Comments from parents are common place and will constantly exist. Where the problem begins, is when those negative comments and negative criticism, is heard by the players and adopted as their opinions, even though not completely accurate.

 

Concerns from parents, should be handled properly and in the correct setting, without the inclusion of student-athletes. During the contest or practices, comments are often made from what is visually being observed and we react, with comment to others.

 

Coaches have a tremendous responsibility, to the team, school and individuals making up their unit. They are not always right and can have judgment impaired but Assistants can often point out the ere, in their way. Coaching is a lot like Officiating, often a thankless job but seldom ever pursued by parents....Especially the ones, whom complain.

I totally agree. This is why I believe that all high school coaches should hold open practices. In high school there should be nothing to hide and as a coach you should know enough about your teams and their families to know who the people are that are watching practice. When parents have a question the coach should invite them to watch practice and see for themselves.

 

 

Hey, and they could hold voting in the lobby after the practice to determine tomorrow's starting line-up. Post opinion pages on the school's web site. Do a parent survey as to what offense they might run.

 

Okay I'm being facetious . . . and that's not fair. But do you have any idea what a can of worms this would open? SOME parents only see what they want to see. SOME parents wouldn't know a flex offense from a foul shot. Opening practices doesn't solve this kind of problem, it adds to it. The biggest problem is that SOME parents don't want to accept the fact that their child might have a deficiency of some sort that keeps them from playing more, or playing at all. Maybe its skill, maybe its attitude, maybe its chemistry. I can't speak for all coaches obviously, but the vast majority I have played for and worked with are hard-working honest people. Yes they make mistakes, they may even be flat wrong at times, but to villify a hard-working coach because you disagree is selfish and misguided.

 

The last part of your statement however is where the real problem lies. MOST people who approach the coach about issues like this do so from the standpoint of "The coach is obviously wrong and I'm going to straighten him out." You cannot please those people no matter what your response. The responsible parents who ask legitimate questions and have had their son or daughter approach the coach themselves FIRST are really an exception to the rule.

Very nice post bulldog... Very nice.. You are exactly right, but what I am about to tell you you will not believe, but 100% true.

 

A parent of a player once wanted to draw the starting lineup out of a hat... The only way to be fair he said!

There is some value in having to fight through adversity. It's ok for little Johnny to learn the value of hard work by fighting for a job in practice. It's ok for him to learn the reality of competition when someone else plays more minutes. The parents of this generation seem to have an aire of entitlement - not one of education.

Very nice post bulldog... Very nice.. You are exactly right, but what I am about to tell you you will not believe, but 100% true.

 

A parent of a player once wanted to draw the starting lineup out of a hat... The only way to be fair he said!

 

 

Oh my . . .

 

I absolutely believe that!!

 

Nothing surprises me anymore.

Oh my . . .

 

I absolutely believe that!!

 

Nothing surprises me anymore.

Hey, that's my line BD77....

 

Oh My, out of a hat....I did that once also, while playing in the neighborhood pick-up games, in the 2nd grade.

yeah really.. but truly approached the coach and asked him to draw the starters out of a hat.. there were 7 or 8 seniors on that team...

Hey, that's my line BD77....

 

Oh My, out of a hat....I did that once also, while playing in the neighborhood pick-up games, in the 2nd grade.

 

 

 

S3 I gotta admit, I did this once in an out of town tournament that we had already won and were playing like the 12th game that week. It was all for fun and we did have fun!! Still won too!

The problem with most parents is that they are not focused on the TEAM. They should support/promote/lead their kid. The coach gets paid to support/promote/lead the team.

There is some value in having to fight through adversity. It's ok for little Johnny to learn the value of hard work by fighting for a job in practice. It's ok for him to learn the reality of competition when someone else plays more minutes. The parents of this generation seem to have an aire of entitlement - not one of education.

 

Excellent post, Yoda.

I have also noticed that many times the Parents do not really understand the game, they do not see that there are different positions on the floor. If you take player A out and they are a guard you usually replace them with a Guard not necessarily the next best player on the team.

 

Or if the starting Post player is injured you usually bring in your next POST player not the guard.

 

I listen to this all the times in the stands and I just do not know what they are thinking. Some Boys/girls can play multiple positions and then you can put the next best player in, but most of the time you have to sub position for position.

S3 I gotta admit, I did this once in an out of town tournament that we had already won and were playing like the 12th game that week. It was all for fun and we did have fun!! Still won too!

I let our JV team, pick the starting lineup (not out of a hat) one time, in the second game of a 5 inning DH, after the first game was a little lopsided. Plus, some middle school players, played a game earlier so it was the 3rd game, for some.

 

I have also noticed that many times the Parents do not really understand the game, they do not see that there are different positions on the floor.

I often say, a game is watched from 5 view points.

 

Player

Coach

Official

Fan

Parent

....each, with a different view point, task and reason.

I totally agree. This is why I believe that all high school coaches should hold open practices. In high school there should be nothing to hide and as a coach you should know enough about your teams and their families to know who the people are that are watching practice. When parents have a question the coach should invite them to watch practice and see for themselves.

 

 

No way a practice should be opened up to parents, no way. You are inviting criticism then. From a coaches standpoint, again they are hired to do a job and its the coaches and players program, not the parents.

yeah really.. but truly approached the coach and asked him to draw the starters out of a hat.. there were 7 or 8 seniors on that team...

 

That's hilarious. Might be a way to approach creating a lineup for a peewee soccer game.

 

Matter of fact, maybe that's part of the problem - let's let everybody play, let's not keep score, let's make sure nobody's precious feelings get hurt. I'm all for building kids' self esteem, but jeez...

 

I wrestled in high school. Once a week, early in the week, anyone on JV could challenge a varsity wrestler for his spot. They wrestled a regulation match, and if the JV guy won, he wrestled varsity the next match. I know we're not comparing apples and apples here because of the "individuality" of wrestling, but the concept - the best player plays - is what I'm trying to reinforce. I guess a key difference is that things were decided on the mat one-on-one; so it was a little more cut-and-dried than basketball coaches developing a game plan and determining a starting lineup that is best equipped to carry out the game plan.

So Coaches are always right, and never make mistakes. I do believe one of the if not the best player who ever played the game had a High School Coach in Wilmington NC who said he could not play either. Boy was he right.

 

Give me a break.

 

 

Do you think, maybe, it might have made him a better player because he had to work for it. If it's easy, why try. If something is always given to you, why put forth any extra effort. I think too often today parents try to fight battles for their kids. We are raising a whole generation of kids who have, too often, had everything handed to them. I hate to think what is going to happen when these kids hit the real world.