HS coaches and theory

Westwind said:

What you don’t see when coaches like Hutch get on their players is how much effort Hutch puts into building a positive relationship, how many hours she spends convincing players that she believes in them. Then jackass coaches try to do the same thing without building the relationship and talk about how they have to toughen up players for college.

Another way to say it: They don’t care what you know until they know you care.

Click to expand...

I think that this is a great post. I would suggest that for a lot, not all, HS coaches, the same can be true. As I have often pointed out, I am a yeller. I get after them. I am also soaking wet when practice is done. I make them laugh and hopefully they know how much I care. Still, the public often see the yeller. I'll repeat again a story I've told here before. A major basketball tournament in our area had a team drop out at the last minute. I was coaching a very good JV boy's team. We were asked to take the place but were told we would be up against the number one ranked team in the state. This team would go on to win state. So, this would be a beaten. As I said, we were a good JV Team but with my reputation for getting after it, my school's administration sent me a message saying that I would not yell, scream, ... and embarrass our school. I was told that they would be sitting in the row right behind my team and so, if I got out of control, it would cost me my coaching job. How could I contain myself? I tried but had a few lapses and my AD yelled at me. With 4 seconds left, we had the ball and down by one point and had the ball. One of my players turned around and yelled at my bosses that if they would let me coach the way I coach, we would win. That taught me something important in that most of my players have understood the madness. We lost on a last second shot that didn't go in but the play was the right play.

When you see a coach that some would call a “yeller” but the kids play their butts off for that coach, you know for a fact they have built that trust.

Cannonball, that is an awesome story. I can totally picture that!

Westwind said:

What you don’t see when coaches like Hutch get on their players is how much effort Hutch puts into building a positive relationship, how many hours she spends convincing players that she believes in them. Then jackass coaches try to do the same thing without building the relationship and talk about how they have to toughen up players for college.

Another way to say it: They don’t care what you know until they know you care.

Click to expand...

I agree and that could be said about coaches at all levels. I know what my kid's coaches do and pay attention to how they deal with her. It is the parent's job to get their kids in with good coaches. I was at a varsity bball game for the girls team at the high school I work at. I was sitting with some friends who have a daughter on the opposing team, this team's coach was a real jackass and the parents are very disgruntled because he screams at the girls constantly, he has lost all respect from the girls. Our coach is also a yeller, but the girls love him because he does build them up and actually yells way more on the court than in the locker room. I know this because my DD is in 6th grade but she gets to go in the locker room and sit with our girls on the bench. She thinks he is too easy on them in the locker room. LOL.

I too didn't get a damn thing about "race" from that meme. I also appreciate the input from many successful coaches. My DD responds best by simply talking to her. That's it. Yelling doesn't do a thing. If she messed up she damn well knows it. That being said, I have some good things to talk with her about if she does ever have a "yeller" as a coach again.