As I have written a few times in the past, I realize that I am closer to the end of my coaching career than to the beginning. When I walk away from coaching it won't be out of frustration of disappointment, but simply the realization that the time has come to move on.
Coaching can be an emotional roller-coaster, full of surprising highs and terrifying lows. When things go wrong and you hit one of the lows, especially the low-of-lows, a normal reaction can be “I give up.” My internal voice may have uttered those words more than once. Yet the reality is that no matter how tough things seemed, how frustrated I got, there was always a reason for me to return to coaching. So when was the closest I ever came to walking away from coaching ? At the end of the summer in 2001, I was informed that my contract with the Quebec Soccer Federation was not being renewed. I had spent 6 years with the provincial teams, following my time at the club level. I didn't know where I might end up or if I would even return to coaching. I didn't see myself going back to the club level and assumed coaching was done. As the start of winter approached, I was asked by someone if I might be available to give him a hand coaching his U16 team. Being back with players, working on their development, interacting with the team, reminded me that coaching was very important to me, but yet, I wasn't sure where I would end up. Was it fine just to be helping out without the responsibility of being the head coach, or did I want more ? As the summer season started, a saw a posting in the paper that Concordia University was looking for a head coach... and in the fall of 2002, I started out on the adventure that has really defined me, as a coach, but in many ways as a person. Now I can honestly say that when they role is done, so will my coaching career. However that doesn't mean that there haven't been moments throughout my coaching career where the thought of walking away out of disappointment or frustration didn't happen. So why did I keep coming back, what makes the worst of moments, not seem to bad at all ? In many ways, as I tell my athletes, a bad day at a soccer can still be better than good days at work or other parts of our lives. The fact is that often the crush of the low-of-lows is only temporary. Just around the corner is a better day. But the trick is getting around-the-corner, over-the-hump, out-of-the-ditch, or whatever you call it when you fall down, pick yourself up, and move ahead. Whenever the thoughts that it isn't worth it and I don't want to coach anywhere have crept into my mind, there is usually a thought process that I have followed prevents me from quitting before I am truly ready to do so. Let’s start with the most important step first. Answering the question of; Exactly why do I coach? This one piece of information is immensely powerful. Knowing but more importantly remembering “why I coach” can stop negative thoughts in their track and help re-energize low spirits. A few years ago we had a terrible discipline problem. It turned out a majority of the team broke training rules, there was plenty of internal conflict, players not committed to the team goals etc It was a dark time. It was probably the closest I came to walking away. Remembering “why” I choose to coach however, was a first step to deciding that I wasn't ready to leave. I spoke to team leaders, addressed certain issues that had been identified but most importantly, I stuck to my principles of what was best for the group and the longer range vision I had for the team. Social support is critical to a coach’s survival, there’s a lot of evidence to support that. But even more important is that it takes people, often lots of them, to support the position of a coach. When a coach stands up in front of a group of athletes there a lot of people behind the coach (often invisible) who have helped make that coaching opportunity happen. I leaned on this people, my wife, our athletic director, my assistant coaches, and senior members of the team that made me realize that I couldn't take all the problems personally or to heart, that I had to believe in what I was doing and trust my decision making. It’s not easy to build the trust that athletes, supporters, administrators have in a coach. Yet simple action, wrong words at the wrong time, a misstep and trust can disappear quickly. However, by remembering the positives that coaching brings me, being consistent and transparent in my decisions and actions, will generally keep my focused on the why of coaching. Another phrase I use that I use is that coaching is something that I do and not the full measure of who I am. Yes, when the time comes that I walk away from coaching, there will be a void, certainly in the short term, I will feel a sense of loss, however live will continue and I will find a balance in my life via some other activity. However, in the moments of frustration, short respites, a few days during the season and being able to focus on other issues during the off-season, can give needed mental breaks from negative times. Even very short bursts can shore up flagging attitudes and have mental and physical benefits. Anything that engages you could work as a brief escape: movie, shopping, exercise an outing with friends having no connection to my coaching. As I said earlier, a social support network if important. In other words, when things get tough the coach who has dependable friends and family will be around longer than the solo coach who has no one to discuss his or her frustrations with.. I have several buddies I can blast anytime with the “You won’t believe this …” Or “What would you do in this case …” messages. Their support is priceless and a dependable social support network will both provide a distraction when needed but also give you people to vent to and hopefully give you subjective feedback. Sometimes wanting to give up is caused by feeling trapped. Believing you’re stuck in quick sand and there’s no way out. The negativity becomes overwhelming, you don't see any way to get things going in the right direction. You start to see that it might just be easier to walk away and leave the mess for someone else to fix. In the worst of moments, when I really thought I wanted to give up, I dreading practice or interacting with the players. I started thinking about everything that might go wrong instead of how I can fix things. Most important, as a coach, we can start to doubt of ability to coach, to reach the athletes. We always hear about coaches "who have the lost the room" and whose message doesn't reach his or her athletes. The important thing is to make the thought of staying challenging and exciting. Don't get stuck of a pattern of behaviors, times change, athletes change, realities change... so we as coaches must also accept change. So build positive relationships. Worry only about those issues that are within your control, fix one problem at a time, then move on the next. Be motivated but simple, short term successes. Help out your co-coaches and peers. Make the environment enjoyable with your positive attitude and great work ethic. Be methodical with random acts of kindness and interaction with athletes. Seek out moments where you can enhance relationships. Getting positive feedback from your athletes, will validate your decision to stay. A little silly, but here’s a thought … Imagine, on a tough mental day, you can find yourself face to face.... with yourself. Ask your other self to tell you aloud some of the negative self-talk and reason why you want to quit coaching. Ask yourself, if an athlete was sharing some of these negative thoughts with you, how would you react, what would you respond. For me, most importantly, it is about keeping things in perspective. Coaching is important to me, anyone who knows me would agree, but it isn't the full extent of my existence. Soccer is my passion, coaching is a hobby allows me to actively participate in my passion and has done so for many years after my playing career ended. Yes, hearing athletes complain, or question decisions, or look like that would rather be anywhere else can be frustrating and disappointing. However, they are young adults, with their own issues, trying to find their way and maybe their complaining is a sign of something else in their lives. As a coach, or someone in a position of leadership, where your decisions affect a group of individuals, you will never be able to make everyone happy. Accept that, make sure to be true to yourself and consistent in your actions. When the time comes to truly walk away, I hope I will do it on my terms and because I want to, not because I am frustrated or have decided the time and effort is no longer worth it. Most importantly I would hope that on the balance a majority of athletes that I have coaches will have appreciated the time they spent being coached by me, but fully accepting that some will not. So, yes, some days, I will quit, but them return the next day.
