Coaches just dont understand....either !!!!!!

[GottaHaveHeart]

This is in response to the thread "Parents just don't understand". Never have figured out why we can question the President of the U.S. about how he does things, and coaches are off-limits. I feel all the kids that are on the team should get a opportunity to play. Thats why the younger groups have went to the mandatory play-time rule. Kids go to camp, work hard, condition, practice, sacrifice alot, pay their money, to be a part of a team. Just because their talent level, in the coaches opinion, might be a touch below the so-call starting 5, which is not always based on the best talent, as we all know, why should the other 5 or so be relegated to just practice players and never play at all. Kids have feelings too. They wanna play, get on the floor, have their moment and win too. They have parents, family and friends who wanna see them play too. So what if they make a mistake, miss a shot, foul, do something crazy... sounds a lot like the starters to me. Never have understood why we have "SUBS" and they never play. If a coach keeps a kid on the team, they are saying I have confidence in you to do the job, maybe not a starter role, but you are able to play. Everyone wants to win, and the kids know in their hearts if those in front are better and most accept that, but they still wanna play a little. And in most cases, with some exceptions, the talent level between the starting 5 and the 5 or so subs on the bench is so small, it wouldnt make that much different who started. I think most kids these days would rather be cut, than kept and never play. So a little PT is not out of the question for all the players. Parents have a right to talk to the Coach, in a civil manner about their kid. Coaches need to stop worrying about their feelings so much and the " I"m always right" attitude, and think more about the kids. Remember the game is for the " KIDS" anyway, not your personal glory.

 

Responses are welcome with a smile !!!!

[mchsballer]

i understand,to a certain point.some coaches know their players better than parents do.but the point of being on a high school team is to win.Iam not a starter,nor a 2nd string on varsity,but Im just glad to be there.so i am not one of those kids you think would rather be cut than sit there all year.I would,no matter how silly that sounds,Im happy just to have a part of that winning team.the coach knows whats best for their team,not the parents,parents will more than likely always think that their kids are the best,but they dont always know their attitude at practice and so on.The coach knows what theyre doing,and if they dont,they shouldnt be there to begin with.Playing time,well,that s the coachs preference,I dont really understand the big deal,but thats at their discresion to.I have to back coachs up all the way on this one.

[TdTbb]

Gotta, you have touched upon alot of different situations. I agree with alot you are saying. I have coached at Jr Pro level, at the rec level and traveling AAU level. each one you need to approach a little different, however, they all carry similiar styles. At Jr Pro, usually is the worst, the talent level is wide, but the rules state you must play all. At rec league, again the talent level varies but more competitive. As a coach, you try to play everyone but sometimes some get lost and there is usually a battle. At the traveling, the story changes, most, if not all the kids, have been invited. There is money involved, sometimes lots of it. This is where I differ from other coaches. YOU PLAY EVERYONE - especially the first four or five tourneys. You want as a team to jell and you want as a coach to find out who can play and when. In the final tournaments, you play the best in close games and play the rest when you can. As you said the level of talent is not that much different. If it is, the coach should not have asked them to play in the first place. I spend the entire two weeks at the Jr. Olympics this past summer and most teams play there entire bench. This was good. I believe if this style of coaching is done, you don't have that many parent to coach converstions.

[jacketsfan13]

Mchs, if all players had your attitude sports would not be in the shape they are in today.I'm giving you a good mark. Gotta, you stated why have subs? Well I'm not sure about your situation, but most high school teams play more than five players. They usually don't play the entire team on regular basis, but about 8-10 will play. It is impossible in high school basketball to play the entire team every game and win consistently. Yes, the game is for the kids, but a coach is paid and expected to win, and today that coach will be replaced if he/she does not win. Having the happiest team in the district doesn't count for much. As for your comments about kids that would rather be cut than sit there, there is a solution to that. It's called QUITTING. I agree that parents should be able to talk to coaches, but not about playing time which is what parents always want to talk about. When a coach keeps a kid on the team it does not necessarily mean they are able to play. In many cases it means they have the potential to play and contribute with alot of hard work. Thats why coaches keep freshman, mostly not to play, but to get better for the future.

