Attitude problems
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- Mar 7, 2016
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7th year coach here (well of this sport anyways), and ive tried everything from individual talks, group parent talks, parent talks, team talks about attitude, individual running, and team running. One thing that i found that will knock this off real quick is when a girl is having a bad attitude i say "well it looks like (girls name) wants the team to run today" then send the team to the fence and back EXCEPT the girl with the attitude. Make her watch her team mates run. Nothing knocks it off faster than 10 peers glaring at a girl when they return from a run. In the long run it really boils down to how they are brought up at home, if they rule the roost at home they bring that attitude to practice. If that girl decides to leave the team after season count your blessings and start recruiting. Pretty soon you end up with a group of ultra competitive girls that are there to get better.
Attitudes are nothing compared to emotional girls though, if anyone has any good solutions there im all ears.
Attitudes are nothing compared to emotional girls though, if anyone has any good solutions there im all ears.
- Feb 3, 2016
- 502
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Foul pole runs seem to fix just about everything. Not enough effort on the run to the pole have them take another run to the foul pole. Start with the girls who think they should be coaching and once they fall in line the rest of the girls will too.
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I am also a coach of a 10U team. The majority of the girls have been with me for 2 years now. Honestly, I would have a very frank discussion with the player. Next is a discussion with the parents and if there's a third time, she or they would be gone. Can't allow disrespect. That will grow and become the norm rather than the exception. IMHO.
- Feb 7, 2014
- 553
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Coaching 10U - brave soul !
I'm not a big punish them coach....but the above is so true at that age.
This week our 14u team was working on pickles and the ball as getting thrown all over the place...lack of concentration. So we upped the stakes with a little pressure. first drop 5 burpies, second drop 10 burpies, third drop 15 burpies for everyone except the girl who either made a bad throw or didn't make the catch. A lot of murmuring about not wanting to have to watch their teammates do burpies because they couldn't field/throw the ball.
Funny how it turned out. team did one set of 5 burpies. The intensity, crispness, focus was ramped up and the talking/encouraging was off the chart. Two birds killed with one stone. The rest of practice stayed at that intensity.
- Nov 29, 2009
- 2,975
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Peer pressure can be a great thing with girls. The offender knows just how vindictive and nasty they can be. No one wants to suffer the wrath of a group of angry female teenage girls. It would send chills up my spine.
Huh??? Come on, get real. You are punishing the kids for making a mistake. So you are a "punishment coach".
This is so wrong on so many levels.
First, you are trying to humiliate a child.
Second, softball is a *TEAM* sport. If there is a mistake, the whole team is at fault, not one kid. You are, unbelievably, teaching the kids "find someone to blame".
A few things to consider:
1) If you have a whole team unfocused during a drill, the problem is the coach, not the kids.
2) Burpees and running are an important part of fitness and conditioning. Athletes do these to get fit.
3) 15 burpees for some 14U kids is close to physical abuse.
4) Unequal punishment--do you think Suzy, the centerfielder that can run like the breeze, is going to suffer as much as your catcher? (And, yes, you are trying to make the kids suffer.) I coached kid whose dad held the world record for the high jump. The kid ran *for fun*...she loved to run, run, run. What is your plan for that kid?
4) Eventually, running and burpees are not punishment. My DD played college hoops...she was in such good shape by the start of the season that she could do suicides by the bushel basket.
5) You are teaching kids to be afraid of failure. Failure is *the* most important part of sports.
Here are some articles on physical activity used as punishment:
National Alliance for Youth Sports
Competitive Advantage
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Sluggers. Thanks! We might agree to disagree on some points. But I respect your opinion and appreciate your response. It's part of what I like about DFP-openness, frankness, education, learning.
First I can see your perspective that it looks like trying to humiliate a child. Not my intent or purpose. Willing to reevaluate.
Second, I know it's a TEAM sport. I'm not promoting finding someone to blame.
1) team unfocused during drill is the coach, not the kids. Not every time and not in this case.
2) Burpees and running. Agreed they are part of fitness and conditioning. I didn't bring up running another person did...
3) 15 burpees is close to physical abuse. OK?...our team has been doing them all winter as part of conditioning. We do them in sets of 5 so we'd do 3 sets of 5 IF we'd done them at all...but as I said in my post we only did one set of 5.
4) unequal punishment- I'm not sure I follow. I think you're saying running isn't hard for some but is for others. I didn't use running in my post-that was another person. Funny thing my catchers are probably the most in shape...and also both happen to play CF when not catching...and are the fastest players on the team.
4) Eventually, running and burpees are not punishment......they aren't...but my team DOESN'T like doing burpees so it gets their attention. And if we did do them during practice we don't do them during conditioning at end of practice.
5) Teaching kids to be afraid of failure... I can see why you might say this. I don't think it applies to the situation/drill we were doing and the situation as it was occurring. In fact I like it when my players fail fantastically. This situation wasn't a case of failing fantastically it was simply lack of focus and concentration on the task at hand. And as I stated one set of 5 burpees and then the thing we were working on greatly improved as well as the balance of practice. As I said the girls talked among themselves, encouraging each other to focus-do better...and they did. Initially this wasn't a case of players giving the maximum effort and it not working out it was lack of focus (I guess you blame the coach for that?). But I do agree with you that failure is the most important part of sports, for many reasons.
Again thanks for your reply. I appreciate the challenging thoughts and statements. Always willing to evaluate and reevaluate.
I believe that players especially adolecents do not respond well to being yelled at, humiliated, or punished. That being said I have always taken a firm approach to teaching expectation and a softer simpler approach to punishments.
1. Teach them and demonstrate or have demonstrated by a peer the expectation or result your looking for. No matter if its teaching them to maintain calm and focus or show intensity through a drill.
2. 3 strikes rule -The best players make mistakes. If your punishing them every time its probably taking away from their focus. Instead re-instruct the player on the expected technique, process and outcome twice before punishment. Punishments should include something quick and something they can laugh about not ruin their attitude or disrupt practice time. 10 Jumping jacks, 10 neck rolls or 5 leg stretches. These are more fun, create circulation and FOCUS not fatigue. Players are less likely to make a play when fatigued but more likely to make that same play with better attitude and more energy when FOCUSED.
3. Remember that FOCUS itself can be the lesson. Teach them focus techniques. Far too many times I see coaches yelling at players for lack of focus when they have never had someone teach them to FOCUS. Especially these days with all the distractions of modern devices it is very very important to make this a part of coaching.
4. Change it up! Often times a change of pace from regularly scheduled drills that seem to be falling apart is needed.
Here are a few things to consider.
A very good coach once showed me how to gain control over FOCUS (EVERYTIME) we begin any drill. "Hop before you start" to show they are ready and focused they high hop straight up then immediately ready position themselves for the drill. This applies before they step in the batters box, before you throw or hit every ball to them, before they enter agility ladders, before every excersise, sprint or drill. This creates a mental reset every time instantly directing FOCUS to the coach. Silly but it works and promotes explosiveness in the arch of the feet over time that translates all over the field.
A few single file lines of players and coaches. Have the players stand about 15 feet away. Coaches throw the ball. Player catches and quickly transfers glove hand to throwing hand and throws back to coach. Repeat as quickly as possible 10 throws then rotate girls to back of lines and repeat twice. This is very very easy but creates intense close quarters FOCUS that can carry the rest of a practice.
Just my 2 cents
