Golfman25 posted:CoachB25 posted:Ok, so I've tried to stay out of this thread and read the responses to what people want to hear from a HS Coach. Please forgive me but I have never been politically correct and so, this response won't be.
First, used to hand out a 6 page document on our program which introduced the coaches, both player and parent expectations, our code of conduct per school regulations and our schedule. Also contained was the method of communication I would follow should a parent want to have a meeting with me. It would involve meeting in the AD's office with the AD in attendance as well as a statement that in any meeting, I would not talk about any other players on the team. (As some of you know, often parents want to complain about Jon Jon's playing time and he was super de duper All Stars and started over Ralphie Boy so I must not know what I am doing.)
In a couple of weeks, we are going to hold a parent meeting but now I am coaching softball. It will start and end with the same recommendation but one of which is serious in tone. It will go something like this, "If you don't like what the coaching staff is doing, who we are coaching, what your expert says different than what we coach or other concerns like playing time, be the parent and remove your child from this program."
I can't comment on baseball in other areas but have mentioned several times on this site that in my area and, in particular in my school, if I don't win, I will get fired. I'm not leaving that up to your expert to coach whatever they want to coach when it goes against what I know to be the most up to date and best stuff around on how to play the game. Your "expert" is hardly that in most cases. I'll save the cruder and harsher remarks about "experts." Some in this thread have comment about you and your son and that the coach needs to leave your son alone. So, we have 20 sets of parents. That potentially means 20 sets of "experts" who coach a wide variety of philosophies from how to pitch to how to swing the bat. To be blunt, I will mention, as I do every year, that a parent can have their "expert" write out their lineup and I'll write out mine and lets see which team gets on the field. We will play 34 games. We will practice every day that we don't have a game with the exception of Sundays. If you think that your coach, or me for my parents does not know what we are going, why in God's Green Earth, would you allow them to be ruined by me/HS Coaches. Get them to their expert and summer coach and enjoy life.
I've seen it all in my 31 years of HS coaching. I've coached tremendous athletes who have won state titles and gone on to play professionally. I've coached baseball internationally in the former Soviet Union. My child went on to be a 2 time All American. This is not my first rodeo and yet, there will be those who know more but haven't produce. I'll stop venting now. Hope I haven't made too many enemies.
Take care,
Darrell Butler
The difference is, you win. What about a program the purports to "play to win" but doesn't in fact win? Nothing is more frustrating for the "arm chair coach" than watching a guy who shouldn't be there making decisions which have no basis in fact.
I think he covered that with the:
" If you think that your coach, or me for my parents does not know what we are doing, why in God's Green Earth, would you allow them to be ruined by me/HS Coaches. Get them to their expert and summer coach and enjoy life. "
Statement.