A SYFA Site (Youth Football Coaches Motivational Forum)
A SYFA Site (Youth Football Coaches Motivational Forum)
Very Concerned Parentby (no login)I need your advice coaches. I have a 2nd year player that is on 9-10 team. He has great potential and is a real sportster. He made all-stars in baseball and is quarterbacking 2nd string this years football team. Yesterday, at practice, the head coach put his offense on the line and made them lay down in front of the defensive line face down and let the defense slap them in the helmet while he told them this is what the other team is going to do to them Saturday. On last Saturday's game this coach told some of these children he better not see this one or that one touch another football. He threw a fit on the field throwing his play book on the ground etc. I want my son to play sports and (some of the parents don't have a problem with this) but I don't want to watch him cry like he does when he comes off that field. Any advice would be helpful. I need to know if this is normal coaching. |
re: Very Concerned Parentby Anonymous (no login)This coach should be eliminated from your program immediately. Take whatever steps are necessary to have him removed. (i.e., letters to your directors, find a local reporter who will listen to your story) |
Everyone's approach is different.by Calm Down (no login)Where I come from the Coach didn't do anything wrong. If you live in the burbs and you don't spank your kids then you might like or adhere to a softer approach. The coach was trying to give the children a visual example of what getting slapped around feels like. Nobody slapped anybody in the face it was just an example. Don't get all work up about it. It was a different approach. If you didn't like it - tell the coach you didn't like it and that you don't expect that type of coaching. Give him an opportunity to correct it and move on. And, tell your son, he can't cry on the football field. That's no place to cry. Football is a game that requires a little bit of thick skin and a tough exterior. There is no time to learn that lesson like the present. |
I don't agreeby Anonymous (no login)I don't agree with how couching is done, at the age 9 and 10 boys need to be thought the fundametals of football, not how to slap someone around, they should be thought the spot is fun and exciting to play, so when they get in high school they well be ready for the hard stuff. |
Mrs. Holston hope my experience and advice is not to late!by (no login)The incident you have shared with us is most disturbing especially because it involved children of a young age. Before I continue it is important you know I have read the responses to your letter and felt compelled to enlighten everyone concerned about human behavior. It is hoped everyone who either has their own children or have something to do with a childs development realizes that humans like most animal life learn by example. When Coaches cross the line of humility and education into the realm of egotism and plain outright mean spirited actions they need to be taken aside and respectfully asked what sort of benefit will come towards the team with these kinds of actions displayed at practice. Listen to the Coach and observe his non verbal actions. Did he plan on doing this before practice and if so does he believe there isn't an alternative way of Coaching. I'm curious as to how the children on his team respond to him? Do they like him? Do they seem to have fun? Was your Child the only one crying? Before I can really understand the events that transpired which certainly upset you and your son it is only fair to ask these questions. With that said, as a Youth Coach in the State of Virginia for the past 12 years I personally would never degrade a child or do anything to lower their already shaken self-esteem. In addition, for those Coaches reading this response we all have our own ways of teaching, disciplining and motivating our teams. However, never do anything to a child you would not have done to you. I'm sure this would help and encourage all of us to educate and build up our youth first and foremost. Sincerely, Coach Huntsinger Fort Chiswell, Virginia |
Mrs. Holston hope my experience and advice is not to late!by (no login)The incident you have shared with us is most disturbing especially because it involved children of a young age. Before I continue it is important you know I have read the responses to your letter and felt compelled to enlighten everyone concerned about human behavior. It is hoped everyone who either has their own children or have something to do with a childs development realizes that humans like most animal life learn by example. When Coaches cross the line of humility and education into the realm of egotism and plain outright mean spirited actions they need to be taken aside and respectfully asked what sort of benefit will come towards the team with these kinds of actions displayed at practice. Listen to the Coach and observe his non verbal actions. Did he plan on doing this before practice and if so does he believe there isn't an alternative way of Coaching. I'm curious as to how the children on his team respond to him? Do they like him? Do they seem to have fun? Was your Child the only one crying? Before I can really understand the events that transpired which certainly upset you and your son it is only fair to ask these questions. With that said, as a Youth Coach in the State of Virginia for the past 12 years I personally would never degrade a child or do anything to lower their already shaken self-esteem. In addition, for those Coaches reading this response we all have our own ways of teaching, disciplining and motivating our teams. However, never do anything to a child you would not have done to you. I'm sure this would help and encourage all of us to educate and build up our youth first and foremost. Sincerely, Coach Huntsinger Fort Chiswell, Virginia |
Character before Winningby (no login)Character Development before winning. Always. Always. Always. One misguided moment/action by a coach or a parent for that matter can destroy a years worth of gain. Don't let crazy coaches coach. Just my opinion......... |
Re: Very Concerned Parentby coach shane-michigan (no login)no this is not normal coaching!! i have been coaching for 5 years at 3rd grade through 8th grade level and never once had a player (boy or girl) leave the field crying! |
