The perfect coach

[artomatic]

I am reading a great book right now about coaching the female athlete.
It is by Tony Dicicco, who was the national team coach for the US women's soccer team that won the world cup in 1999.
Yes, he is a soccer coach, but there is alot of great info about coaching girls in any sport...
I highly recommend it.

[Kat]

awesome post.

[frogs_mom_15]

Thanks for that. I guess we are blessed, because I feel that you just described DD's coaches! Three of the most positive, enthusiastic, motivators I have ever met! Thanks M,M+B

[spazmom]

Thanks for that. I guess we are blessed, because I feel that you just described DD's coaches! Three of the most positive, enthusiastic, motivators I have ever met! Thanks M,M+B

Lucky

[Coachmom]

If one were to characterize the current model for coaching, it might be called "win at all costs."

Positive coaches have power, they affect how athletes see, think, behave and react.

The Double Goal Coach
"A win at all cost coach" has only one goal: to win! That type of coach is concerned primarily with teaching skills and developing strategies designed to win games or competitions.
A Positive Coach is a "Double Goal Coach," who also wants to win, but has a second goal in mind; to help the athletes develop positive character traits, so they can be successful in life. Winning is important, but the second goal, helping players learn "life lessons," is more important. A Positive Coach puts athletes first......Doug Reese-To The Next Level

[Demonboy]

Are we married and I don't know it??? or was Spaz just a love child?

Maybe Spaz mom just fancies you. Hey if she's hot.........

[Sftbll4ever]

Real spaz mom is already hot. HAHAHAHAHA

[Cannonball]

There are no perfect coaches. They inherently have flaws. There are typically 12-14 players. That would also mean 12-14 sets of parents. Human nature dictates that someone will have problems with the coach.

Here are some "thoughts" I hand out to our baseball player's parents each year. I hope this might give some insights as to coaching from a coach's perspective. ...an imperfect coach at that.

1. A program is the ideas of the Head Coach. Certainly, this baseball program is! I have nurtured it and fed it through effort, love and heartache. My assistants have given the same devotion! I am proud to have Coach Bugger, Coach Ackerman, Coach Bay and Coach Deatherage on my staff!
2. Nothing can be worse than a wasted life. Your children make your lives valuable. Naturally, you want to protect them. You never realize the value of coaching until the children you love play for a coach. Let that coach now coach your kids and evaluate what you have taught them through their new struggles, heartaches and achievements. You may be surprised and will be proud of the men that they have become.
3. We have an overriding purpose larger than winning or losing in our program. It is the total package of what we help produce in your sons. Our program will be an extension of the classroom of life. Teaching baseball is not our sole objective. Winning is a by-product of what we teach, coach, and believe in.
4. Our program grows and matures each day and each year. Our goals change as well. They increase in demands for success and commitment. While some of your sons have given a lot, we are going to ask for more!
5. What I expect form my assistants:
a. Passion
b. Duty
c. Loyalty
d. Shoulder a portion of the burden. However, I will deal with any parent problems at any level.
6. Some of our player expectations:
a. Love for the game as well as themselves.
b. Have a passion for achieving our team goals.
c. Have a desire to compete at the very highest level against the best teams.
7. We know what we know but we know what we know. Some people know what they know but they don’t really know what they know. We know what we know but we know what we know. You know!
8. Your child may have unique talents. However, those talents will fit into our philosophy of both individual and team development.
9. We will expect for you to give to our program in late suppers, dirty uniforms etc. Eventually, we will expect for your sons to give back to the program and the great game of baseball.
10. Bud Wilkerson, former coach of the Oklahoma Sooners required his players to, “Play against the game,” We talk to the players about this! The game of baseball is complete with every formula for defeat. It is in the count, it is in the strategies of the game and it is in the fabric of human nature. We expect your son to overcome all of this. EXCELLENCE IS EXPECTED!
11. You don’t work long hard hours unless you love what you are doing. We love what we are doing and we will work long hard hours.
12. Our greatest strength is our opponent’s greatest weakness! WORK ETHIC!
a. REPETITION IS NO FUN BUT IT’S THE REASON WE HAVE WON.
b. TAKE ONE DAY OFF AND YOU KNOW IT. TAKE TWO DAYS OFF AND YOUR OPPONENT KNOWS IT. TAKE THREE DAYS OFF AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT.
c. IT’S NOT WHAT YOU TEACH, IT’S WHAT YOU EMPHASIZE. Emphasis will be placed on dedication, hard work and commitment.
13. You are what you think you are! Your son will be expected to be a CHAMPION!
14. Coaching strategies often come under fire from parents and fans. Keep negative comments to yourself. Questioning the coach will not change who the coach is but it could hurt your son’s loyalty to the coach and program. Disloyalty will not be tolerated. We know how to win and will do what we think is right. We/I do not believe in all of the “unwritten rules of the game.” I coach with intensity and guts. Sometimes this will work and sometimes it will backfire on us. However, I have the moxie to make those choices and will, career wise, live with them.
15. On a good team one or two players do the dirty jobs. On a great team everyone does the dirty jobs! We will not tolerate having a “Star!”
16. Invariably coaching comes down to the pain of discipline, regret and loss. I/we as a coaching staff have to live with this. We will always question why we fail to achieve. Ironically, we will seldom be exposed to the praise of achievement. Again, this is human nature. We accept this. Personally, I can tell you of every play that lost every game I have coached in my 23 years of coaching. I can give player names, situations and each team we lost to. I can also tell you the winning percentage of each team that I have coached against my teams.
17. If it comes down to you, your son or the program, that decision was made long ago.
18. A good player can take coaching but a great player takes that coaching to a higher level. Today’s players can’t seem to differentiate between criticism and coaching. Your son should start worrying if we stop coaching/criticizing them.
19. In the movie Hoosiers, the coach says, "I love you guys!" In fact, some of your sons and the coaching staff have very special relationships. Please don’t be jealous of this.
20. Reputation is what people think about you. Really, in this context, I/we have no control over our reputations. I do, in fact, know what my reputation is. Character is what you are. Character is what you are when no one is around. We, as a staff, have a lot of character and attempt to pass that on to your son everyday.
21. What are the best traits you have witnessed in coaching? As parents, we ask you to evaluate us and to ask yourself if we aren’t the type of people that you want your sons around. Now that is the total package not just some isolated case where Coach Butler acted like some madman. If I had a son, I would want him around us!
22. Take the good from our program. We are proud of it! We are proud to be Knights! We are proud to represent our school and community. We are proud of our parents! We hope you share that same pride! Win or lose, support us with class!

[mozzy]

my daughter's best coach, a picture is worth a thousand words...

[Flash]

For a parent -
A perfect coach is someone you respect as much at the end of the season as you do at the beginning of the season.
For a player -
A perfect coach is someone that you can't wait to come back to play for the next season.