Coach Be Consistent
When you learn about raising children, you hear about consistency. When you learn about working with animals and training animals, you hear about consistency. I think it also applies to coaching softball as well.It's only fair to your players (and vital for you) that you be consistent in your actions, words, rules, and discipline as a coach. Ground rules should always be laid out at the beginning of the season. This should also include potential disciplinary actions for when those rules are broken. Be sure that you do NOT set a consequence that you will not enforce. I think this would have the same effect as "empty threats" in parenting...
1. Your players know that you won't follow through and will push the envelope as far as possible
2. You are undermining your own credibility and believability because you haven't kept your word
3. You may even lose respect or simply make it harder to gain the respect of your players.
Whenever you give your word as a coach, be it in speech or in writing, ALWAYS do your best to stick with it. Avoid making up rules and consequences as you go along. Clear guidelines and boundaries make life much simpler for players, parents, and coaches. Be up front about what your expectations, your rules, your guidelines, and your consequences and follow through.
Following through only *sometimes* is only asking for trouble as a coach.
Be consistent.
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Labels: coaching softball
posted by Stacie | 12:06 AM
1 Comments:
Well said, Stacie. No one likes to have to enforce the rules, but sometimes it has to be done. And sometimes you have to make decisions people don't like, but that are for the good of the team.
You're especially right about stating consequences you can't or won't enforce. But one thing coaches should be willing to do is lose a game because they stuck to the rules. It can be tough sometimes, but the players learn more from that than they do from a win.
Someday they will have bosses or teachers who won't cut them any slack. They'll either toe the line or be gone. Coaches can help them learn this valuable lesson early.
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