Tirade by Indiana softball coach forces university to investigate line between motiva

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Jun 1, 2013
847
18
This is college and if a player can't stand to be yelled out then they should hit the road. They didn't even give a borderline example of a statement she made that was across the line. Mental toughness is part of the game and that might be what they are lacking. Put your big girl panties on and play ball. No contact, no foul.
 

JJsqueeze

Dad, Husband....legend
Jul 5, 2013
5,436
38
safe in an undisclosed location
Let the witch hunts begin! This is typical...another over reaction. There is a big difference between throwing a basketball at a player and telling a player they sucked. If you don't want to play college then don't, but coaches need to be able to vocally call players out. There are many different styles of coaching and many different types of players. Some need a hug and some need a dressing down. This is not even news.
 
May 7, 2008
8,506
48
Tucson
As my husband so often says, "People treat you the way that you let them." When softball no longer becomes enjoyable, it is time to walk. If UI's big time pitcher and catcher walked, the administration would have taken notice.
 

02Crush

Way past gone
Aug 28, 2011
791
0
The Crazy Train
John Wooded did not yell at his players and he WON. It does not mean he was not TOUGH. He just did not need to throw tantrums. There are many others who have done the same. Singling out players in public and negative forms by yelling and cursing are not called for. I grew up on the old school way of coaching like this. Fear does not motivate properly. Letting someone down whom you trust and respect....Well that is a better way. As a coach we have to earn respect not expect it just because we are the coach. I think this was handled properly. She was not fired. Reprimanded; Sure. I think she is allowed to be human and make a mistake. Had she thrown things at them or this was a pattern of behavior discovered then I would feel differently.
 
Jun 1, 2013
847
18
Did you know that Wooden would yell at and heckle the OTHER teams players while they were playing? So, I would think all of us here would agree that is a worse offense than yelling at your own players. Mental toughness is a huge part of any game. Passionate coaches sometime find it hard to contain themselves but I would much rather have that type of coach for my daughter than someone just sitting on bucket shouting praises every pitch. Back to Wooden, he didn't curse at his players but he admitted that he didn't yell at them that often, insinuating he did yell sometimes.Kareem says he did yell but never profanity. Didn't this coach go off in her own dressing room? Not in public per se. So girls were called out in front of their.......teammates? Sorry don't see anything wrong here.
 
Last edited:
Oct 25, 2009
3,345
48
So maybe the coaches who rant and rave to the point of bringing college-age athletes to tears are grooming them for their future bosses when they enter the work force? Or maybe preparing them for an abusive spouse? What's the lesson?
 
Jun 1, 2013
847
18
There are thousands of 18 year old men and woman protecting the sovereignty of this nation and your individual freedom. They are shooting people, being shot at, watching friends being blown up, etc.. and this discussion is about a coach yelling at a player that is between 18 and 21? The lesson is far past being learned if they can't handle a dressing down from a coach. Princess turns into ballplayer at the dugout. Nobody better yell at my princess, but by all means get my ballplayer lined out.
 
Last edited:
Jul 10, 2008
380
18
Central PA
My experience in playing for and observing these kinds of coaches for a long time is that they fall into three categories:
1. Yelling because they are "competitive" and "that's how they motivate" their players.
2. Yelling because their team wasn't prepared and turning their frustration onto the players that performed poorly.
3. Yelling because they're immature.

A lot of times it's some kind of combination of the three. I don't buy any of them. As a coach, you're a role model and you're supposed to show kids how to behave to prepare them for the grownup world outside of sports. To say, "I played for a tough SOB and it made me a better person" is fine for you, but probably not for today's players. Why would you want to teach girls to be afraid of you? What message does that send to a girl? "When I yell at you, you better do as you're told." Again, that's a poor message for girls.

For "competitive" coaches who behave this way, read a couple of books by Ken Ravizza, Jeff Jannssen, or watch online videos by Cindy Bristow, Sue Enquist, or Kate Drohan. These are tough coaches who don't humiliate players. Also, make a conscious decision to improve your on-field and off-the-field coaching chops. You'll be glad you did.

As for John Wooden:
In all his years as coach, John Wooden prohibited his players from any use of profanity, and consistently avoided it himself. Still, in his first 12 years at UCLA, the coach developed a fearsome reputation among opposing teams for the fanciful harangues he directed at officials and opposing players from the bench. This habit was virtually the only aspect of his career for which the coach expressed any regret. In the championship years, fans and players alike noticed a distinct mellowing of Wooden's behavior on the bench.

I guess even John Wooden could grow, too.
 

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