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Discrimination is defined as unjust treatment of different categories of people or thing while bias is defined as prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair. Discrimination and bias towards people has been around for a long time all around the world and has taken large leaps towards being diminished. Although large leaps have been taken to make the world a better place and a lot of this discrimination or bias has diminished over time, many of these are still seen in everyday life. Discrimination against females has been a constant uphill battle due to the world being male dominant. Women have had to fight for many things such as freedom of speech, the right to vote, and equal rights to work. Women were expected to be stay at home moms and take care of the cleaning and raising of the children, and were not allowed to be in the work force, do things they enjoy, or even get a simple workout in. While there have been significant strides to close the gender gap for many streams in society, female discrimination in sports is a common occurrence all around the world. This bias is not just limited to comparing male and female athletes in terms of media coverage, compensation and respect for athletic accomplishments but also in all aspects of sports related endeavors for females, whether access to coaching or administrative positions, careers in sports media, or in the treatment given to women by male peers and society in general.
Even well into the 20th century, women had very little opportunity to participate in sports whether in North America or elsewhere around the world. Men could go out and be on sports teams and to go workout, but women were seen as only being able to stay at home to cook and clean the house. There were events for women to participate in but they were more focused on getting active instead of competition. These activities had no rules, no teams, it was just a way to encourage getting out and moving or being active. One big event that changed this at least in the States was the adoption of Title IX which recognized woman’s rights in physical activity. Title IX is a piece of legislation included in the Education Amendments of 1972 that requires schools that receive federal funds to provide girls and women with equal opportunity to compete in sports. After this women started building athletic clubs that would compete against other clubs in the area. While many gender equities still exist around the world, and in some areas these are related to cultural and religious beliefs (I will not delve into these as I cannot claim to be sufficient knowledgeable to comment in them), but the biggest problem is seen in athletics. Sports have been around for a long time for males but not nearly as long for female athletes. Although there has been many laws that have been set to increase women involvement in athletics we are still a long way from seeing equality in sports. Since the mid-1970s and Title 9, we have come a long way with women sports but there are still some issues that occur all around the world. Many countries don’t allow females to participate in athletics and this shows in the Olympics when comparing the number of males to females that are present. This is an ongoing problem that needs change to gain equality for women around the world. While women have the access to make a living via sports (and in some cases fairly good living), it is still nowhere on par with men's sports. In some cases, the compensation from being a female athlete, comes not from pay for their sports participation by from endorsement which often are less about them as athletes and more about them as females. There are those that might argue if our sports were made sex-blind, women would have even less opportunity to participate than at present. Given equal incentives, women would have more interest in athletics, but few would qualify at higher levels. Is this true? In some cases, where physical traits are the primary determining factor for success, perhaps. However in my opinion, gender equity in sport isn't about having women compete with and alongside men, but rather providing women with the same opportunities to compete and work in sports, and at equal or at least equitable compensation. Additionally and in some ways more importantly that they can do so, without condescension, harassment and disrespect from male counterparts of administrators. Sports continue to be seen from a male perspective and can have a bias towards the male’s point-of-view and which does not favor females. With the different sexes comes different levels of play. I have often maintained that for many sports, the female and male versions are not an issue of good level and bad level of play but two different versions of the same sport. However often, people will watch a female game in a sport ( soccer, basketball, hockey etc.) and judge the quality of play by comparing it to a men's game. Many argue that the discrepancy in opportunities, compensation and coverage is based on the fact that men's sports sells and women's doesn't where in terms of viewership, sponsorship or advertising. On any given day you are able to turn on the TV and easily find a sports channel and most of the time they would be reporting on a men’s game, but when looking for female events you have to look a little bit harder. This is because media coverage records the event that will get them the most viewers, and the world likes to focus on male sports because they believe that they are more aggressive and more talented than women which isn’t always the case. Over time the improvement of women skills in sports has been drastic and many women are just as good as many professional male players. From a purely marketing point of view, by focusing solely on male sports and male audiences, teams, corporate sponsors and media outlets are limiting their potential, they are including 50% of the population and a segment that probably has a significantly higher potential for growth. From a male who has been involved only in female sports, I have seen the gender bias up close. I can never claim to fully understand what female athletes or coaches have gone through and how it affects them but I can certainly understand the frustration. However I have experienced resources and support that being allocated equitably for women's soccer even when the female teams are significantly more successful than the male teams. I have in on meetings and watched male teams and programs get disproportionate level of support simply on the basis (and perception) that people what to see men's sports succeed and that no one cares about women's sport. Why is this issue so important to me, being a male? Yes, in part because of my years working in women's sport has sensitized me to the reality, because I have seen and heard the disappointment felt by my female athletes seeing comparable male athletes getting recognition, resources and compensation that largely surpasses their accomplishments. However, I think, I have taken on the responsibility to talk about simply because I think it is the right thing to do. I want to be known for someone who believes in gender equity. Much is being written and said about women in coaching roles whether involved in male or female sport. If I look back over my coaching career, while things have improved over the last 20 years, there remains much work to be done. Gender equity in the work place outside sports has changed significantly but when it comes to sport, a staunch conservatism and resistance to change remains.
