Obvious differences between moving a guy into position and kicking a kid.
I'm no psychologist, but I'm pretty sure that the reason the kids didn't haul off and hit them is the same reason a 5 year old doesn't tell their teach that daddy is hurting them.... power.
A true leader doesn't need to resort to those tactics. A bully does. But the kids were still scared of him because he held all the power. He could bench a kid or pull a scholarship.
And I'll go ahead and call out any "old timers" that think this is ok. If you coached like this or condone it then you obviously were not a leader. You just had the power. Not respect.
Rich