Do Players Accept Criticism?

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Jun 1, 2015
500
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0-13. That will cause the parents to feel they need to help the coach. LOL. I don't know if this is a school team or travel ball team but no team should be 0-13. And also any team with 15 players should have at least 1 or 2 ACs. I mean there has to be a couple of parents out of the 15 kids that can hit GBs or throw front toss. Cant imagine running a effective practice with 1 coach.

This is essentially summer rec-level ball. I've probably mentioned it in other posts before - we're basically lower than travel ball (we play other town teams during the summer) but more organized than pick-up softball. Unfortunately, a lot of the issue comes from the fact that 13 of the 15 girls I had all come from the same school/town, where their athletics program is MISERABLE. And nobody cares about it whatsoever. The varsity team went 0-the entire season, and their modified team had 1 win. So many of these girls (I hate to say it) aren't used to winning or being successful, and when they get defeated (we're talking even down 4-0 in the second inning), they cave in because that's what they are used to doing.

As for getting ACs, I'm better off trying to find the needle in the haystack. Said parents are only concerned with showing up and leaving. Luckily, given that I'm the only coach (and a male coach at that) with a team of teenage girls, I MANDATE at least one parent MUST stay at each practice or I'll cancel the practice. I don't care if my ball-field is visible from a US Route or anything, I want transparency. I've had one or two parents offer to step in at ONE practice here and there - for a lot of them, it's work schedules (the girls often carpool to practices/games). I've tried doing group work/stations for hitting, etc, but then just because it splits them up, doesn't mean I can watch who does what. Even my girls said at the end of the season we need an AC to be at practices/games, instead of just a willing dad looking to stand in the 1B box at games. However, trying to get that is near impossible. Their HS is lucky to get HS coaches, let alone find anyone willing to do anything they aren't getting paid for, sadly.

Trust me, this is why I buzz my hair in the summer before I start coaching - at 32, I don't need the gray showing any earlier than it is already. =X
 
Jun 27, 2021
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I've been planning more videos around this topic, but I'm curious if parents feel the same way I do, which is that each younger generation of players is less capable of accepting and responding well to constructive criticism or firm coaching.

Thoughts? This video outlined my thoughts.


Not each player can be given criticism the same. You have some who you can be brutally honest with and some you have to approach lighter. The one thing I've had to learn is that more times than not girls have to feel good to play good. Not all of them, but as girls get older they don't adapt to the screaming and yelling military mentality. They shut down before they get better. If the question posed is do girls take criticism, the same should be said for the coach giving the criticism. The ones who can relate and avoid the confrontation are the ones who are more times than not holding up the trophy and have girls running through brick walls for them long after they played.
 
Oct 3, 2019
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Do coaches know how to give criticism? There are those who just give the kid the silent treatment or punish them with micro aggressions while the kid remains confused. There should be a process; sit with the kid, explain their strengths and weaknesses. Tell them exactly what they did wrong, what they need to work on and provide some suggestions for drills they can practice on their own if necessary. Coaches should be teachers first. So much emphasis is on the kids who play higher levels of TB to have to earn their positions. So should the coaches of those teams.
 
Jun 8, 2016
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Kids are born as an empty slate..if they are not able to take criticism as well anymore that is mostly due to those raising them. From reading this board and other social media outlets that isn’t hard to see…
 
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Mar 10, 2020
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Kids are born as an empty slate..if they are not able to take criticism as well anymore that is mostly due to those raising them. From reading this board and other social media outlets that isn’t hard to see…
While I agree with that there is the added dilemma of what is being filtered through their social and media devices. Political and social shifts equalizing and normalizing everything. Everyone gets a trophy stigmata that has infiltrated the system is catching up with everybody. Society has started to see the impact of that now.
 
Jun 27, 2021
418
63
While I agree with that there is the added dilemma of what is being filtered through their social and media devices. Political and social shifts equalizing and normalizing everything. Everyone gets a trophy stigmata that has infiltrated the system is catching up with everybody. Society has started to see the impact of that now.
If you provide a greater chance for a trophy it keeps the gate money coming. Instead of one winner, you have 3-4 winners in different at the same tournament. Social media Sunday trophy post is how parents feel valued among their friends who have no clue that they just won the Bronze division and went 2-3 on the weekend.

Directors are giving false hope to moms and dads while taking your money in the process.
 
Sep 22, 2021
382
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Sioux Falls, SD
Honestly the great coaches are the ones able to understand the player and know how to push, when to push, stern/ straight to the point, or have a different conversation. In the business world I have been asked, and I have interviewed people with this question...Are you an ask person or a tell person?!?! IF a coach can be both to the situation at hand, you have an amazing coach and leader. Players and people in general handle communication in all sorts of ways. The coach that can teach and comment to the personality trait, are the most successful. The morons just yell, and use the "it's a different generation lie" You can bet shirt tons of money, that kids potential and their love for the game died because of a "one way to handle all" approach.
 
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Sep 22, 2021
382
43
Sioux Falls, SD
The way I see it, the kids today will take constructive criticism but only if that's what it is. If you berate them and yell they'll just tune you out. To me the biggest change in the last 30-40 years is that these kids just don't automatically respect a title. If you are an idiot they don't care if you are their manager or boss,etc. They want to know why they are doing things and aren't afraid to ask if another way is better.
BINGO.
 

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