I have written on this topic previously but I wanted to different slant to today's blog post. I will start with a very personal story about women in coaching. Back in the mid 90s, I have been coaching women's soccer for a few years and had moved from club soccer to working with the provincial teams. I had some success and was recognized as a young up and coming coach, specialized in the women's game. These details in themselves are not important to the topic but their relevance which become evident shortly. My wife, having turned 30 and due to injuries, had decided to end her competitive career ( or as it turned out, take a break) and was approached by the head coach of the newly formed girls U15 competitive team, the first girls team within a well known, highly successful club, about being his assistant coach. He was very adamant about wanting to have a younger female assistant working alongside him, and to whom he could leave the team the following season. Her initial season in coaching went well as the team, won their league, provincial cup and placed second at the national club championships. As planned, the coach moved on and my wife was given the role of head coach for the U15 team with a majority of players returning. Right from the start, she faced a scrutiny and treatment that none of her male coaching colleagues were subject too. Her practices times where always allocated after all the boy's teams had theirs. The technical director called her after each game for a recap of her coaching decisions, referees would bypass her during pre-game heading instead to her male assistant coach, parents questioned her decisions with the fathers trying to bully her and ironically, mothers would use the phrase ( you are a female with no kids, you can't understand what it's like to see your daughters not playing) . During training sessions are shared fields, often, the boys team scheduled to practice after her team would start to play on the field well before their schedule start time and when she would approach the coaches to say something, she was dismissed with condescension and snide remarks. The disrespect was both towards her being a female coach ( and young) and the fact her teams was a girls team. And to the points I made above, when her team did win, she faced comments of the sort that her husband must be helping her because "he knew what he was doing." The fact was that I had zero involvement and went to watch games to support her ( and because I was coaching some of her players with the provincial team). In that first season, her team finished second but won the provincial cup, placed second at nationals, and to add to her work, a U13 regional team she assisted with, won the provincial games. At the end of year provincial gala, she was named "elite provincial coach of the year", not female coach of the year but coach of the year. Once again, she faced disrespect as many dismissed her accomplishments and would state her award was based on the federation wanting to be politically correct. She went on to coach an additional year at the club level, and then two more and the provincial level but after continued disrespect, she left the coaching ranks. I am bias of course, but female soccer in our province lost a great coach because of the disrespect of certain peers and the tolerance of this behavior by certain administrators. I would hope that 20 years later, things have improved... but I am not sure to what extent this might be true. Women coaches continue to be markedly underrepresented in leadership roles whether in coaching of administratively when we consider the participation of females in the various sports. In my opinion at a minimum the % of female coaches should match the % of female participants. After all these years, the fact remains that not only does systemic gender bias exist; it is targeted specifically to coaches of women who are female, rather than to all coaches of women’s sports. Not to mention that access to women coaches for males sports remains for all intent and purposely non existent. So how do these gender biases manifest themselves? Men continue to be given more professional advantages than women. It is not just perception but fact that it is easier for men to secure high level jobs, salary increases, promotions and multi-year contracts. As men continue to dominate coaching positions in women’s sports, fewer opportunities exist for women. Quite simply, men have more leverage because they have opportunities for coaching in both men’s and women’s sports. Having more job opportunities also gives them more opportunities to renegotiate current deals and alter current arrangements. Women experience more gender bias on the job: Female coaches also reported being subjected to a different standard than their male counterparts, and believe that management both favors men over women and evaluates them differently. Regarding hiring practices, there is a strong tendency to overlook females with strong personalities because they will be "tough to handle" even though such things are rarely a factor when hiring a male. Another example is the coach- referee interaction, often times male coaches will be significant more disrespectful towards officials, however when a female coach speaks up, referees in general but specifically male ones will expect a female coach to be quiet and passive where it is accepted for the male coaches to question calls. Advocating for fairness or equity when done by female coaches still has higher negative consequences than when a male coach advocates ( even aggressively) for additional resources to be given to their teams. Stories of retaliation against female coaches for speaking up about gender bias or inequities are fairly common and many fear paying a very real price for voicing their concerns; unfair treatment, retaliation or even dismissal. This gender bias has created a culture in which female coaches of women’s sports feel uncomfortable speaking up for themselves and for their athletes, within clubs and athletic departments. My wife was not afraid to and often times, initially it lead to ridicule and sexist comments. As a result, the female coaches tend to be more reserved when offering input and are less involved in the decision-making process. Yes, things have improved from 20 years ago when my wife stepped into the coaching ranks, however, many of the disrespect and bias that existed then, still exists, although often in more subtle ways. I am a male and I can never fully comprehend what female coaches go through, I can't be in their place. However, I make it my responsibility and duty to help anyone of my players who wants to get into coaching and to call out what I consider unacceptable behavior. I am far from perfect, but I attempt to lead by example. Anyone who has ever coached or been involved with sport at the youth or young adult level can probably share stories about athletes who have been self centered, had a sense of entitlement, or have come across as being the type that feel the rules do not apply to them.
