WE need more female coaches~

[Westwind]

its a people issue
willing or not to invest in growing as people for people!
...since there are already educational tools for coaching. And people skills.

We spend so much time and energy developing players.

The low hanging fruit is developing coaches.

”Train the Trainer” pays off in 10x benefits to developing on team of players that is gone in a few years. THIS IS THE FRIGGING PATH TO HS STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS. IT HAPPENS OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND PEOPLE DONT SEE IT! It’s also the path to success in any kind of organization but whatever.

One of the many headwinds for developing coaches is ”he never played.”

How about “she isn’t a school employee”. (Former player. Great energy. Physicians assistant. Players loved her. We traded her for a no personality, low performing former player dud who’s mommy worked at the school and got her a PE teaching gig at the school. But at least she is a school employee. Thank goodness. SO important.)

There are many more “headwind” examples of course.

 

[_MIA_]

Geeez now we know where the water bottle throwing came from...

I was chucking things long before I ran into him..

 

[radness]

I was chucking things long before I ran into him..

Ohhh he learned it from you LOL

 

[_MIA_]

Ohhh he learned it from you LOL

Lol..the guy is in in the New England Coaches Basketball Hall of Fame (and was in his last years when I was coached by him) so he had honed his skills long before I got there. We are both Lebanese (I'm half) so that may explain some of the similarities...

 

[radness]

One of the many headwinds for developing coaches is ”he never played.”

How about “she isn’t a school employee”. (Former player. Great energy. Physicians assistant. Players loved her. We traded her for a no personality, low performing former player dud who’s mommy worked at the school and got her a PE teaching gig at the school. But at least she is a school employee. Thank goodness. SO important.)

There are many more “headwind” examples of course.

Train the trainer!!

Pardon,
Explain 'headwinds' please.

Think i get the gist of your point...but then ? lol

 

[_MIA_]

Lol..the guy is in in the New England Coaches Basketball Hall of Fame (and was in his last years when I was coached by him) so he had honed his skills long before I got there. We are both Lebanese (I'm half) so that may explain some of the similarities...

There is actually a lesson in this with regards to personalities of coaches and players..it is sort of relevant to the topic at hand.

 

[radness]

There is actually a lesson in this with regards to personalities of coaches and players..it is sort of relevant to the topic at hand.

Sort of relevant?
Well now that you offered...
Are you going you share it ?
Story time with @pattar

 

[_MIA_]

Sort of relevant?
Well now that you offered...
Are you going you share it ?
Story time with @pattar

I quit a team twice in my life. The case I just mentioned (HS basketball) and college baseball. Both times the coach's way of dealing with mistakes was very similar to mine, e.g. when I was beating myself (both internally and externally) for screwing up they were doing the same thing to me. In both cases the coaches were very successful so I guess I was the one with the issue

 

[Westwind]

when I was beating myself (both internally and externally) for screwing up they were doing the same thing to me. In both cases the coaches were very successful so I guess I was the one with the issue

Nope. They were successful with a certain type of player and didn’t know how to get the best out of a player like you.

@RADcatcher by headwinds I mean that some types of coaches have things hold them back that are completely inconsequential. Example: one of the best coaches either dd ever had was a basketball coach that couldnt get enough court time to coach basketball, the sport he loved the most. He learned to coach softball by reading books (probably because there wasn’t an internet yet).

Some people today would say that he can’t be an effective coach because he “never played the game.”

 

[Fluid Fastpitch]

I'm late to this party... Think I'll be the 3rd female coach chiming in on this 11 page thread. That may say something?

So many points I'd love to unpack!

I'm a big proponent of the right person for the job, regardless of gender, race, creed, or whatever else you want to bring up. That said - I would love to see more women out there normalizing the idea that women lead sports teams. There have been a lot of strides taken at the professional level that are getting publicity, and I love that - but they're getting attention because it's not the norm. I look forward to the day when a woman appointed to coach a football team is in the sports section with the other coaching moves, not the lead story.

Be a mentor:
Straight out of college I went into teaching and was AC for the middle school team. I learned a lot that season, but only lasted in teaching 2 years because I just wasn't equipped to deal with 1. Discipline and 2. Parents. So many young teachers have that same story, and I imagine young coaches as well - male or female. (I suspect that the young male coaches are airing their struggles over on discussbaseball...). I'd call on the coaches out there (male and female) to talk to their 18u, 23u teams about how to transition into coaching. Set the expectation that they're rookies again and they'll make rookie mistakes, and it's nice to not be on their own the first year or two. Work with your org on how to place and mentor those players who are interested, or as individuals to invite players to stay in touch and reach out to you when they might be ready to try coaching.

I mentored a young potential coach last year for the first time (while she also played on the 18u team). We had lots of great discussions on softball, coaching, parent, kids, I introduced her to this site (hi!), preached the gospel of I/R, gave her an opportunity to plan and run a couple of practices, and generally gave her an opportunity KNOW that she wanted to coach before she had 13 girls for a whole season relying on her.

Invite the moms:
In our org the last few years I've taken the role of starting the pre-season as coach for all the 8u teams, and asking for lots of parental assistance. I warn them ahead of the first practice that we'll need helpers, please come prepared to help. When I ask the first day, 4-5 dads immediately jump up to help. They brought their glove and were ready. I always have to say "Moms too! Come on out!". Then there's 1 or 2 moms who stand up and brought their gloves too. I don't know why it takes the second ask. Perhaps it's less aggression? Or maybe politeness (those dads look so excited to do it, I'll defer to them)? And then there's the moms who come to me afterward and say "I'd love to help, but I have to get her sibling to (insert activity) now."

I know it was addressed in another post, but this may be the largest factor. At the very beginning of the playing/coaching journey, when their oldest is starting 8u - and some of these parents are joining teams as coaches that they may stay with for the next 10 years - Mom would love to coach, but have little brother and sister in tow also and can't commit to it. I'm fortunate my husband isn't very sporty and was "happy" to volunteer to watch the kids. But if he had wanted to coach too, I probably would've deferred to him if he wanted it. No suggestions here... just like many women, we'll put our family's desires before our own.