A cell phone ringing over and over in a gym while a coach is trying to put in a new offense is both disruptive and rude. To me, it's worse than the parent that waits until water breaks to "talk" with his son. At least he isn't dispupting practice.

 

LN, I need to go back and re-read your first post, but if your only experience (as a parent) is with football, we are talking about vastly, vastly different situations.

 

One last thing that I want to clear up, even if it is slightly off topic, but I didn't want to give anyone the impression that you took away from the bolded section. One of us doesn't understand the other, I believe. Maybe things are different at other places (I have been told that they are) but each of our coaches/assistants teaches or works elsewhere during the day. Our head coach (talking football here) is just like any other teacher in that he teaches 6 of 7 classes. He still has a written out, detailed practice agenda each day, including small group instruction with specific coaches and even the water breaks. I am not sure what other coaches do during those water breaks (if they have everything so nicely planned and aren't concerned about the next game or what) but our coaches are ALWAYS talking about the next step during water breaks. That might be the next practice sequence, the upcoming opponent, game or scouting film that he has been watching at night. If I gave the impression that our coach was anything but 100% prepared and dedicated, then I apologize. It's great if other places have it easier and have time during the day to plan practices together...or even talk! That's just not the case at our school and maybe some others.

 

Bottom line...I would rather our coach spend his time preparing the team, rather than worrying about parents doing whatever they please, where ever they please during practice times.

 

You are correct in that my only experience is as a football parent. But I don't understand how it is just a vastly different experience than basketball and I don't understand why it would be so difficult for a coach to let the parents know at the beginning of the season that they are welcome to come watch practice with certain caveats: one, you have to stay in a certain area and out of the way; two, turn your cell phones off; three, if you have to take/make a call, do so outside of the gym; four, sit there quietly and observe and do not disrupt practice; and five, if you can't observe those rules, I as the head coach will direct you to leave. Doesn't seem that difficult to me, but evidently it is.

Actually I just gave up..

 

Well dangit, could you do it a lot earlier the next time? You'd have saved us both a lot of time. :thumb:

 

How's the boy doing? Tell him I said hello.

You are correct in that my only experience is as a football parent. But I don't understand how it is just a vastly different experience than basketball and I don't understand why it would be so difficult for a coach to let the parents know at the beginning of the season that they are welcome to come watch practice with certain caveats: one, you have to stay in a certain area and out of the way; two, turn your cell phones off; three, if you have to take/make a call, do so outside of the gym; four, sit there quietly and observe and do not disrupt practice; and five, if you can't observe those rules, I as the head coach will direct you to leave. Doesn't seem that difficult to me, but evidently it is.

 

And don't they read the KHSAA sportsmanship statement before every game? We all know that everyone follows that rule to the letter! No one EVER is anything but positive in the stands!

 

I'd sure like things to be the way that you mention. In football is it sooooo much easier, because it is outside and not in an enclosed area like the gym. There are many places that you can be, even in the crappiest of field setups (like ours;)) that you can be and not be disruptive. You can bring the younger kids and toss a football with them. You can talk on your cell phone. All of this without disrupting practice.

 

As a side note...back to cell phones...my school has prohibited their use from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm by students. Does this bother you, too? (If we need to PM this, to keep it from theadjacking, feel free!)

 

LN, I enjoy discussing this and many other issues with you! :thumb: I like to be questioned and have to re-examine my stances.

Truth is it probably should read, "No one allowed, especially parents."

 

 

Why would a parent want to attend a practice?

 

 

I completely agree with both of you. Neither the coach, nor the players, need parents watching practice.

 

But if you insist, the schools should at least start charging admission. $20 sounds fair to me.

As I mentioned in another post, I've watched my sons get scolded, as you call it, by coaches. I don't ever remember them looking at me in the stands after it happened. I don't remember them ever mentioning it to me after practice. If they had, I'd have simply told them they need to work harder and do as the coaches instructed them to do.

 

I think we have gone amuck recently concerning parents. You have some misbehave and now all of a sudden every parent attends practice only to second guess the coaches and baby his or her kid. That's not reality folks. Not even close to what I've observed.

The question was asked, in context of Girls Basketball and not Football. The relative closeness, to the playing court is considerably different than the Football bleachers.

 

You are right, some watch to learn and observe but others, want to make sure their child is a focus. Like teams of varying abilities, there are parents of varying interests. That is reality.

The question was asked, in context of Girls Basketball and not Football. The relative closeness, to the playing court is considerably different than the Football bleachers.

 

You are right, some watch to learn and observe but others, want to make sure their child is a focus. Like teams of varying abilities, there are parents of varying interests. That is reality.

 

 

As to the bolded: really? I hadn't realized that. Not.

 

So we ban them all because of the few. Great way to build parental support for your program. Just great.

Would it be wrong to attend a practice to gather information on how you can teach your kid what they are doing wrong if the coach is not doing it?

Our Kids wouldn't dare have there cell phones on during a practice, its all about discipline. As for parents attending practice, I for one wouldn't want to hold back the development of my child and her teammates. How could a Coach instill the discipline needed for the over all good of the team if mom or dad are watching? Coaches are regular people and for the most part do care what you think of them. At some point durig the practice the coaches need to make corrections on mistakes made, this is something needs to stay in the gym between the team and coaches.

2 basic questions to ask. Do you trust your Coach (I do)? Do you trust your child (again I do)?

In our area a school closed ALL it's practices because a parent came in (4-5 years ago) and attacked a coach in front of the entire team. Grounds for closing and locking all the doors from now on I would say.

 

 

I know of a player who came close to assaulting a coach once in front of the team and I guess in your opinion, if the player had assaulted the coach, then that would be grounds for not having practice anymore? I say deal with the issue and don't make blanket rules based on isolated incidents. If the gym can't accomodate practices with parents there due to gym size then deal with that and tell parents that that is the real reason why you would prefer they not be there.

A coach should have the right to close his or her practice for whatever reason. We have covered the numerous reasons a coach may draw upon to do this. Really it doesn't matter what the reasoning is. If the coach feels this is the best decision for the team, then so be it.

The confined area of a gym is completely different than the expanse of a football stadium. How would you feel if parents insisted on being in the weight room or watch films with the coaches and players?That would be a little more comparable to a bball practice.

I agree. It's one thing to observe a football practice or soccer training session. Basketball or Volleyball in a confined area is a completly different situation.

I understand why a coach wants a closed practice, and respect the decision. Suppose your child sits the bench. The only time to see her play is at practice. I have attended practices, and enjoyed it very much. There were other parents there, and no one disrupted the practice. The parents and fans at games are much more rowdy, disruptive, and disrespectful. If your daughter ever took ballet, piano, gymnastics, or any other lessons, I'm sure you didn't skip all the practices, and merely wait to view the recitals. This is their basketball class, and some people want to know what goes on in the lesson.

How can a coach say parent "A" can attend practices, but not paren "B"?

There's also the issue of transportation. Say practice is 1 1/2 hours. If it takes 20 minutes to get a kid to the practice location, go home and return to pick them up the parent is only home for approximately 30 minutes before they have to leave again. And with the price of gas (a month or so ago) it just isnt cost effective.

As to the bolded: really? I hadn't realized that. Not.

 

So we ban them all because of the few. Great way to build parental support for your program. Just great.

You're more than welcome and your sarcasm, is amusing.

 

Parental support can be achieved, without attending a Girls Basketball practice, by parents. Practice time is and the ability to focus, is the main goal for Staff with Players. As I stated before, the Players need to focus on the instruction being provided by the Staff and not anything else.