As society had changed with the emergence of social media, the selfie craze, and people being able to instantly share images and stories about their day, there is a more significance presence of the "me first" or "what's in it for me " attitude. There is a constant barrage of images from sport whether showing incredible athletic feats or less then ideal behavior. Many of today's younger athletes are influenced by behaviors they see on social media which they view as "just being really cool" -- athletes they then try to imitate when they play. Some haven't even figured out how to master some of the technical requirements of their sport or understand the tactical directions given but yet they're going to act like they're really good players. Forget about playing for the love of the game or to support teammates, too many players are focused on themselves. The social interactions between people and wide range of platforms for them to vent, share thoughts, or provide commentary on their day to day activities can sometimes create the mindset that they are allowed to get away with just whatever. The lines of acceptable behavior and the ideal of taking responsibility and accountability for ones actions and decisions are very blurred. It has created a reality where it's ok to put oneself first. 'I didn't score, so why should I be happy?' 'I'm not getting enough minutes; why should I be happy?' That's the world we live in today, unfortunately. Kids check the scoreboard sometimes because they're going to get yelled at by their parents if they don't score enough points. There is too much of a "me" culture in youth sports, too much involvement by parents, too many coaches concerned only with winning and too little focus on just playing the game. There is less accountability and responsibility for how are and how they interact with others. We hear so much and see so much of the coddled generation these days and this is no different in youth sports, where there is a focus on the 'me' culture in the scramble to earn individual accolades and pad personal accomplishments. As a coach, I have often had teams earn a huge win over a tough opponent where as a group we should be excited and proud, only to have a few individuals pouting because they didn't get to play the full 90 minutes or start or earn points. Some have even found ways to discredit a teammates who they felt was playing in "their spot" Even in the best moments for a team, some will look to see only the negatives and often in how if affects them. However, this type of behavior isn't all on the athletes or the changing society. Much too often, youth coaches allow this type of behavior. It is the responsibility of coaches ( including myself) to teach young athletes to be humble, to be hungry and to be a great teammates. It amazes me how many coaches ignore this responsibility because a player's talent might lead to a win or simply because the challenge of setting a good example and sticking to certain principles might seem daunting. As coaches at the young levels shirk the responsibility of teaching accountability, a player's talent may take them to a higher level where "character matters", but they lack the character needed to sustain themselves. Then that's when it all falls apart but it isn't where it starts and it can be hard to change the attitude. It started with parents and coaches at age 12 looking the other way because a kid happened to be a good player. However, when these same athletes get into an environment where they find themselves among equally talented athletes, in a more structured environment where rules and responsibilities are more clearly defined, all of sudden, they can't understand why their behaviors aren't tolerated anymore. They seek out excuses as to why they can't perform and often they will look outwards, blaming coaches and teammates for their shortcomings. I have come to realize that their are grey areas. I can't impose my standards on today's athletes and the fact is that society has changed. However, given the amount of time and effort that my athletes put into the team, I can never understand why some spend some time complaining ( and yet still coming back ) or don't seem to have the drive to use every tool available to them and make every effort possible to play at their top level. During games, I will often look down the bench, checking out what is going on between the players not playing. If players are joking around, chatting about things completely unrelated to the team, or it looks like somebody doesn't care, somebody's not engaged in the game, they will never get in the game. If athlete's are only focused on the team success when it benefits them individually, then that isn't the type of athlete I look to coach. Every team has athletes who will complain that coach always plays favorites or that if they aren't getting on the field it's because the coach doesn't like them but truth be told, without using the word favorite, it is a fact that every coach will have athletes that he or she gives a bigger benefit of the doubt to, who they will trust a little more and it can reflect into playing a little more than other more talented players. Effort and attitude should get rewarded at the highest levels and not just talent but conversely it is important that attitude and commitment also play a role in how a coach evaluates a player. Plenty of people speak about how parents are causing a lot of the problems in the game. Parents living vicariously through their kids, pushing them too hard, too soon. Too many games, too much pressure and not enough fun, The best athletes of prior generations didn't specialize until their late teams . They didn't play the same sport year round for half of their lives because their parents thought they'd 'get left behind. We hear often about parents complaining to sports administrators that a certain coach isn't good, or doing a good job or isn't distributing playing time fairly. Most times, these complaining parents, have no coaching experience ( and in fact often might that have any competitive sports' experience) but yet feel entitled and expert enough to present a credible opinion as to what a specific coach is not qualified to be in charge. Then, in order to avoid conflict, the administrators will replace the coach. What messages does this send ? We change behavior when we can easily change the person making the rules. However, the fault does not lie just with parents, it comes from changing attitudes by coaches and sports administrators. As a