First Year Football Motivationby (no login)I have an 8 year old son who playing his first year in the local youth football league. The problem appears to be his motivation on the field. Although he has improved at all the training drills, he hasn't grasped the hitting and tackling aspect of the game. I can sense by his actions when something has bothered him. He'll stand off to the side, distancing himself from his team mates and will start to ignore the coach's instructions. If it gets too intense, he runs off the field to me, crying, in complete anger at the coaches. I speak with him calmly and after a few minutes he returns to the field. The disrespect for the coaches and his team mates when this occurs bothers me and embarasses my wife. Fortunatley, most of the other parents are so wrapped up into watching their children they don't notice the conflict At this point, I don't know whether it's the physical contact of the sport or that he isn't praised enough by the coaches for trying. Any suggestions to help motivate my son and redirect his anger to the physical aspects of the game would be appreciated. |
Motivationby tony (no login)In my experience it is critical that the coaches reinforce as many positive actions as they can. By praising your child when he does things right they will succeed in building his confidence. |
Friday Focusby (no login)I couldn't figure out how to start a topic, so I just replied to one anyway, This past season I did a team chapel for the team that I coached for. I have compiled all of my talks and added a few more into an e-book called "Friday Focus" The purpose of Friday Focus is to help student-athletes reach their full potential both in sports and in life. To do this, I used insights from sports psychology, the Bible, and other resources. you can download a free copy of this e-book at http://www.savefile.com/files/415401 feel free to copy it and distribute it to as many people as you want. Here is a video of one of my talks that are in the book. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubS5QZLRR_0 Coach Weav |
Playing timeby (no login)I think the kids should get to play some in every game regardless of circumstances. With team sizes of 22-24 on my teams that means about 10 football plays for each player. We have to aggressively manage that and plan for it with good football practice plans and game management that may include using depth charts and subbing just a play or two at a time. the kids need to know their football playbooks dave http://winningyouthfootball.com |
Playing timeby A faithful follower (no login)I have been to all the 5th grade games so far this year and last year and have friends with boys who play football. Well at least they get to suit up and play maybe one series. These boys practice hard 4 times a week and they rarely get to play in the games while other boys get to play offense and defense for most of the game. How is this very motivational? Some of these kids would like to play for years to come. How is this helping them learn gameplay when they stand on the sidelines game after game. Also, do you might think the boys who are playing so much get tired and that's why they lost the game on Saturday? Just a thought. Thank you. |
Re: Playing timeby Anonymous (no login)What town and state are you talking about. Most leagues have a at least so many plays per game per player. Some players work hard but will not play as much as others because they would get hurt in the game because they arent ready to play. I have coached for years and try to let everyone play as much as possible. But some players arent ready to play as much as other. And when you have 27-32 kids it is hard to get everyone in the game all the same amount of plays. Some players dont and wont step up to make plays so they play as much as they can. Some kids also are being forced to play by their parents. They wont put forth the effort because they dont want to be there. So it is possible the coach plays them as much as they can because that all the effort they put out. |
Re: Playing timeby Anonymous (no login)No the boys dont get tired when playing the whole game. They probaley get frustrated when they get down by the score. Sometimes being only 10-11 yrs old they cant handle the mental part of getting back into the game. Even the coaches try to fire them up they still are not able to get fired back-up to perform. Being tired is not the answer I dont think. I dont live in Oklahoma and we see this all the time when the game doesnt go in the kids favor. They got to want it more and give more than their opponents. |
Do sponsors have the right to take equipment at the end of the season?by (no login)I am a head coach for a peewee football team (8 year olds). Our last practice was tonight (Oct. 6) and our last game of the season is tomorrow (Oct. 7). Our team father wanted to be a sponsor and donated a large sum for equipment. His donation was recorded the same as all our other donations, and we purchased a large amount of equipment. However, tonight he stole our equipment and said he was keeping it for his son. He is a sponsor like all the other sponsors and we were shocked when he took the equipment at practice. From what we understand, most teams' equipment goes with the coach of that team. Do you have any suggestions on how to handle this? We are debating legal action and are considering contacting the media if necessary to expose this. The team father owns the business that sponsored the team. There were also serveral other sponsors that donated money. Does he have any claim to the equipment when the whole team participated in fund raising and gathering sponsors? Do sponsors have any claim to anything the team purchased? We would appreciate feedback about this situation. We are completely at a loss and very disappointed about the example this is setting for the kids on our team. Thank you for your input. |
