quote:
Originally posted by LHOUTFIELDER2011:
My son is a Junior in high school and has started for his team since he was a Freshman. Last year a new coach came in the picture, with a very different outlook on the game. Unfortunately, this year the coach is really starting to take a negative impact on the team. I haven't said much and probably won't say much to my son about the new coach (despite the numerous complaints).
Where I come in the picture is my son has a very promising future; however, I think it is starting to get compromised because of the coach. He plays for a nationally ranked select team during the summer/fall and wants to just stop playing high school ball.
Below are just a few things this coach does that I have a difference in opinion on.
- When the team looses a game, he tells them "I'm going to make you run until someone quits" (5 miles on an average) -- a few good players have quit.
- Instead of focusing team practices on what the team needs to improve in, he thinks that running until they throw-up is more appropriate.
- He thinks that demeaning the players is motivation.
- He absolutely "hates" for members of his team to play select ball or participate in showcases during the summer -- no one cares!
As a parent, what do you do?
I always find it interesting that someone comes to post their dilemma then never returns to further clarify. Is this because most of the time most don't agree or feel the empathy they want us to?
What I would want to know is how many times has the team had to run? Everytime after they lose, or has it been once, or is it less than 5 miles but seems like 5? IMO, 5 mile run is not abusive unless they have a specific amount of time to run it in, a healthy HS baseball player should be able to accomplish that in 45-60 minutes and yes I agree that it is progressive run (working up to 5 miles not just 5 miles in one shot). My husband runs a 4 in about 50 minutes, he's 61 has bad knees and recently had a stent placed in a blocked artery. That's about twice a week. Whoever says that running is not good for you has that wrong, most of the time that is the last activity that players come prepared for when they first show up, whether in HS, college, or later on. Makes no difference whether they will go on to play after HS or not, statistics show that most young people don't do enough excercise, just for health reasons.
My first post did not necessarily mean that my player had to run 5 miles frequently, it was supposed to mean that as you go up a notch the conditioning and other things becomes very tough, and if coach is unhappy, long practices aren't necessarily used to make the team think about how they need to improve, but I agree that improvement as a team comes from practice, improvement as an individual comes from many, many hours of conditioning. Sometimes coaches just do things to prove a point, but then a good explanation should be given as to WHY they choose that activity. FWIW, my son's coach used running as a reinforcement for those that didn't do what they were supposed to do (follow team rules) because that is the least liked activity for most. He always said he did his best thinking while on a run, and that was his reason why they had to do it.
As far as demeaning players, tough love is often seen by young adults as demeaning to them, then they go back to the parents, and give the story based on their perception. That's why in most cases, it's important to listen and keep your mouth shut with opinions. There are two sides to every story.
If the Op's son wants to quite because he doesn't like this coach, I agree with Coach May, you are going to find many different types of coaches with many different types of philosophies, and if you just pick and choose who you want to work with, that is not being realistic.
I do hope that the OP returns to give us more information.