good friend of mine who is a teacher told me " when we were young, we respected teachers and coaches for the simple fact that they were teachers or coaches. Today, the kids have to see that it is beneficial for them to respect teachers or coaches before they actually do" . In others words, too many want to see whats in it for them before they commit to the process fully... and this goes for much more than just sport. The biggest reality of these behaviors in sport is that they will actually be reflected in everyday life and in the work place. The minute things don't work out, it must be someone else's fault. I have covered the how and why I got into coaching via various blog posts in the past, however I think that given its importance to my life but also the reality that a sports coach can be such an influential impact on youth and teenagers in society, it's worth writing a new article on the topic. Today's focus in about how coaching is a calling and should at its base be driven and motivated by passion. Passion for the sport you are involved in, and passion for the impact you can have on lives. I have had many moments of self reflection about my coaching career over the last few years as I start to realize that the end is closer than the beginning. I often wonder others who also coach, take the time to stop and consider what being a coach really means. anyone involved in coaching, have taken on one of the most beautiful, powerful, and influential positions a person can ever have. Some people may call it a job, and others a profession, but in reality, being a great coach is not that at all. It is so much more than that. By becoming a coach, you chose to work with young athletes. You chose to guide them through the trials and tribulations of learning two beautiful games: sport and life. You are in a position to change their lives forever, not only by making them better athletes, but better people. You are a leader, you are a role model, you are a person who serves your athletes, and you are a person to whom they entrust their physical and emotional well-being. Never take this responsibility lightly. Coaching can be one of the most difficult jobs in the world. We work with young athletes in highly emotional and public situations. We keep score, and because of that our work is often judged week to week, even day to day, based upon the performance of a bunch of kids, how well they play, how much they play, and where they play. Every time we coach, our words and actions can have a huge impact in the lives of our players, both positively and negatively. We are faced with moments of success and failure, and with calls from officials both good and bad. Our words and actions in these situations can stick with our players forever. The thing is, we don’t get to choose which things stick, and which ones they forget, so in everything we say and do, we have to choose wisely. Coaching also means you will be dealing with parents. Many of them are wonderful, and will support you and be grateful that you have taken the time and energy to teach and mentor their child. Celebrate them, and be thankful they are on your team. Others are not so wonderful. They have unrealistic expectations for their children and the team. They will be a friend to your face, and an enemy behind your back. They will make life miserable for their own child, and often for you and the rest of the team as well. Do your best to educate them and minimize their negativity, and empower others to do the same. Most importantly, be a trusted mentor for their child. Those kids need a positive role model more than most, and it’s not their fault that mom or dad has may have issues with reality...... The science of coaching and teaching has evolved tremendously in the last few decades. We now know that many coaching and teaching methods used when we were kids are not as effective as once thought. Fear and intimidation does not work as well as an environment of communication and respect. Lines and lectures are a thing of the past. Rote repetition is effective only to a point. Just because you taught something does not mean your players learned it. Just because you went over it does not mean they retained it and can replicate it in a game. Far too many coaches are focused on running exercises in practice that are successful 90% of the time, when in reality messy practices that replicate game situations are far more powerful learning tools. Every player we coach, we leave a lasting impact. There is no way around this; you will influence every player you come in contact with. What will your influence be? Will it be something positive and affirming that bolsters your athletes and serves them throughout life? Will it be a more fulfilling experience for you and your players, more enjoyable, and more successful? Or will it be something that tears them down, that diminishes their self worth, that makes them fearful of failure, or ties their self-worth with sports success? We all mean well, but sometimes when we are pushing to win a game, or talking to our teams after a tough loss, we say and do things that we later regret. I know in the past I have, and I never considered for a moment that my harsh, personal and often over the top criticism of a kid might follow him or her off the field. But I am sure for some, it did. I believe that being a coach is so much more than running a bunch of practices and organizing kids for games. It is about connecting with your players as people first, and athletes second. It is about being passionate, and loving the game you teach, so your players will play with passion and love.It is about empathy, making every player feel important, and giving him or her a role on the team.It is about integrity and consistency for kids during good times and bad.It is about being a model of the behavior you expect from your athletes, both on and off field of battle.It is about being a teacher, not only of the X’s an O’s of a sport, but about life, about optimism, about persistence, and about character.No, coaching cannot simply be a job. It must be a vocation, a calling to a place that best suits your skills, your passion and your ability. or maybe, better said, it should be all of the above, but unfortunately, there are often too many times, it isn't...... There is the wide ranging perception that athletic programs at many universities especially for the high profile sports and even more-so in the NCAA with the TV coverage and big time investments, are inconsistent with the school’s mission statements.
