Interesting Article About Coaches and American Culture

I think his approach is in fact used at least in American professional baseball.

I don't think its really the best way at lower levels.  Its more or less the way I was coached in baseball and I don't think I knew nearly as much about the game as today's players.

I like it.  We tried with all three kids to be supportive of what they wanted to do, and helped get them to places to play, compete, practice, or whatever.  It was up to them to continue.  Only one really played beyond high school, baseball as it turns out.  He drove himself harder to earn his spots and playing time.  Workouts, hitting, whatever it took, he did.  Now he does that in his police work.  His brother and sister found other outlets more than sports, but they still outwork everyone I know who is a contemporary in their fields (CPA and teacher).  As much as we want to as parents, we can't make kids successful, they have to do it themselves.  All we can do is provide appropriate behavior models, and provide the opportunities for them to learn who they are, and be parents, not "agents".  JMHO

I heard on sports radio this morning that the Manchester United coach was just fired after less than a year on the job because he didn't produce results.  Sure flies in the face of what the author is saying about coaches.  I also don't like his implication of American culture being one of sheep who look to the sidelines. I haven't found that to be the case at all.  I will admit to not spending much time on the soccer field though.

Have you been on a baseball field? When was the last time you saw a catcher call a game in youth ball?

Yeah, Matt, have been to one or two.

I guess my issue is with the author blaming American culture for the lack of American success in soccer.  I bellieve its because Most (not all) of our better athletes concentrate on other sports.

While I understand the premis I don'tknow that I agree with it.  I think basketball might support what he is saying because I believe most of those players learned their creativity on the court by playing on courts that were not coached.  Conversely i believe our baseball players on a whole are better than they were 20, 30....years ago. The average HS player now is better than the average Hs baseball player from years ago and I think the present day player has received more coaching and instruction which would not supportive of his premise.

The last thing that doesn't support his premis is that our soccer players are so much better than years ago.

In every sport the kids now are better than the kids twenty years ago. The training for each sport progresses. The players progress with the changes in development. Many college players are now more physically developed than Ted Williams.

When was the last time you saw kids coaching bases? 

I believe the message is he believes American kids need to learn to be more instinctive. In football plays come in from the sidelines. In basketball there are plenty of timeouts for crunch time. In baseball pitches are called. Coaches position fielders. Sports like hockey and soccer rely on the players knowing what to do. Especially in soccer where the players aren't on shifts like hockey. There's little opportunity in soccer to have a coach think for the player.

i think you're probably right and I take no issue with what the coach says.  I suppose I just don't like how the author leaps to conclusions about American culture and seems to indicate its inferior to that of other countries And that's why we're not as successful in soccer.  

Here is my take. I believe you start out by creating an environment for the young player where he enjoys the heck out of the game. It's fun. It's exciting. And you praise him. You make him feel good about himself. You start a fire in him. You teach him the basic's of the game and then you let him play. If he "and he will" make's mistakes or simply fails you just let him play. You keep it fun and exciting. You create ways to even make the most boring aspects of the game exciting. And you let him play.

As he gets older you continue with the process. As the he gets older he will push himself more and more. He will want to be good. He will want to be great. He will love the game. And he will love what ever it takes for him to get better at the game he loves. It will get to the point where you don't have to do anything to drive him. You will have to tell him to take a break.

The biggest problem IMO is coaches coach too much. Bring to much negative energy to the party. Put too much pressure on players at a young age. Basically take something that should be fun and make it not so much fun. And the parents can be just like the coach as well. Start the fire. Then let it burn. It will burn inside of the player. Let the kids play the game's. You can coach them in practice. Once the game begins get out of the way and let them learn. Let them play the game. Let them learn the game. And let it be fun.

There will come a time when the player will coach himself. The team will coach itself. And when that time comes you know you have done your job as a coach. Yes you will still coach. Yes you will still work with the players. But you will not micromanage them. You will sit back and watch them learn and play the game. And you will find that your doing your best coaching at these times. JMHO

Coach May.... I like the way you think. I had another coach on here send me a PM asking about how we use our middle infield to call how many looks the pitcher takes.... I had to stop and think for a minute. I told him I told the MI guys what I wanted and they made it their own. I explained what they were doing and how they did it, but it was of their own design.

As for the topic of keep it fun for the little ones.... I have the unique opportunity to have coached HS ball for 20 years, and I now have a little one playing machine pitch youth baseball. I have often pondered what happened to those kids that love playing the game as 7 year olds to the kids that show up as teenagers on our field that seem to think that it is no longer that game they once loved.  I am seeing that the fire was never lit or it went out. The hows and whys that happens are long, but hopefully I can use that to keep my son's love of the game burning bright.

I know exactly what you mean.  I do our MIF picks same way - a called one and one they can create.  Amazing what they can come up with.

As for the little kids I agree as well.  I got to watch my 5 year old nephew play coach pitch / Tee ball last week.  It's amazing how so wrapped up in the "games" the adults get.  You're not going to truly teach them anything that will last longer than practice.  Keep teaching in practice but relate the baseball field to a place where they go to have fun.  If you do that then they will keep coming back.  As they get older and mature then the seriousness of the sport can grow as well.  I saw a dad get mad at his 6 year old son for not catching a ground ball.  One dad complaining about the score.  Another mom yelling out to do well so they can win.  I truly enjoyed watching them do circles in the dirt then take off running after the ball when it was hit.  They were having a great time there.

Adults can screw up youth sports.