Tim I think you misunderstand me. A good coach at any level
empowers the athlete. They are not robots. On the other hand empowering the
athlete is not letting the inmates run the asylum. It is clear who is the
leader and the captain of the ship. It does not have to be my way or the
highway, but everyone needs to be clear on the desired destination and the
means to reach that destination. In the case of the Arizona Cardinal offensive
coordinator, ultimately is he who is accountable for the team’s offensive performance,
it is his job to judge who is being productive, during a game a match it is not
his job to give the player an explanation. Discussions with players take place
off the field in an office. If a player wants to talk to a coach that coach
should be approachable, but remember there is a proper time and a place. Will
there be confrontations? I sure hope not, but in the heat of a game or a
spirited training session a confrontation is possible. When that happens no one
wins. As a leader and a teacher a coach has to make hard decisions, decisions
that may not be popular but that are for the good of the team. The coach has
the big picture in mind, sometimes the athlete does not. I have found that in today’s
society at every level of sport it is more prevalent for the athlete to be
concerned about their stats or minutes than the team performance. With today’s
generation there is an I in team, which makes the
coaches job that much tougher.
2 Comments
lisa
Vern,
I wondered if you had a comment on the HS coach charged with reckless homicide in the death of his player from hyperthermia?
Reckless homicide maybe going too far, but there is a huge responsibility on head coaches (not just ATC, strength coaches) to know how the body responds to physical stressors placed upon it. (Some) coaches need to understand that “pushishment” is not the same as performance training.
As a healthcare professional, I am liable for the treatment I render and the patient’s response to that treatment. If I make an error in judgment and a patient suffers, my license may be revoked or at least reviewed.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090123/ap_on_re_us/player_death_charges
Tim
Vern that speaks to me on many different levels. I would like to share a quote I wrote down from an article in the newspaper sometime ago. I use this philosophy as the cornerstone to build my coaching path. “Quality leadership means knowing when it’s time to guide athletes and when it’s time to allow athletes to guide you” Athletes can choose to alienate themselves as “I” or they can join in on the camaraderie with a group of like minded people with a common goal, I believe this separates the great coaches. They know how to defuse the I and make it into a we’ Not by using derogatory comments but as you say empowering them to join the team.