The term “student-athlete” basically means (or should mean) that they are students first, and then athletes. There will always be those individuals that regardless of the rules and regulations that stipulate that they are not allowed to, will believe some student-athletes still receive preferential treatment and extra benefits while in university. Some recruited athletes are not prepared for the cascade of academic work to be done in conjunction with the athletic demands of their sport. The athletic pressures that accompany being a scholarship athlete can leave them unprepared and with little time for academics. The USport reality if very different that what we see in the NCAA. Even, then, in the NCAA, outsiders see that top sports at the biggest institutions, but this represents a very small percentage of all the student-athletes that are pursuing school and athletics at the same time. In Canada, within USport, we are seeing an increase in the amount of money invested in Athletic Financial Awards (AFA ) our equivalent of the so called athletic scholarship. Unlike the NCAA, there is no such thing as a full ride. AFAs by rule can only cover up to a maximum of tuition costs and all mandatory fees. Regulations prohibit award financial awards to cover things like books along with room & board. Any form of financial assistance which is deemed to be available only to student-athletes and that exceeds tuition and fees is by Usport rules, a non compliance. With more and more funds being put into AFA, the rules associated with how we treat the student athlete must change. It is not unreasonable to suggest that as the "business" of university athletics changes then the way we treat the student athlete must change as well. To be honest, I don't foresee Canadian university sport reaching a point where revenues which reach the levels that we see in the US, but as schools look to increase their competitive ability by investing in athletes, it is important that there is a reality check kept in place. Canadian university sport is not a stepping stone to the highest levels of professional sport. It happens of course but the reality is that Canadian student-athletes tend to finish their degrees and should a chance to go pro arise, then great. While to the south. in some sports, we see the one and done reality where athletes attend university as a way to increase their "draft value" or because their sport's rule require a certain amount of time out of high school before they can declare themselves draft eligible. Athletic programs at some universities may be inconsistent with the school’s academic missions. The focus on maintaining a strong athletic program can take precedence over the scholastic quality of the student-athlete that is accepted into the institution. For the student-athlete this can mean lowered academic admissions standards and preferential treatment in school. On the other hand, many student-athletes are attending university but not really learning, so what happens to them once their playing days are over? At their inception, athletic programs were first incorporated into institutions of higher learning for several reasons: it was believed that participation in sports helped to build character, it provided entertainment, and it generated positive school and community spirit. It was also believed that athletics could contribute to the institutional mission through resource acquisition in the form of money, widespread visibility, increased student enrollment, and enhanced alumni support. For much of the early part of the 1900s , university sport was seen as the competitive level of sport, whereas professional sports were seen as rogue league trying to cash in. It is not a question of whether or not the experience for a student-athlete is different from that of a traditional student. Instead, the issue at hand here is whether or not student-athletes are students that participate in extracurricular competitive sports, or have become athletes that also go to classes whenever their athletic schedules allow. On one hand, it can be argued that the student-athlete benefits greatly from the relationship that he or she has with the athletic department and its stakeholders. It is a fact, that some student-athletes attend university as a way to extend theirs sports careers after having exhausted the other avenues of competitive leagues available within their sport. Whether we look withing Canada or to the south in the NCAA, the reality is that a very small percentage of student-athlete go on to make a living as pro athletes. I have written a few times previously about what I perceive to be the advantage of being a student-athlete, whether in terms of the enhanced experience during the university years or the well rounded skill set that successful student-athletes bring with them into the work force. There is no denying that some student-athletes still receive preferential treatment and extra benefits while in university, the questions is whether or not , these benefits are in contradiction with their institution's mission statement or also in violation of USport or NCAA rules. Student-athletes entering their first year hold more responsibilities than the non-athletic participating student, this is a fact even under the best intentions and with total compliance to rules, and it may be more difficult for them to transition through changes in athletic participation demands on top of the new social and academic changes. For many student-athletes, they are moving away from home , away from friends and family and thrust into a new environment, often is a new city or province. Athletes spend 2- to 30 hours per week on their sport which is mentally and physically exhausting, allowing them little time or energy to put toward their studies.This is one of the reasons there is the perception that coaches tend to require they take “easy” courses and “easy” majors so that they have a better chance of maintaining academic eligibility and can still compete. Does this happen? I am sure it does, however it is also true that student-athletes, might spread their courses over an extended period of time ( for example of Quebec based students, taking 4 1/2 or 5 years to complete their 3 year degree) as a way to lighten their course load during the competitive season but allowing them to play 1 or 2 additional years at what for many might be the tail end of their sports careers. The key in my opinion is balance, balance between academics and athletics but most important, balance between the business of the university sport and an academic institution's mission statement. Luckily, our Canadian reality is such that big revenues are not the same revenue, however some of the negative aspects of university sport do surface as certain universities might try and enhance their competitive advantage. They motivations for "cheating" are not the same but at the same time, the level of exploitation of the student-athlete is not as significant. When we look to the south, we see many many of examples of how the influx of big money affects university sport and student-athletes more directly. It is interesting to note who benefits from this enormous amount of money. The big conference coaches are allowed agents and sign contracts that bring them hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars per year in salary alone. The NCAA and the universities benefit from the billions of dollars made and do not have to pay taxes on their earnings as they are claiming that athletic functions are in line with their academic missions. Corporations and the media benefit as they get business from the exposure at the athletic events. The student-athletes are the only group involved that are not able to benefit proportionally from the billions of dollars raked in each year. The NCAA claims that student-athletes are classified as such for a few very important reasons. First, athletes need to be able to claim amateur status. They do this by remaining academically in good standing and by also not receiving any pay or gifts for their performance or presence as a student-athlete. This way the NCAA can require them to perform work as athletes for free because it is considered part of the educational mission, which also means that they do not have to pay taxes on their profits. The long hours that the student-athletes are required to put in are due to the athletic department’s attitudes of having to “win at all costs.”