Bad coaches do exist

Editor's note: Nancy Justis, a former competitive swimmer, is a partner with Justis Creative Communications.

By Nancy Justis, correspondent

Don't bite my head off. There are bad youth sport coaches.

They may be the minority, but if your child happens to be unlucky enough to play for one, it can affect his or her outlook for the future.

We all just want to make playing sports a fun experience.

An espnW/Aspen Institute Project Play survey of parents on youth sports issues found 78.8 percent of moms who are parents or guardians of children under the age of 18 have concerns about the quality or behavior of coaches. That's second only to the 89.2 percent who have concerns about the risk of injury.

For fathers, 61.5 percent felt the quality or behavior of youth coaches was a big concern, while 59.8 percent of mothers felt the issue was a big concern, as opposed to a small concern, or not a concern at all.

Most youth sport coaches mean well and are involved because they have sons and/or daughters playing a sport. Most likely they are volunteering their time.

But that doesn't mean they are a good coach. Dr. Jim Afremow, author of 'The Champion's Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train and Thrive”, interviewed Dr. Rick Albrecht, professor of movement science and coordinator of the Sport Leadership Program at Grand Valley State University. He's the author of 'Coaching Myths: Fifteen Wrong Ideas in Youth Sports”.

Albrecht said there are five common mistakes coaches make.

- Following the examples set by their own coaches or the conventional wisdom espoused by media 'experts.” Learning by example is usually a good thing. But sometimes 'coaches blindly mimic what their peers are doing ... (We need to) base our coaching style on scientific evidence rather than personal observation ... Nearly every sport has its own coaching education program ... (in addition to) several commercial and non-profit organizations (National High School Federation, Positive Coaching Alliance, etc.).” Just because coaches at one time played the game or are an avid watcher of the sport doesn't necessarily make them a good coach.

- Believing winning equals 'success” and losing equals 'failure,” which in our culture is difficult to negate. 'Most of us never really get over measuring ourselves by whether or not we beat someone else rather than by how well we played, how much we've improved, or how much fun we had ... it doesn't necessarily follow that winning is the ultimate goal in athletic competition.

'Sport, at its best, brings out the best in those who participate. It's about trying - and failing - and trying again. It's about learning what you can accomplish through hard work and determination. It's about pushing yourself - and helping others push themselves - to the fullest extent. It's about courage, commitment, cooperation, and caring ... none of these benefits of sport requires a victory ... Unfortunately, coaches and parents sometimes don't make the important distinction between winning at the youth sport and professional level.”

- Relying on the use of punishment to correct performance or disciplinary errors. '... we sometimes let ourselves believe that the end (winning) justified the means (a punishing, negative coaching style) ... there's plenty of observable evidence that success doesn't necessarily require an ornery coaching disposition.

'Coaches often assume that punishing their athletes for either performance or disciplinary errors will magically improve the players' performance and motivation ... you can somehow ‘scare a bad performance' right out of an athlete ... punishment works, but only in the short run ... punishing athletes so they'll change their behavior isn't teaching - it's coercion, intimidation and bullying.

'It wastes valuable practice time ... (it) is, by definition, unpleasant and can induce a fear of failure, reduced risk taking, and increased performance-related anxiety ... Coaches can get far better results by taking a positive, caring attitude toward their athletes.”

- Instituting 'cuts” even when they aren't necessary. 'Few events in a young person's life are more traumatic and devastating than trying out for - and then being cut from - an athletic team ... it should only be done as a last resort ... Coaches owe it to the kids to do everything in their power to make cuts unnecessary ... Creating more teams means more kids get more playing time. More playing time means more kids have more fun - and that's the whole point of youth sports.

'... if cuts must be made (do it) with sensitivity and compassion ... face them individually and tell each and every one of them specifically why they were cut ... it should be as painful for us as it is for them.”

- Failing to give their athletes opportunities to get involved in team decision-making. '... most coaches fail to give their athletes the opportunity to develop some of the most important life skills of all - conflict resolution, compromise, creative problem-solving and compassion ... coaches often think of the team they are coaching as ‘my team' ... the team truly belongs to the athletes ... allow them to practice their decision-making skills in this relatively safe environment we call sport.

'(The) ‘Bill of Rights for Young Athletes' (by Rainer Martens, Vern Seefeld, clearly states) that in youth sports there exists the inherent ‘right of children to share in the leadership and decision-making of their sport participation' ... (this) is echoed in Standard 18 of the ‘National Standards for Sport Coaches.'”

Michigan State head men's basketball coach Tom Izzo once said 'it goes back to my oldest theory in coaching; that a player-coached team is better than a coach-coached team.”

l Let us know what you think by contacting Justis at njustis@cfu.net