This article from the Daily Telegraph makes some excellent points about coaching.
The Ugly Coach must be stopped at grassroots level, writes Richard Hinds
by: Richard Hinds
From: The Daily Telegraph April 18, 2015 11:37PM
BEFORE letting The Progeny loose with the Under-9s at a local AFL club this season we had to sign the Parent Code of Conduct that mandates basic but sometimes forgotten objectives.
‘’Encourage participation but do not force them’’, ‘’Remember involvement is for their enjoyment, not yours’’, ‘’Never publicly disagree with officials.’’
These and other sensible objectives that, along with the strictly enforced rule that parents stay behind the fence, are intended to prevent the greatest scourge in junior sport — The Ugly Parent.
In my admittedly cloistered and touchy-feely inner-city neighbourhood these efforts have been successful. The vigilance of leagues, clubs and the parent themselves means the incidence of ugly parenthood is relatively low.
But you poison a weed and another grows. The new scourge in junior sport is The Ugly Coach.
The coaches who bark at nine year-olds who fail to follow complex instructions. Who lobby to have the ‘’Everyone plays the same amount of time’’ rule amended because, well, ‘’Don’t you think it’s going to hold back the more talented kids?’’ Who want to use GPS tracking in the under-14s and have statistics Apps on their iPhones.
Most archly the Ugly Coach uses the kids’ will-to-win against them. He co-opts their natural competitive instincts to justify introducing the concept of results-first at an age when winning should merely be a pleasurable consequence of the game.
Ugly Coaches are only a small proportion of the thousands who volunteer their time. But when I first wrote about the phenomenon a few years ago I was bombarded with stories of Des Hasler wannabes terrifying tiny kids. Despite the best efforts of various sports, their numbers seem to be increasing.
The Progeny has been spared by the excellent vetting of our local club and the good fortune of having coaches whose self-worth isn’t invested in the exploits of a bunch of snotty eight year-olds.
But recently we were gobsmacked when a junior basketball coach stood in the middle of the court during a time out and shouted at his players on the bench some 10 metres away. The theatrical flourish was essential. After all, this was the Under-9s play-offs.
Once, the younger an athlete could achieve meaningful success — state titles, national selection etc. — the closer the coaching tactics crept to the borderline of outright abuse.
Swimming, gymnastics and tennis are just three sports that have had their share of problems reconciling the crushing demands made of pre-pubescent athletes with the necessary discipline and training required to reach full potential.
Team sports, however, were considered safer parental ground. An environment in which social skills were refined and the least skilled player would be valued as greatly as the budding star.
Now? According to one person working in NRL development the problem is ‘’there but not in epidemic proportions’’. In the youngest teams modified games and a ban on the coaches of entry-level players entering high performance courses are two measures that discourage overly competitive practices.
But the NRL acknowledges that, by the ages of 12 or 13, the ‘’good intentions’’ of coaches treating kids like elite athletes can kick in. Or, as the official put it: ‘’The desire to produce the next Jarryd Hayne gets a bit much for some.’’
For a similar reason the prevalence of the Ugly Coach seems greater in AFL junior programs than most team sports. Most likely this is a consequence of the competitive pyramid created by the AFL draft for which prospective candidates are spotted and groomed from the cradle. The reflected glory of coaching a top draft pick now seems to distract some junior coaches from their real duty — providing a fun and inclusive environment for a bunch of kids.
The number of highly paid coaching jobs at the elite level has also created the delusion that driving the Under-14s to an undefeated season in an obscure suburban competition is the fast track to the Collingwood coach’s box.
Those on coaching selection committees at junior clubs talk of prospective candidates for the Under-12s job presenting complex game plans, training spread sheets and leadership group structures. This for a role in which the greatest challenge should be ensuring someone turns up with clean jerseys and jelly snakes.
The AFL has reacted. In the Under-9s they no longer keep score. Slightly absurd when the children come off the field reciting the score and margin from the supposed non-contest in which they have participated.
Therein lies the challenge. Kids want to win. Some kids are much better than others and will benefit from a competitive environment. Others just want to play despite their physical limitations.
The great junior coach knows gets the best out of them all. The Ugly Coach can’t see beyond the most talented handful and his own delusions of grandeur.
There is no finer example of making it about the kids than our U/9 coach Ang Ciriani - Great work, Ang.
posted 20/4/2015
Last Modified on 20/01/2016 21:26