. This can lead to heavily publicized athletic scandals of schools that will pay athletes in money or gifts to attend their schools, or grade changes in order to keep athletes academically eligible. Fans and stakeholders of big time programs would rather win and later get busted for cheating than finish middle of the pack every year with a rule following program of student-athletes. If we really want to ensure that individuals are student-athletes and not athlete-students, there are many changes or support structures that can be implemented which will help the focus on academics remain. Perhaps ensure that institutions no longer make admissions exceptions for the "gifted athlete" eliminate freshman eligibility or at least perhaps modify academic eligibility requirements for first year student-athletes as the transition from high school or cegep is tough enough when someone is just an athlete, provide remedial classes, study halls and training on academic related areas like time management, writing skills, reduce time demands; allow athletes the freedom to transfer schools whenever they would like without a penalty of having to sit out a year so that if they wish to change universities for academic reasons, they can still play their sport, or conversely, won't stay at a school just because they don't want to miss out on athletic participation. Focusing on the “athletic” aspect of being a student-athlete more than the “student” is unfair and will limit the experiences that the student-athlete should have while enrolled at the university of their choice. In order for the student to be well-rounded, programs must focus on the concepts of self-sufficiency, independence, and personal goal getting. Almost all student-athletes will end up as a professional in something other than sports. It needs to be ensured that the students will succeed off the field as well as on the field. University is meant to prepare students for the real world. This thought holds just a true for a student-athlete. By failing to adequately prepare our student-athletes the institution also fails to serve this important function. Many feel that the whole university community benefits greatly from a very successful athletic program. Although preferential treatment may be given to certain student-athletes in order for them to be able to attend and complete an academic program and play for the athletic department, many believe it can be justified. It can be argued that many of these athletes would never make it in a higher education program if there were no sports programs to help them get there, and no motivation for them to try to attend. On a small scale, the university, directly the athletic department, benefits from the athletes because they help in growing the program and making it a success. A large number of the student-athletes benefit from the university because it provides them with a quality and aspect of life that they normally would not be able to experience. It is only a tiny minority that benefit from the institution preparing them for a future in professional sports. I think it is important that the terms student-athlete reflect exactly how an individual is guided during their time at university. The same way student comes before athlete, so should academics come before athletics. However if I was coaching at some huge revenue generating university in the NCAA making millions, might I think differently. I sincerely hope not. When it comes to evaluating what is a good or bad coach, we hear all type of different criteria. People will often refer to coaches as being, great teachers, solid tacticians, a players' coach, a great communicator, old school coach (a task master) and many other generic terms.
People will make reference to how the coaches of the past can't coach today's athletes in the same manner because of how the modern athlete is more demanding, questions authority, has a stronger sense of entitlement and generally won't respond to being told how to do things, without understanding the why. We often hear about how long time coaches have been able to succeed by adapting their coaching style to the modern day athlete. The reality is that coaching is always about adapting. You need to adapt to the age group, competitive level, gender along with quite a few other aspects. Whether in relation to my own coaching or when I am in a position to pass along tips to younger coaches, I have always maintained that it is important to stay true to who you are as a person, in terms of how you are as a coach. While the way you communicate your message might change, the core values that drive your decision making and interaction with athletes should remain consistent. In my opinion, the most impact-full level for any coach is at the youth age groups. This is whether any coach can really reach the athletes in ways that goes beyond teaching them the sport in which they are involved. It is about setting the foundation on which these athletes learn about how to interact with future coaches and hopefully reach their athletic potential while still developing into well rounded individuals. If youth athletes have a negative experience in relation to their coaches, it will often lead them to leave the sport or develop negative behaviors or attitudes as they grow into teenagers and young adults. Regardless of which sport, which age, which competitive level and ultimately which coach style you adopt, there are some traits that are or should be consistent to all coaches.... but even more so to those working with youth level athletes. Of course my coaching path gives me insight into coaching soccer but I am pretty sure my observations can apply to other sports. Coaching involves more than designing plays for free kicks or creating team formations. Coaching, especially at the youth level, involves accepting a huge responsibility as you are basically in a position of trust as parents put their kids in your care. The youth soccer coach wears many hats. Being able to communicate with players, parents, coaching staff, officials, and administrators is a critical part of the job. Communicate in a positive way that shows you have the best interest in the players' welfare. How you as a coach, present yourself when interacting with the various stakeholders will serve as an example for your athletes. In many cases the example you give, will outweigh anything you say to them. When teaching a sport such as soccer, you must remember it's just a game and you want to be sure your players have fun. Therefore, help all players be the best they can be by creating a fun and productive practice environment. Use a "games approach" to teaching and practicing the skills and tactics young players will need to learn. Introduce different ways to educate the athlete of the sport rules and make them part of your training session. For example, in soccer, offside is often the most hardest to understand and manage of the rules. Make it part of the coaching so the players can adapt to it during competitive games. If as a coach, you don't enforce and explain the rule, how will the athletes learn to play within it. Many rules can be taught in the first practice, during the course of game like activities and small-sided games. Review the rules any time an opportunity arises in practice.As a coach, regardless of your level of experience, stay on top of trends and coaching tendencies. With the influx of technology, there are many exciting new tools available. Game day direction includes figuring out a starting lineup and a substitute plan, relating to officials, opposing coaches and players in an appropriate manner, and making good tactical decisions during games. The focus is not winning at all costs but rather on teaching kids to compete well and do their best while winning within the rules. Young athlete need to have an understanding of fitness so that they can participate in their chose sport successfully and safely. Children don't think much about fitness, but they should be introduced to its value and the need to become and stay fit on their own. Don't make them do push-ups or run laps for