Chico Escuela posted:HS coaches are human. Like other humans, some are deeply flawed, even disturbed, individuals. Yes, a player has to deal with this—life is like that and it pays to learn this lesson early. But to defend all coaches unconditionally (which some comments here come awfully close to doing) just isn’t realistic IMO.
I also believe that at some point (which is going to vary with circumstances, by kid, and by kids’ age) a parent ought to tell a child that “No matter what you do, you may not change this coach’s / teacher’s / boss’s mind.” The next part of that conversation needs to be about dealing with this fact in the right ways. But for my part, I think there are times when it’s not fair to a kid to just say “work harder, it’s all on you.”
I think Coach May's post above sums it up quite nicely by using it as a teaching point for your kid's future. When you say it's not fair to just say, "work harder, it's all on you", what exactly would you say. There's a fine line between support and support through negativity. For instance, if I say, "Ryan your coach is a fool, and he should be pitching you more", I am supporting him, but I am supporting him in a negative manner. This will not be productive.
I've chosen to handle it differently. "Ryan, I believe your coach should be pitching you more, but honestly, you haven't been getting the job done. Your control isn't where it needs to be, and you need to make improvements in order for the coach to trust in your abilities."
I don't think anyone here thinks all coaches are right; but as others have stated, it's his kingdom, and you have to please him, not the other way around.