Donations Responceby (no login)Donations to a non profit organization would be tax deductable and donators should be given a receipt. No. He has no right to take the equipment. Companies provide sponsorships in order to develope goodwill for their business and to get their name out. I would do business with him. That would be a deduction in the goodwill column. A "Certified letter" should be sent to the person stating the facts and requiring the return of the equipment. Is there a lawyer-parent in the organization. He can then ignore it or respond to it. The its up to the organization to decide how important it is the them to fight this battle. i personally have fought many battles based on principle and other than the warm fuzzy feeling that it gave my to win I have gained little else. |
Hazingby (no login)This past fall (2005) there was an incident that I would like coaching community to give me feed back on. I am an assistant coach on a 3rd-4th grade youth tackle team. I want to be up front an admit now that the head coach and I do not get along. My son played on his team last year (2004) and played on his team this year (2005). I have always tried to respect the head coaches methodology and position by never undermining him. Throughout the season a saw a growing anamosity and dislike of my son by the head coach. Different occurances such as berading and mocking my son were common. In all honesty my son is not joe football. He is a 125lb 4th grade who's coordination has not caught up with his size (much like his father). As the season progressed my son became more resistant to the coaching attempts of the head coach, who wouldn't? Let me get to the event. After practice one evening another assistant coach, in jest, poked one fo the player's younger brother in the side and when the boy turned to find out who had done it the asst. coach pointed at my son. The child kicked my son in the shin. My son then picked up the boy and threw him down. Now. I punished my son for the incident and we had a long talk about smaller kids and their breakability. By the way the boy was not injured. My son was made to apologize to the boy and I apologized to the boy and his father. We're OK. Toward the end of the next practice when my son was slow getting up after a play. The HC started yelling at him to get up and then said "No Stay Down I've got something for you" at that point he said come on boys and orchistrated a team pile-on. Two players had the wind knocked out of them , one of them was my son the other was the second one to enter the pile-on. The assistant coach mentioned before came to my son afterwards and told him that this was for the previous days incident. Now. This ended practice for the day. The next day was spent trying to get my son moved to a different team in our organization.( By the way we were on an undefeated team the other two team options were having dismal seasons)I care more about developing character than winning. My son did come to me an requested that I leave him where he was and let him finish the year with his team mates. I did so at his request. I 've played many sports under many different coaches throughout my life. I been to the funerals of some of my youth coaches. These men shaped the person that I am today in a positive way. I never experienced anything like this in my time. Is this productive? Is is acceptable? Opinions? Sorry about the long story. I have filed a grievance with my organization and I am still waiting for a responce. |
RE: Team Unityby (no login)Coaches, Parents, and everyone concerned! Many speak of Unity as if it is an alien being! During my tenure as a Youth Coach in Virginia it has been my experience that Unity begins and ends with the Coaching Staff and Parents. For unity to become second nature for children we must display our own. Meaning we must give and receive respect not only from one another (Coaches and Parents) but remember children mirror their actions after us. If you want true unity never single out any individual in the presence of their peers. Remember to praise in public-correct in private especially where our Youth are concerned. Always always always never let your emotions rule over you and always be consistent meaning do not show favortism. Soon you will see your children responding in the same way. Remember this little piece of advice my Dad Bill Elias ACC Coach of the year 1962 said "A Coach must always display Professionlism and Sportmanship no matter the level for which they are Coaching". Take Care and good luck! Sincerely, Coach Don Huntsinger Fort Chiswell, Virginia |
Lambertby (no login)NEWS RELEASE Dear Coaches/Players/Parents: Jack Lambert-Tough As Steel (isbn 0-936369-54-X) is still available from Reniassance News ,165 Curry Hollow Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236 (1-800-292-0669) Last printing was in 2002. Retail price: $9.95. Please order and notify all the kids/fans. Thank you! Sincerely, Ron "Tank" Rotunno |
creating unity within the teamby (no login)I am a first year coach and I bring with me my 8 yr. playing experience and one football coaching theory course. I have a team of 10-12 year olds that seem to be constantly breaking each other down. Is there anything I can do to cause them to work together more as a team? |
Creating unityby (no login)As head coach of our 12-14 yr old team, I stress team work. We play as a team, we win as a team, we lose as a team. There are no studs on the team. If one player runs, everyone runs. This format got the team focused on helping each other. Lineman now talk to each other about who blocks who, what the count is etc. Thr running backs lead block for each other, etc. Granted this didn't happen over night but it happened. Over the past four years, this team has a record of 29-4 with 2 undefeated seasons. I'd like to think that it is because they worked as a team and focused as a team. Hopefully your team experiences the same success. Feel free to email me if you have any questions. Coach T |
Team Unityby (no login)Try some thing that worked for me and my teams.I coach 8-10 age group and had the same problem. Its called TEAM WORK - TUG OF WAR. It worked for me, maybe it will for you as well. |
Heatby Bring the heat (no login)When you put a bunch of different type of metals in a pot, you have to turn up the heat to get them to form into one alloy. You have to put them in situations where they have to lean and depend on other. Team building activities, challenging conditioning sessions and a good team lucheon or cookout every now and then. |
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