Sometimes wow!

[wild man]

I probably shouldn't put this on the forum rite now because Im kinda down, But sometimes I think I am really not a very good Coach. I really take it as though its my fault when my girls don't win or play well. I mean it really gets to me. I THINK and FEEL like I work hard at practice and so far all parents are super happy with what I am doing with the team. But man the losses hurt me! I know we are inexperienced way more so than our opponents but it doesn't make me feel any better, I feel like Im letting everyone down.

Sorry for the whining Ill shut up now.

 

[casedawg51]

I could ask all kinds of questions about age, level, etc, etc, but it boils down to a phrase I tell myself and my ACs......Keep Coaching. When a game or tournament is going south.....Keep Coaching. Don't hang your head......Keep Coaching. Roll them out there on the dirt and ...Keep Coaching. They will improve if you ......well, you know. It only hurts because you care and there ain't nothing wrong with that.

 

[JAD]

Break the game down into measure improvements instead of wins and loses. Cut down the number of error, fewer walks, more qualty at bats, win an inning, 1-2-3 innings on defense.

 

[bullethead]

Establish processes for everything and focus on that. Then you will soar Watch the 60minutes interview with nick Saban again and again until you get it. Sounds trivial or maybe trite, but it's the key to coaching success. Took me a while to figure it out but once we did, the results supported the focus on the processes - has to be that way. Most have it bass akwards

 

[grcsftbll]

IMO as an observer (not a coach) you have to learn to shake that off. The girls pick up on your attitude. While you may be disappointed FOR them, and feel like you've failed in coaching them (you haven't!), they may interpret that as being disappointed IN them and feeling like they have failed YOU. I don't know how old they are but regardless, learning to accept losses gracefully is one of the great lessons you get from sports. Set a good example for them with a positive attitude and good sportsmanship. Right now we're on a team that loses most of the time. The coach doesn't seem to care; I'm sure he DOES care but he's more focused on fundamentals, development, and the long term. The loss of any one game right now just isn't that important. What's important is, are they making cleaner plays and hitting more pitches than they were a few months ago? If so, that's a win. A different kind, sure, but it will eventually lead to the more fun kind That's my 2 cents anyway.

 

[quincy]

Scool ball can be really lopsided.

Some games you just need to survive, I think the players and parents understand that.

 

[Ken Krause]

Wild Man, my guess is every coach has gone through that at one time or another. (If any coaches have not I am very jealous.) It takes time and experience to build good habits. You keep focusing on doing the right things, and doing things right, and the wins will come. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but they will.

I read Bill Walsh's book The Score Takes Care of Itself a while back. You're probably familiar with him - architect of the West Coast offense, multiple Super Bowl appearances and wins, considered one of the greatest football coaches ever. He wound up coaching the 49ers because no other team would give him an opportunity to be a head coach. This was when the 49ers were bad.

He tells a story about being on the plane back from a game after a particularly tough loss in a season where they maybe only won a couple of games. During that plane ride he decided that maybe he just didn't have what it took to be a head coach in the NFL and was getting ready to resign for the good of the team. But then he decided to hang in there a bit longer. Can't quite remember why but I think something or other made him think maybe it was worth staying with it. The rest, of course, is history.

For now, focus less on the wins and more on just enjoying seeing your players get better. One day they will hit that cusp where better doesn't just mean keeping it close but coming out on top on a regular basis. Then you get a whole new set of problems to worry about.

 

[BuckeyeGuy]

Interesting. Having coached rec for years before stepping "up" to All Stars and now middle school, W's and L's are not even on my list of what matters in the game. I never keep score in the dugout, and when the girls ask I tell them I don't know - which is usually true, as I'm 100% focused on the right now.

I know how much I haven't taught them, how much we still need to work on. At the end of the day, W's and L's don't matter at all. The bigger questions are: did we get better, improve; did we display good sportsmanship; were the girls engaged?

 

[wild man]

Thanks to everyone. Acually I know what to do as I have been here before. And I know where we will get to at some point. Thanks again.

 

[grcsftbll]

Interesting. Having coached rec for years before stepping "up" to All Stars and now middle school, W's and L's are not even on my list of what matters in the game. I never keep score in the dugout, and when the girls ask I tell them I don't know - which is usually true, as I'm 100% focused on the right now.

I know how much I haven't taught them, how much we still need to work on. At the end of the day, W's and L's don't matter at all. The bigger questions are: did we get better, improve; did we display good sportsmanship; were the girls engaged?

Tournaments around here never seem to have score keepers, at least not in our age groups. When I was dugout mom on our 8U travel team there were a couple of girls who asked repeatedly what the score was. My response was always some variation of I don't know, and it doesn't matter. Go play! Don't worry about the score!