[muffin]

I could not agree with you more,some of the coachs are so dumb that it does no good to talkto them.A case in point my child who played his freshman@sophomore yea on a team that played horrible The coach had 5 starters that he was going to play all the time no matter what the out come was going to be.In practice the non starters played the varsity each day and 9 out of 10 times they would beat the starters,this was seenby myself and other parents,also last season the J.V. team had a stellar team that finished with a record of 18-1,the head coach never came to watch any of these games,with a loosing season seems he needs to be making changes, as for the people saying the quitters are losers,I will have to say you are wrong these players busted their butts in camps, at practice, well really 12 months out of the year and were never given a chance to play. T he coach was hired thru politics and family members kissing up to school board members,and he does not know how to handle the job does not know how to resign.He has been at the school for two years .during that time 11 players have ouit or transferred.

[ptguard]

coaches have reasons for every little thing they do. whether it's picking a certain kid to always throw the ball in or a certain kid to be first in the "run out" line, etc., or whatever, i promise you there is a reason for it. in girls' bb, we all know it is extremely hard to keep that many women happy all the time, so the coach sometimes pleases players by letting them do the little things that keep them satisfied and happy so they don't bring the whole team down b/c they're not seeing any PT. and, some girls are perfectly happy being first in the run out line and not getting to play much. that's b/c all players play for diff. reasons--true love of the game, socialization, parents made them, just want to be a part of something...

 

i don't know many coaches that deliberately don't play kids if they have ability/talent--unless at some point that kid has demonstrated selfishness, attitude, disrespectfulness, or broken team rules in some fashion.

 

and get real--every high school coach should tell his/her team before the season that this is not little league. everybody does NOT get to play the same amount. yeah, it's not fair, but neither are a lot of things in life. that's the way it has to be in the competitive world we live in.

 

all players on a team have some role or another. even if a kid is not seeing much PT, a lot of times the coach knows that player is very vital to the everyday success of his/her team. that player may be the sparkplug at practice who is always getting everybody else up for practice or that player may be the glue that holds everyone else together. coaches do know their kids better than parents--most of the time--as well. what works for one kid may not work for another kid. coaches figure out, like most teachers do, how to motivate each kid individually b/c we are all different.

 

i agree with the previous post about coaches being able to discuss things with the coach--except playing time. this should never be discussed between coach and parent.

[popeyethesailor]

As far as questioning the President, does it do any good? Has your questioning the President ever changed his mind? People that worry about everybodies feelings are not leaders. Pick the ones you want to go to war with and saddle up and go. Leave the women crying at the fence. Hope everyone comes back healthy and get ready for next time. Look yourself in the mirror and know you did what you thought was best for all, and get some sleep, Coach.

[GottaHaveHeart]

This is NOT a coach bashing thread. Coaches have a hard job and for the most part, most are respected by parents out there. They put in countless hours of work and most actually care about their players.

 

I was simply expressing my thoughts that all the kids should play at sometime. True, High school ball is very competitive and its hard to play everyone, but what I, as a ex-player, and now a parent look at is these games where teams are winning by 30 in the last quarter or losing by 30 and you look out there and the starting 5 is still playing. Comebacks are possible but lets get real here, give the kids who don't play alot a chance now. Some coaches say down by 30, with starters in, say this a time to work on things. Well if you down by 30, maybe you need to work on different things and players.

 

There are some kids who are happy on the bench not playing, but for the most part, competitive kids wanna play, not just sport a uniform. Have never had a kid say no to me when ask about going into game.

 

Someone please explain why the dreaded playing time issue is off limits for discussion. If a kid is working hard, great attitude, doing all they think they can do, why, if done in a civil manner, can't the kid and parent ask the coach what he or she can do to stay on the floor more? This is done in a private meeting, not in front of other kids or parents. Maybe there is a weak area that the kid dont see that the coach does, that needs work in order for the kid to play more. What does it hurt to explain why.

 

I just think there is room for major improvement on the communication line between coaches and parents and kids, that would cut down on some of the unpleasant encounters.

 

Popeye....my point about the President is we do question him, and if enough people question, he may not change his mind, but at least the Nation gets some kind of response. Some coaches dont think they should be questioned, always right attitude....I think NOT...!!!

[Edited by GottaHaveHeart on 9-25-02 2:33P]

 

[ptguard]

i think the reason playing time should never be discussed between parent and coach is simple. this meeting never stays about why their kid is not getting pt, but why other kids are getting pt. other kids should not be the focal point of this discussion. so, fine. if you wanna have a civil discussion with the coach, i think it is a wonderful idea for coach, player, and parent to all sit down together and discuss that player's role on the team before each season. this is a great time to discuss strengths and weaknesses of the player.

