Shoveit4Ks posted:If the story is what it is.....I'd like to believe he sees a lot of potential in your son and somehow thinks all of this berating will drive him to improve. Not a strategy that impresses me btw. Otherwise, it sounds like this guy is a d*$# with ears.
Shove may be onto something here. My son's HS baseball coach was a football guy, and he brought a football mentality to the diamond. I didn't know about most of what went on until after son graduated, but this guy rode him hard. I think that the coach started out with the idea that my son had talent, but that he was soft, and he was really going to push the kid to find out for sure. My son accepted the challenge and never lost his cool or complained about the "unfair" treatment. But, he definitely played with a chip on his shoulder, and in many ways that brought out his best. It probably took 2 years to earn the coach's respect. During senior year, son finally felt he had earned the right to stand up for himself (without being disrespectful).
Many coaches are toughest on the kids who they think have the most potential. I'm not a big fan of this particular strategy either, but I will say that son's opinion of the HS coach has really improved now that some time has passed.