[gish]

gish,

Based on your statement, I am guessing that you are a young coach with little public experience or a bitter old coach that has been battered to the point of frustration.

Coaches that do not cooperate in a cordually manner with parents have very little chance of long term success. You need the parents.

Coaches that do not work cordually with the school administration and coworkers soon find themselves packing up. You need the support of the faculty and administration.

Coaches that do not maintain good relationships with his kids are doomed to failure. You have to have the kids.


Contrary to what most coaches seem to believe recruiting and marketing are critical to the success of a high school program. Good coaches relentlessly recruit the hall ways of their own school. When a kid quits, he goes and gets the kid and talks him into coming back out. When reguired to get a kid out or keep a kid out, a good coach will go to the players house and have supper with mom and dad. A good coach consistently markets himself and his program with elementary students and their parents.

A guy like Bob Knight would last about one season here in the mountains before his house was burned, his car was vandalized or he was assaulted. High school students are children. If you want to get a good ole redneck family stirred up, disrespect their child. You can easily make 100 lifelong enemies (uncles, aunts, cousins, the whole clan) with one off color remark. I guarantee you that when you alienate one big family, it will cost you two or three good players in a 10 year period.

For that matter every one you PO will most likely cost you down the road.

Those two or three players often mean the difference between winning and losing. You never know when you are going to need a donation for one item or another. (POed people do not donate).

Actually no, I am a college athlete that has been exposed to coaches at the highest level (Division 1 and professional). So I think I may know just a little bit about what I am talking about.

I think I am correct in what I say, but our interpretation of a "conflicting personalities" is different.

I am well aware of the whole public personality . The whole shaking hands, kissing baby's faces, and around here who's rear end. But I was referring to conflicting with the players. You are correct in saying you have to have the players. If a player doesn't want to play for the coach, they won't win. But a coach also has to have a firm hand on his program. You can't go around trying to please everyone. I feel like there is always going to be conflict. A kid is going to think that his coaches are stupid for calling this defense, or calling this play, or letting one kid play more then the other. To me that's conflict. But that's not something the coach has to worry about. He has to have kids that buy into his system and believe everything he is doing. And I'm sorry, but if a kid doesn't buy into what I'm selling then I don't want him around.

The comment you make about Bob Knight is a good example of what is wrong with this area as a whole. Kids grow up being babied and they go off to college where they are treated like men and not 12 years olds and they pack up their things and go home. I feel like coaches and most educators in this area are doing our young people injustices. They are not preparing students and student-athletes for REAL LIFE. Isn't that why people go into this profession? To mold and develop young people for success in life? Why does it have to start in college? Why can't it start in this high school? And I think i know what you mean by disrespecting someones child, and I know you can't dog cuss someone and demean. But some people have the perception that their child should play ever second, and if not that is disrespect.

Everything you say about off the field, or off the court is correct. You must be a model citizen and you must be a large part of the community if you want to be successful. I'm merely talking about behind the scenes.
I come from a long line of coaches, my grandfather coaches in highschool and college for over 30 years, and my dad the same. And I am exposed and have been exposed to professionals every single day. So I feel like I may have a pretty good grasp on what I'm talking about.