Does the Rubber Meet the Road?

"The opinions expressed in the blog are solely mine."

 

What do Parents want in a Coach?

▪️Be a Positive ROLE MODEL
▪️Show that you CARE
▪️Build their child’s CONFIDENCE
▪️Give POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
▪️Teach LIFE LESSONS

Credit to @EcsellSports for the research and graphic. pic.twitter.com/lBVTMK0lAb

— Greg Berge (@gb1121) June 28, 2023

Measuring coaching effectiveness challenges anyone. Coaches wear many hats - evaluator, organizer, selector, teacher, strategist, psychologist, disciplinarian, and more.

Here are truisms and truths:

"Most parents would rather have their child be All-State than have their team win States." - Coach Don Meyer

"NBA players want 48 - 48 minutes, 48 shots, and $48 million." - Chuck Daly   The triad of minutes, role, and recognition often define player and parent satisfaction.

"She got the perfect job, head coach in an orphanage." - Old Joke

"If you listen to the fans in the stands, soon you'll be up there sitting with them." - Coach Bob Knight 

Star Trek had the 'Prime Directive', no interference in the development of another society. Parenting has the Prime Directive, too, "what is good for my child takes priority over what is good for the team." Advocating for your child makes total sense. Yet the coach must advocate for the team first. 

I know of one private school where a parent made it his purpose to oust the coach. A $25,000 'donation' was Judas's 'thirty pieces of silver' that finished the coach. 

A pair of quotes from Carl Pierson's outstanding, "The Politics of Coaching" apply. I think it should be required reading for parents. 

During our high school senior basketball season, a war raged. A local politician whose son was cut during tryouts waged a campaign to fire the coach. A thirteen game winning streak and Division I sectional title saved the coach's job. An editorial helped. Late in the season, The Wakefield Daily Item editor Robert Dolbeare postulated, "If victory is not the goal, then why put forth the effort?" 

No universal metric measures coaching effectiveness, because the goals differ depending on the level. In developmental ball, the player experience, teaching the game, and player development take priority. At higher levels, winning assumes more emphasis. 

Lagniappe. Sweat the details. Coordinate your arm and leg attack movements.