punishment. Getting fit for soccer should be fun. By making it fun to play the game they'll develop good fitness habits for their lifetime. At the end of the day, if an individual is unable to deal with the physical requirements of their sports, all the technical and tactical coaching will be for not. Sports all come with a certain level if risk in terms of potential injury, but as a person coaching youth sport you're responsible for regularly inspecting the practice, game fields, and equipment to ensure they're in working order. Let players and parents know that they'll learn the safest techniques and that you'll have an emergency action plan to follow should an injury occur. Creating a safe environment should also include the aspect of allowing the athletes to be themselves, free from intimidation, bullying, undue stress or worry in a rewarding and positive setting. You have accepted to role of coach, a role or leadership and as such, you are the individual responsible for the well being all your athletes. Character development includes learning, caring, being honest and respectful, and taking responsibility. Teach these values to players by demonstrating good behaviors yourself. Help them understand that they should try to win the battle on every play even though they might not be recognized for their efforts. Every player is an individual. Provide a wholesome environment so that each one has the chance to learn how to play the game without fear and while having fun. As coach, you can only worry about the things within your control. Unfortunately often times, you will be evaluated on your results and not your efforts and many of the factors affecting an outcome are beyond your reach. Stay true to yourself, be passionate about your role, make it about the athletes and not yourself. Lead by example, be consistent in your message and expectations and always that remember that sports are fundamentally, just a a game and games, by definition are supposed to be fun. The day, as a coach, the tasks and responsibilities become a burden, it is time to leave the role. Good morning,
For anyone who has regularly read my blog posts or followed me on twitter, it will be pretty obvious that my career in coaching is a very important part of my life. Over the years, it has impacted me in ways that go beyond just coaching a team and I have discussed this fact in various posts I have written. Sports can impact lives in different ways. Of course for professional athletes, it is their career, their way of making a living, for others it is a pass time or hobby, and for many, it is probably something in between, a passion and if you are like me, a chance to make a little extra money. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that everyone needs to participate in sports to have a balanced life or that people who don't participate in sports are missing out on something important. However ........... I am a big believer that participating in organized athletics—especially team sports—can teach values and life lessons that youngsters can use in their teenage years and beyond. Noticed I said “can.” This cannot be an automatic assumption. Coaches and parents are key influences when it comes to sport living up to its potential for building character. Too often, because of a lack of guidance and proper reinforcement from coaches and parents, sport ends up creating ‘characters’ instead of building character. Sports can teach children discipline in a palatable way while they participate in an activity they deeply enjoy. They need discipline to learn the skills—the discipline to put in the time and preparation so they can maximize their performance. They learn that if they have the discipline to what it takes to improve and excel—performance rewards can follow. Often, they need discipline while participating in the sports themselves to maximize their chance of success. They learn the lesson quickly—without that discipline they do experience the joy of victory. Sports teach young people that you need to work hard to improve and reach your true athletic potential. They learn that this mentality can make up for natural athletic talent when it comes to being an effective part of a team. They learn that you can extend your potential by just making up your mind to outwork the other kids. Kids learn that it takes a certain sacrifice on their part to participate on a team and contribute to the squad’s performance. They may have to give up things (i.e. time playing video games; hanging out with friends; watching TV) in order to participate in the types of activities that will directly affect their sports skills and enjoyment of the sport. When children become adults, there is an excellent chance that they will be participating in a shared, group working environment that will require teamwork to be a success. Team sports is a great model in which to learn the basics in meshing your efforts into a team format as one piece of the puzzle that must fit with the other pieces in order to create a environment of success. They learn how the importance of the team supersedes the recognition of individual accomplishments—that by working together as a part of a group with a common goal, things can be accomplished that otherwise would be out of the reach of individuals. Kids can learn how to be proud of their successes without demeaning their opponents. They learn that accomplishments can be cherished so that the focus is on the pride that goes along with team success without letting an attitude of superiority drive their feelings toward their opponents. Youngsters can also learn how to deal with failure—not winning the competition or accomplishing particular athletic goals. They can be taught that any failure is just a temporary setback from which lessons can be learned in order to improve and have a better chance of success the next time. Successful people are the ones who set short term and long term goals and focus their efforts on accomplishing these goals. I have saying that I use frequently, " if you don't know your destination, how can you plan your trip". Organized athletics lends itself to setting both individual and team goals and then striving for those goals. It does not matter the skill level of the young athlete or the level of accomplishment of the team. Goals can be set that mirror the improvement desired and then a plan of action can be mapped out to reach those goals. Likewise in life, youngsters will more likely succeed if they are setting goals in school and other areas of lives. They can transfer their athletic goal achieving lessons from athletics to other, more important areas of their lives. Sports can instill the mentality of "Come Ready or Never Start" which can define the importance of practice and preparation in succeeding in sports…or in life. Youngsters can learn the value of preparation and practice in order to allow them to reach their goals as an individual or team. They can experience the success that comes with the proper preparation…or the failure that comes when not enough focus is placed on putting the time in to practice and get better. It’s much the same scenario in their school and later one, work careers. Life isn’t fair and much of it involves overcoming setbacks and other adversity. Youngsters can learn how to overcome adversity and temporary failures through the many situations they face in athletics, both in their preparation and during the competitions. They can learn the mentality they need to both overcome and learn from adversity they face as they strive for their goals. The goal can be just winning the particular game…or attaining a particular athletic goal. Learning to overcome adversity is a mental skill that will serve them well for the rest of their lives. I was lucky that I had parents that encouraged is to be active in sports but also to explore all the possibilities. Everyday we say the important of enjoying an active lifestyle as a means to maintain and improve health, add to this, the benefits listed above that can come from participating in sports,... doesn't have today's youth participating in organized sport, seem to make sense? Does to me, but I am just one opinion. |
AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
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