It is a simple question to address a serious problem among youth coaches. Many people want to coach and enjoy doing it most of the time, but are not really interested in actually teaching the game. They may want to support the kids, encourage them, be their “buddy”, but a lot of those feelings come to a screeching halt the moment a child or a team begins to struggle. Immediately, the blame for the struggle falls on the players. According to the coach, the players are not focusing enough, not working hard enough, or just simply are not capable of “getting it” due to their current level. It is not considered whether or not there is something THE COACH can do differently to HELP or TEACH the players. It is just assumed the kids are incapable or have made a choice that they do not want to learn.
It would be nice if children did exactly what is asked, and they all learn in the same way and at the same pace. If a coach could just say, “do this” or “learn that” and each kid is magically fully capable of performing, coaching would be a much easier profession. Of course, that would not be coaching or teaching. It would be simply “telling” and expecting immediate compliance, and that is not the world we live in. In the world we live in the sky is blue, and kids (like adults) are all very different and often do not do exactly what is asked or meet our expectations right away. The world we live in requires coaches to TEACH to help kids improve. It requires patients, creativity, empathy, and a firm belief that every child is capable of learning what you are teaching. It requires the coach to be willing to consistently examine and critique his approach to decide if it is the best way to reach the players.
Is that not what we ask of the players? Is it acceptable for a player to try something once, fail, and then quit trying? Is it acceptable for the player to pass the blame on to someone else or just assume they cannot do it? For players to learn and develop they must take different approaches, and give themselves time to practice the skills coaches are trying to teach them. If the coach gives up before the player has learned it, why would we expect the players to continue try on their own? For a coach to quit when it gets hard, or to refuse to do what is difficult, does not set a good example for the players. When an approach does not work, it should not immediately be put on the kids and made to be their fault. When it does not work, the coach should find another way. He never quits… as that is the same expectation he has for his players.
“You have not taught until they have learned." – John Wooden
We are too quick to blame the kids or assume it is something they are doing, or not doing, without taking a second to look in the mirror and decide if WE CAN DO BETTER. That is coaching, that is teaching, and that is what kids, who look for us for support, deserve. If you are not willing to do that or are not really interested in teaching, than why coach? Teaching by definition is helping someone do something or learning something that previously was beyond their reach. That is not an easy task no matter what the subject. If you are really interested in teaching, than you not only EXPECT there to be struggle and setbacks, but you know they are necessary to accomplish your goal. Without a certain level of discomfort and uncertainty, there is never any growth.
Now, if you are in the “well some kids just do not want to learn” camp, then you really have stumbled into the wrong profession. It is just an excuse. That is it. An easy cliché to fall back on when something you try does not work or a player is making it more difficult than you would prefer. A real teacher will never fall back on this reasoning because it does not make sense. It is not at the core of what a teacher or coach is all about. It goes against everything educators stand for. A coach believing a kid does not want to learn, is like an artist believing something cannot be drawn or a scientist believing some problems cannot be solved.
Why do I believe that? Because we all are born wanting to learn. It is what we do from an early age. We are constantly interacting and trying to better understand our world around us from the day we are born. We are built to learn and grow, and I have not met anyone who really does not want to continue to grow in some capacity. In my time in schools and at the soccer field, I have met plenty of coaches and teachers who are not that interested in teaching, but I have not met a single child who did not want to learn.
If you are looking for a group of players who already have all the needed skills, who already know what is needed to know about the game, and who will put up little to no resistance along the way, then you want to be a babysitter, not a coach (or teacher). Real teaching is a battle, and I do not mean that in the normal sense. It is not a battle between the teacher and students or the coach and the players. It is a battle between the coach and himself. It is the battle between the part of the coach who wants to do it his way and the side who knows he needs to do it differently to help the kids. It is the battle between making excuses and finding solutions. It is the battle between blaming circumstances and changing the situation. It is the battle between ego and expertise.
So I go back to my original question. If you are not really interested in teaching, why coach? If you do not want to take the time to do all you can to help each player learn and grow, are not willing to roll up your sleeves and go to work, accept setbacks, learn from failure, be creative and grow your ability to reach kids, then why put yourself through the stress of coaching? Some may say they just like to coach kids, but “just being there” is not enough and it does not equate to coaching. You cannot just show up and the kids will get better. Just like the kids cannot just show up and get better. They have to put in effort and focus on the task at hand, but the coach is the one who has the ability to create an environment for that to happen.
Every kid can be reached, every kid can learn, every kid can be inspired to want more and expect more, but it requires a coach… a teacher, who is willing to do everything necessary to help that child find his path and reason. That is what a coach does. That is, by definition, our job.
No comments:
Post a Comment