...I shouldn't teach life lessons..come when you want to play then...sorry just totally disagree and so do 100%of my parents

again, a kid that wants to do both work and play sports sounds like she has her head on straight, and any life lessons on commitment have already taken root. nothing wrong with being flexible to allow a kid to do both. I just can't see how so many people can think that work should keep you from playing a sport if there is a little scheduling conflict.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

oh ok...I shouldn't teach life lessons..come when you want to play then...sorry just totally disagree and so do 100%of my parents

I know my AD is much more interested in the players learning from team experiences than in the team winning games ..... and this notion is emphasized to him as well. We have to go through training on this every year .... and while I first thought of it as 'brain washing' to curb over impulsive coaching behaviors, over the years I came to better appreciate the HS perspective.

 

[redhotcoach]

I know my AD is much more interested in the players learning from team experiences than in the team winning games ..... and this notion is emphasized to him as well. We have to go through training on this every year .... and while I first thought of it as 'brain washing' to curb over impulsive coaching behaviors, over the years I came to better appreciate the HS perspective.

That sounds nice.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

So are you the HC of a HS team or not?

I serve as an assistant coach in HS. The HC and I will discuss each benching and agree on the plan of action before implementing it. It serves as a system of checks and balances ... as opposed to acting emotionally. Almost always we agree ... the last time we disagreed was 9yrs ago ... he was ripping mad at me for a few days ... he wanted to bench a particular player for not working hard enough during practices ... and instead I asked for a one-on-one with the player to see if that player would agree to fall-in-line ... which she agreed to do.

 

[MNDad]

There's quite a few variables we don't know the answer to. "Some" could be a few times during the season or a couple times a week. I would guess that would play a huge role in the way this is viewed. Now that school is in session they're only practicing 2 hours a day and with games that cuts it down to 4-6 hours a week right? If a girl is leaving early twice a week, she's missing almost half of the practice time. Another question for the OP, is the girl just missing practices or games too? If she can alter her schedule for games, why not practices?

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Here is what I do not get about your position on the Cannonball. We are not talking about a kid who needs to miss practice for a frivolous reason, it is so she can work. And it sounds like it is a couple of hours within a 15 hour practice week so it is not even that much practice. I do not understand how if the point is to teach life lessons that his should preclude a kid from playing a sport altogether. You seem like a guy that values hard work so how can you view a kid that wants to do both as not committed? This kind of kid sounds more committed than most if she is willing to dedicate that much time to two productive activities (work and sports).

You'd have to live this to better appreciate it.

It's about committing to the team effort and accepting the philosophy of "Team > Me" (i.e., Team Greater Than Me).

What you propose would ruin a HS team fairly quickly. Commitment to the team is highly valued.

 

[JJsqueeze]

You'd have to live this to better appreciate it.

It's about committing to the team effort and accepting the philosophy of "Team > Me" (i.e., Team Greater Than Me).

What you propose would ruin a HS team fairly quickly. Commitment to the team is highly valued.

Yes, letting a kid miss a little practice to work would ruin a program. That makes sense.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Yes, letting a kid miss a little practice to work would ruin a program. That makes sense.

If a kid misses a practice, then they sit out the next game.

Make a habit of playing kids that don't show up to practice and you'll deal with resentment issues that will have a significant negative impact on a "team" sport.

It's a pretty simple policy ... no practice = no play.