Mad coaches yelling at players help?

[porcupine]

Here is an article written by Mike Candrea, who most would regard as one of the top softball coaches in the world. I think it speaks quite well on the subject, but maybe the 14U travelball coach who bullies, embarasses, and belittles his players is smarter than Candrea:

"Confidence - The Key Ingredient

As we begin competition, the most demanding challenge of any coach is to develop and maintain confidence in his/her players. It is amazing how the confidence level of players reaches a healthy high during pre-season workouts and begins to become fragile as competition enters the picture.

Confidence has to be one of our top priorities. The understanding of the development of confidence can be a great asset to any group leader both on and off the athletic field. Confidence has a great influence in the success of an individual and the lack of it can most influence their failures.

Pre-season workouts are designed to prepare teams for upcoming competition and the challenges that lie ahead. Most of the time, as coaches, we do a very good job during workouts to create an atmosphere to encourage learning and skill development. It seems much easier to keep athletes positive and confident because we structure drills and praise to build confidence on the practice field. You can always find a way to make sure a hitter leaves the batting cage feeling good about their swing. The challenge that we all have is when the reality of competition sets in and we begin to face the built-in failures of the game. In reality, confidence and performance go hand in hand. The higher our levels of performance become, the more confident we become as players.

Confidence is key for creating an atmosphere of learning and building a youth athlete's confidence levels, on and off the field. Responsible Sports, along with our partner, Positive Coaching Alliance, offers an entire section on this subject, Coaching Beyond the X's and O's , for coaches to use as a teaching resource. The best coaches build opportunities for character education into their program, creating, recognizing and capitalizing on teachable moments. Go to ResponsibleSports.com to learn more

The primary job of any good leader is to give your athletes the necessary tools and skills to handle any situation that will come their way during the season. Confidence is nothing more than believing that your ability is equal to or greater than what is demanded by the situation and/or task. If you are prepared to perform well in the situation, chances are you will. You must also understand the complexities that are involved in the game of softball. No one sets failure as a goal, but failure is a statistical probability/reality in the game of softball. A player needs to face that possibility and can't be afraid to fail. Coaches must be very careful in handling this process. A lack of encouragement and understanding by their leader will cause a player to never find that key ingredient of confidence. The road to confidence is a journey that takes small steps in the right direction. Your ability as a coach to understand this process and play a vital role in allowing the athlete to perform aggressively without worry, will pay large dividends to your athlete and your program in the long run.

The greatest obstacle I see in today's athlete is the fear of embarrassment. The embarrassment of going 0-3 or making an error; fear of humiliation from booing fans and lost games; fear of a father's wrath or a coaches' displeasure. The bottom line to all of this is that no one can make us feel as if we're failures without our own consent. Confident people never consent. They approach risky situations as a challenge. We must remind ourselves that everyone experiences fear - athletes, singers, corporate executives, mountain climbers. The successful performers don't prevent fear. They control it rather than being controlled by it.

Confidence is simply a choice. Confidence is choosing to focus on your strengths instead of your weaknesses. Confidence is stressing a positive approach that will allow players to make mistakes and grow from their experiences. Always remember, we are preparing these young ladies for a much bigger game than softball - the game of life!"

[Battle]

My kid can handle the yelling, but it doesnt make her any better. She doesnt need it to thrive. The quality of the coaching is what is most important to her.

I feel the same way. I also feel parents overreact. Unless it is a clear case of abuse, which most of the time it is not, I try not to make a big deal out of it. JMO

[porcupine]

Right now there are a bunch of neanderthal coaches telling themselves "I may tell the kids when they suck, but I do it because I care. And all the girls love me. And all the parents love me or are stupid. And I don't mentally or verbally abuse anyone, I use a deft touch to motivate. I am the best coach around, I know what is best, and anyone who disagrees can leave because I don't want them anyway."

Am I the only one who notices that coaches are not equal opportunity abusers/yellers? Ever see him tell the star pitcher she does not deserve to be on his team? Ever see him jump around when she strikes out? Or drops a throw or boots a grounder? Nope. Ever see him embarass the star infielder publically? Nope. If not, that alone tells you that the coach does not use his negative approach as motivation, but rather to bully the kids he doesn't particularly care about.

[CheckWriter]

Candrea ... what a hugger!

[sofbal1234]

List of teams with "abusive" head coaches in 12-U due to yelling (from what I've witnessed) at girls on the field;
USA A's 98
AA's 98
CA 98
VICTORY USA 98
RAWLINGS 98
DIRT DOGS98
SMASH 98
AM PASTIME 98
FC98
BB98
etc..............The list goes on...
I guess since i've seen practically every teams coach "yell" at a player at least once or twice in the duration of a game against my dd's team, that would make them all abusive... right!?
"What a bunch of neandrethals!"??? Someone please put a stop to it!!!!
Put your precious lil princesses in ballet then... oh wait a minute, there are coaches there that yell too
What'll we do!!!???
PLEASE... Give it a rest

[BenAround]

A complex subject debated on a forum. Ugh..........

It's not just the yelling or volume.

It's the message, the tone, the belittling that I think we can all agree on as being damaging.

This is just a lousy little sport. It's NOT life. It will not matter to 99.9% of the girls when they're 25.

Subjecting your children, whether they be 8 or 18, to an ABUSIVE coach will harm them.

The WORST by far my DD ever played for was Bruder. Cruel, Sadistic and Narcissistic is just the beginning. She finally quit his team after a few months. If I had known before hand she never would have gotten near him.

I really have no idea why a few will still defend him. I guess they get lost in the bravado he constantly spews or just the glory of his 11 championships from 35 years ago. I don't understand how "accomplishments" can excuse that type of behavior, but for the blind few it does.

Hey spaz's: Before you work your little editing magic on this post why don't you calm down and realize this is MY experience with Bruder as well as my DD's. Why delete the post ?

[fastpitchdad05]

I'm not sure there's any value in yelling at a young lady except maybe for the person yelling to relieve some frustration.

My thought is that if you get to the point where you're repeatedly yelling at a player then it's probably passed the time when you should have already politlely replaced that player. Or it's just time for you to hang it up.

[TheCloser]

List of teams with "abusive" head coaches in 12-U due to yelling (from what I've witnessed) at girls on the field;
USA A's 98
AA's 98
CA 98
VICTORY USA 98
RAWLINGS 98
DIRT DOGS98
SMASH 98
AM PASTIME 98
FC98
BB98
etc..............The list goes on...
I guess since i've seen practically every teams coach "yell" at a player at least once or twice in the duration of a game against my dd's team, that would make them all abusive... right!?
"What a bunch of neandrethals!"??? Someone please put a stop to it!!!!
Put your precious lil princesses in ballet then... oh wait a minute, there are coaches there that yell too
What'll we do!!!???
PLEASE... Give it a rest

If you listen to some of the tree huggers on this thread the only logical thing to do now is quit those teams because DD can't field a fly ball with any type of pressure or get a key hit without someone in her ear.

I don't know how people can play for Marty Tyson.

[fastpitchdad05]

So are you saying that it's not possible that Tyson could be a better coach if he altered his style? If he's as high up on the coaching pedestal as you seem to place him then he is likely smart enough to make a change if he thinks he'll get better results.

[porcupine]

So are you saying that it's not possible that Tyson could be a better coach if he altered his style? If he's as high up on the coaching pedestal as you seem to place him then he is likely smart enough to make a change if he thinks he'll get better results.

I think he's saying that his DD is so lazy or hates softball so much that she can't drum up the desire to work hard on her own volition and instead needs a coach to beat her with a stick. Why do I bet her dad doesn't feed her when she misses a fly ball?