So,...you say you know how to...

[_MIA_]

I was joking with a co-worker just the other day about sports: Have you noticed how many fat guys are on the sidelines teaching in shape athletes how to play the game. LOL

The odds that somebody is fat and out of shape doing anything in the US is pretty high to begin with....

 

[radness]

One other thing to add...
The example RAD used was a kid and parent. What I took from her comment two things: how much do well meaning parents like me know? Also, dont get impatient, get them good coaching and they will get it but it takes time.

Just for clarification.
The adult in the story is another players parent assistant helper coaching...

Used adult as a general figure cuz parent or coach doesnt really matter to the point.
Guess it may to some?

 

[ANNASDAD]

Where does that leave me the new know nothing 10u parent who offered to help coach and ended up the coach because nobody else volunteered? Head sucker? Lol, sort of

A great fella as far as I'm concerned!

 

[radness]

Goes both ways. This is a question or idea that goes for all sports. There are many successful coaches who never played or never played at the highest level of their sport. Maybe high school or a little in small colleges. Nor ever played the position they are coaching. Earl Weaver, Jeff Van Gundy, Charlie Weis, Bill Belicheck, Bill Walsh, Greg Popovich, etc. Vice versa, we've all seen or know of some of the greatest players ever that go into coaching and are AWFUL at it. Magic Johnson, Wayne Gretzky, Bart Starr, Mike Singletary, Isaiah Thomas.

Can you imagine Michael Jordan as a coach???

There are also many, many position coaches (NFL) that coach a position that is different than the one they played. But, they are damn good at it. Others that can't even coach the position they played. Look at some coaches resumes and its LB, DB, DLine, WR, OC, DC, etc.

So having played the game or the position you coach isn't a requirement or needed per say to be a great coaintos adap In fact, I think most of us agree the greatest coaches are they players that were not very good or had to really study the game more or just simply started coaching early and worked their way through the various levels and learned and adapted along the way.

Do you have an understanding of the game and the position(s) (however you gained that)?
Can you TEACH those skills and knowledge to your players in ways THEY can learn it and perform?
Can you develop and improve every players abilities no matter what their foundation is? GREAT coaches adapt their methods based on each player and how they learn and process the information and skills you're teaching.

Nice read!
To take it further
To that last sentence

'Great coaches adapt their teaching methods based on each player and how they learn and process the information your teaching.'

(certainly hope coaches recognize not all players proccess and develop the same and have individual differences)

Possibly there in lies the gap between
What someone thinks they know... how to teach.
(the knowledge they aquired by watching, listening and reading.)
*When it Turns into communicating~
And includes processing how the player is gathering said info and applying mechanics.

Simply sharing, There is more to coaching and teaching than just
Spouting out technical que's.

Saying to a player
Rotate your hips.
Your not rotating your hips.
Your supposed to rotate your hips.
Your coach keeps telling you rotate your hips....
To a person/player who already knows because they have heard that now multiple times.. they are trying to correct a bad habit....
Just spouting que's...
stops being helpful.

At a certain point the theory of how to do something is all well and good as a theory.
However could say,
It is only theory until you can communicate it well enough that someone else can learn how!

 

[bmakj]

RAD, check out my previous post. in today's day and age, to most teens, their parents are the dumbest mammals to ever roam the earth. just the way it is. I used this quote on our teen soon all the time "it was amazing how much smarter my father became as I got older"

 

[John 800]

Just for clarification.
The adult in the story is another players parent assistant helper coaching...

Used adult as a general figure cuz parent or coach doesnt really matter to the point.
Guess it may to some?

guess I ASSumed it was a parent, likeyou say really doesn’t matter though. It is an interesting thread that brings up all kind of questions.

 

[ANNASDAD]

So parents and coaches...
you say you know how to pitch, hit, be a catcher, ...
*You talk like you know how to do it yourself

I was a really good hitter at one time in a galaxy far far away, I *think* I'm a pretty good hitting teacher, but I wouldn't pay me!

I was an exceptional infielder and I absolutely can teach fielding!

I can't pitch a true windmill fastpitch pitch to save my life or yours, not happening!! Now slingshot style for front toss, I'm all over that and can do it for hours with a 90% strike rate!

I never caught or played outfield, and just like pitching, I can look at a girl for ~30 seconds and see if she has "IT".

I don't even know where I was going with this? I coach 10U Rec now......and they're a helluva lot better than when I first met them 5 weeks ago so that's got to count for something, right?

 

[Orange Socks]

One other thing to add...
The example RAD used was a kid and parent. What I took from her comment two things: how much do well meaning parents like me know? Also, dont get impatient, get them good coaching and they will get it but it takes time.

It takes time!!!

Bear with me...my brain is all over the place on this topic. I just got my 2nd shot.

Fresh out of college-players decided to coach a 16u team, but has no game management or team organization experience, yet parents fall over themselves throwing money at them. Meanwhile bucket dad who has been learning how to coach the game for the past 10 years is told to go sit in the stands, because it's better for your DD not having your dad coach anymore. Guess who taught those ex college players? Their moms and dads for the most part and the cycle continues. These bucket dad coaches have been exposed to every scenario and trick in the book. They know how to coach ITB situations. 1st and 3rd situations. Bunt coverages. Heck it took 10 years of losing and winning to know what to do. You get the point.

How can we expect an ex college player to become a coach in only a year or two when all they have done is do what the coach tells them to do. Yes, they know how to play the game, swing a bat, execute a play, etc. Think about this. What are college players doing while the game is going on. They are on the rail cheering their team on, they are in the bull pen, they are shagging foul balls, they are playing in the field, they are in the on deck circle, they are batting, some are in the OF thinking about the awesome frat party after the game, BF/GF issues, class schedules, some are hoping they bus stops on the way for food (sadly some don't...no lie). My point is, the coach is not sharing their strategies with the players, sometimes not even with their assistants. I don't know how many conversations I have had with my DD asking what was the coach's strategy on xyz play. She has no idea.

 

[radness]

Heres another question.
Is there something to be said of an athlete going through
Trial and error
~physically trying to figure it out
That translates into coaching others?

Or does that process not matter to someone teaching who has never played?


Btw i do think people can be great teachers without having played.
Because their are life's examples!
How do others get there tho?

 

[_MIA_]

Having played the game at a high enough level helps in two ways. First, if you can demonstrate how to do something and it looks like you know what you are doing a kid may be more inclined to listen to you. Second, some kids are visual learners so demonstrating something properly may help in that case. Otherwise, being able to do something is no guarantee that you can teach somebody else how to do it.

I played a little bit and in reality I remember very little about how I was taught to do anything. In fact for the most part my old man just pitched to me a bunch and hit me a bunch of ground balls to the point where the actions were unconscious so when I started to try and help my kids it wasn't much help that I could do what I was asking them to do...