Coaches Humiliating Players

[JPW4Heisman07]

I'm sorry but if a coach uses humiliation as a coaching tool, he has no business coaching. There is a huge difference between humiliation and discipline. I absolutely believe in strict discipline and sometimes that may require raising your voice. But degrading and humiliating a kid has no place in sports. I don't care how many of you tough love parents and coaches are out there, I've seen too many great players shut down because the coach humiliated them. I was told once by a coach that I have great respect for that he always told his players don't embarass or humiliate me and I will never do the same to you. I always used that as a guide in my coaching. Coaches that humiliate their players rarely if ever will ever get the maximum performance out of their players.

 

Just my opinion for what it is worth.

By what do you define humiliation?There is public humiliation (game) and private humiliation (practice).Getting in a players face and yelling isn't humiliation.Making the player look like a defenseless child is,that could be hitting a player for example

[sports_fan]

The humiliation that I am talking about can be verbally or physical. I know one coach in particular that if one of his player makes a mistake he will verbally humiliate and embarass his player with comments that have nothing to do with correcting his mistake or helping the player understand what he did wrong. His method of coaching is to humiliate the player in hopes he will play better and not repeat the same mistake. My thing is 99% of the time the kids are not going on the court making mistakes on purpose, as misguided as many of the mistakes they make are, they are not intentionally trying to make them. I just have to believe there are better ways of teaching the game than humiliation.

[Themightymac]

Humiliation is a poor word choice and I’ll tell you why.

 

Webster:

to reduce to a lower position in one's own eyes or others' eyes

 

For most adults, humiliation public or private requires a certain level of diminishing of character. Not to be confused with embarrassment.

A student can be embarrassed but not humiliated.

Here-in lies the problem.

Most students don't know the difference.

Certainly the younger the student the less the distinction if any.

A player on your team running the ball wide open and then tripping on his own feet is embarrassing, but people don't question this person or character.

A player on your team getting booted for drug use should be humiliating to the player and the team. It demeans the character of first the player, then the team and instantly puts the whole team into question.

 

That said, when a coach's comments put the character of the student into question then the coach is out of line. A strong reprimand of a students actions are ok.

"I told you to lift your knees when you run! How many time did we do that drill in practice?" These are fine.

 

"Are you too stupid to play this game?", "I can't believe I even let you play" and the like are not.

Edited January 7, 2007 by Themightymac

[volunteerfan23]

What are the feeling about a coach who makes his players feel stupid? Every time a question is asked he has a smart answer and never ever is kind, compassionate, or even shows a hint of being concerned with the question. He has his favorites and they are not treated this way but if you are not on that list of two or three look out. I am not a parent yelling sour grapes I just wanted your thoughts on this???

[kbc00]

when coaching you cannot just pick two or three to work with. coach means to instruct and teach. sounds like the one you describe is a lazy coach. just work with the ones that have the talent. it is the responsibility of the coach to get the players to play to their full potential.

[Hoops1stLuv14]

I feel when a coach needs a player to get the job done he has to fuss...I've played ball and when the coach is mad at you( and you hope he dosen't get mad,ever) he may have to set you straight..some players need a firm tongue lashing to get them on task. But i'm speaking from the bench not from the stands.

[P.A.Lin-Z]

I think a real coach is going to know how to handle his or her team. Humiliation has no place in sports period. Coaching starts with respect....respect is earned. You can't build character by tearing a person down. A coach can't affort to show weakness.....humiliation of others shows insecurities of their own. Most of the time they have an audience....or they probably wouldn't say anything. A coach has to be consistent with repremands....many times these guys will not see when others do the same thing......they become inconsistent.....their team does also, and the very fabric of the team is threated and doesn't perform as one. because their not coached as one.

Edited January 9, 2007 by P.A.Lin-Z

[volunteerfan23]

Well as I have always said Respect breeds Respect!

I am not talking about this coach getting upset at players, that is a given and I have no problem with that because at times they need focus and direction, however I don't think he understands what he might be doing to some of the boys with his humiliation tactics or making them feel as though they can not talk to him. Coaches have their own personal lives but some of these kids might only have their coach as a personal advisor or someone they can confide in. I might add to this that the coach I am refering to is not a basketball coach but I thought I would get some views on the situation anyway.

[BaGdaD BeN]

In this politically correct time we are living in this is part of the reason this generation of players are so soft and lazy. When a coach chews a player out and then the players goes home and hears don't worry son that mean coach doesn't know anything you did good. The respect for coaching and working harder to correct the problem and be a better player goes out the window. JMO

[warrior2024]

There definately is a difference between humilitation and motivation. I coach football and I coach hard, emotionally, and aggressively. That is what is required from the sport. I do get onto my players, I push them to their limits, not the one they think is their limit, but I also encourage and build relationships with the boys. The problem, as stated in previous posts, come into play when feelings get hurt. Life is tough, we need to direct and guide these young people. I do not advocate humiliation because that is wrong but I also do not advocate coddling these young people and then throwing them to the lions in life unprepared.

[PFDAD]

Look at all of my posts. I never said that a coach couldn't get on to a player. Sometimes they need to be gotten on, but that is different than humiliation.

Everyone knows the difference between yelling at a player for a mistake and humiliating them. and in this situation it carried on for the remainder of the game with the coach being a complete idiot by giving him death stares and constantly badgering him. Telll him what he did wrong, yell if you have to, but correct it and move on. There is no place for humiliation anywhere. These are kids, they make mistakes. Help them correct the mistakes but don't humiliate them.

 

 

if you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen.....playing high school basketball is not a requirement ........nor is it a BIRTHRIGHT

[P.A.Lin-Z]

if you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen.....playing high school basketball is not a requirement ........nor is it a BIRTHRIGHT

I for one know what you meant. I saw Dexter Williams grab Lil Ant by the jersey and spin him around one night......was that humiliation....NO!!!! , but some of the parents of the opposing team went crazy. They didn't see what lead up to that....Ant was probably trying to get away from coach..... . I'd hate to have to face him sometimes. I sat behind the Liberty bench the other night.....what a show....they ought to have charged extra for those seats.....Dexter don't stop coaching. It's not up to me to figure out what he's doing with his kids. Humilation and real coaching are on two different spectrums.....again....it's all about respect.