 

as i stated in my earlier post, even though you think your kid deserves more pt--as every parent does--the coach has a legit reason for playing the players he/she is playing. maybe one player can't score a lick, but they are the best defender on the court or something like that. most parents don't--and won't ever--see things from the coach's point of view. but, you are right about one thing--if a team is up by 30, the coach should sub. always. just common courtesy to his/her team and the other team.

[mchsballer]

The athelete is playing the game,not the parent,the parent should have NOTHING to do with an atheletes PT,it is not an off limits discussion between a coach and the athelete though,and if it is,than either leave it alone,or quit.you should consider yourself privelged to be on that team,and im competitve,but i will NOT gripe about my amount of playing time.

[Guest Bcscoach1]

If a player has a concern about their playing time, than it is the responsibility of the player to go to the coach and find out why. Remember that, above making kids better basketball players, we are to make them responsible adult. A responsible adult will not have his/her mother or father go to their boss to find out why they did not get a promotion. Let's remember that we are raising kids. The quicker we teach them to be adults, the better off our society is as a whole. So why is it "off limits" for parents to talk to coaches about playing time, because it is the job of the athlete and then the responsibility of the coach to explain completely to that kid why he/she is not playing. If the kid does not like the answer, then make the necessary improvements or do not complain. My experience has been that problems like these are always solved quicker if it is kept between player and coach.

 

Any coach that does not play the best players is obviously not very interested in keeping a job. Remember that we are not talking about a hobby, we are talking about how people make a living.

 

To GottaHaveHeart- If you owned a business and had 5 job openings and 10 applications to fill those openings- would you hire the 5 best or would you hire all ten and split the time between them. Is that the best decision for your business. Whether you believe it or not, most coaches hate the fact that not all of their players can play and produce for them in games. Sacrificing the good of the individual for the good of the team is, many times, a tough part of the job.

 

Just some thoughts from the sideline. I will tell you one thing, if I got paid (all the benefits) like the President, you could criticize me all you want. But because I make about 50 cents an hour to coach and do not have the weight of the free world on my shoulders, maybe I should not be open to the same kind of criticism as the President.

 

Coach

[Edited by Bcscoach1 on 9-26-02 6:47A]

 

[mchsballer]

Posted by Bcscoach1:

If a player has a concern about their playing time, than it is the responsibility of the player to go to the coach and find out why. Remember that, above making kids better basketball players, we are to make them responsible adult. A responsible adult will not have his/her mother or father go to their boss to find out why they did not get a promotion. Let's remember that we are raising kids. The quicker we teach them to be adults, the better off our society is as a whole. So why is it "off limits" for parents to talk to coaches about playing time, because it is the job of the athlete and then the responsibility of the coach to explain completely to that kid why he/she is not playing. If the kid does not like the answer, then make the necessary improvements or do not complain. My experience has been that problems like these are always solved quicker if it is kept between player and coach.

 

Any coach that does not play the best players is obviously not very interested in keeping a job. Remember that we are not talking about a hobby, we are talking about how people make a living.

 

To GottaHaveHeart- If you owned a business and had 5 job openings and 10 applications to fill those openings- would you hire the 5 best or would you hire all ten and split the time between them. Is that the best decision for your business. Whether you believe it or not, most coaches hate the fact that not all of their players can play and produce for them in games. Sacrificing the good of the individual for the good of the team is, many times, a tough part of the job.

 

Just some thoughts from the sideline. I will tell you one thing, if I got paid (all the benefits) like the President, you could criticize me all you want. But because I make about 50 cents an hour to coach and do not have the wait of the free world on my shoulders, maybe I should not be open to the same kind of criticism as the President.

 

Coach

 

Coach-excellent post.as atheletes,students and people,we have to learn to do things on our own,even if it means stepping out of our comfort zone just a little.parents shouldnt have to discuss things with your coach,you should,as I said we are playing the game,not mom and dad.It really all begins with our relationships and attitude towards the coach.If you dont like your coach,your preformance will probably be lackin,but if you get along well with your coach and have a good attitude about him/her,youll want to work harder and do better for them.That may not be true for all of you,but thats my opinion.If your worried about playing time,check your attitude first.the coachs know what theyre doing.