We hear a lot about how the current youth generation is soft or weak. As a late Gen-X or Xennial, I have been coached by the older hard knock coaches and coaches on the edge of using technology and science to get the most out of their athletes. I have been around coaches that have been to all the extremes with some using the techniques that were used on them to the gentle coaching. This is geared at athletes and coaches and not the parents. The parent perception of coaching will be covered in other posts. Let’s break down the different styles.
Either extreme is going to have issues.
For the examples, I am going to use football as that is where I have seen the most extreme styles.
Old School of Hard Knocks
This was the atmosphere I grew up in. Run gassers until the coach was tired of you running. Drills like bull in the ring and Oklahoma were meant to teach us to be hitters and how to take a hit. Water breaks were making us weak and two practices a day were common.
There are some aspects of the discipline that this type of coaching I like, but there are so many negatives that I don’t think it is the best style anymore. The style tends to push you to your limits. This only works on a few athletes. The athlete has to have a mentality of wanting to prove to the coach they can handle it or I’ll show you. With that they also have to have a mental strength to handle the constant pressure and criticism.
As I said, I grew up in this for most of my coaches. I had a coach that got loud during football games every few plays saying things like “Reinke, I haven’t seen you make a play this series. Get in there and get me the ball.” It was loud enough to where the whole field heard it. I wasn’t embarrassed or felt like the coach didn’t like me. I felt like I was letting the team down or the coach down and it was my turn to make a play. I knew the coach had high expectations of me and I needed to live up to it. That same style would make some of my teammates shut down. Why is he calling me out like that? I am trying my best but coach is still yelling at me.
New School of Feeling
There are plenty of jokes and memes about the current youth athletes. They are soft. They don’t want to work. Everyone get a medal. There is always a hint of truth in every joke.
There are a lot of athletes that do not respond to the aggressive in your face coaching. What typically happens if you try to coach this way is they shut down. There is always exceptions to the rule, but for the most athletes, you need to find a way to communicate with the athlete.
The Black and White Athlete
Some athletes need things clearly spelled out and it is black and white. I have coached a few athletes that if I put them at defensive end and told them to hold the edge and nothing get outside of them, they will stand at the corner and not make a play on the ball even if it one hole away. Why? They were to be on the edge not letting anything outside of them and that was too inside for their mind. If you want them to be able to step down and tackle the ball carrier if it inside of the edge, you have to give them that direction as this is an exception to that rule.
Needs the why athlete
There are athletes that just seem like they don’t get it. You show them over and over again how to do drills and the different formations. “The other team is running a 4 man front with a dog on the strong side. We need to switch to a slant blocking schema with a strong side kick out.” They go through the motions and for the most part it is correct, but there is something off. Maybe they aren’t playing with the intensity and urgency you are wanting. Old school would ask the athlete if they even want to be here. A lot of time this type of athlete, assuming they do want to be there, is the don’t understand why their role is important in the play. Explaining the reason behind the schema and the play clues them in to everyone’s role. “Tommy, you are the pulling guard and our kick out block. This play is designed around you and your block. Billy, with Tommy pulling, you are down blocking to pick up the defender that is heads up on Tommy.”
One Mistake Shutdown
Another common your athlete I come across is the one that are amazing, until they make that first mistake. They can’t let go of the mistake and then it starts to compound. The athlete gets in their head and can’t let go. An example of this was a had a great linebacker and he was a 6th grader. Great instinct to the ball. The other team was punting and the ball was going towards him but just over his head. While he should have let it go, he jumped up and tipped the ball. The ball is now live and the other team recovered. I needed him back on the field for another series of defense. He was upset at himself for costing the team a turn over. As coaches we were disappointed but yelling at this athlete wouldn’t have helped. He already felt bad.
Meeting in the middle
The athletes still need to be held accountable. There still needs to be discipline. You still have to have a standard to have them strive to. But we need to change up our approach to the coaching style. In the example of the One Mistake Shutdown, we pulled the athlete a side to quickly talk. We did send in a sub for the next couple of plays. We let him know that we weren’t upset with him. He made a mistake. It happens. “But I cost the team the ball.” You did. But football is about learning and being better. If that happens again, will you try and jump for the ball? “No.” Ok, great. You ready to go back in? He nodded and we simply stated our phrase we had been saying in practice. “If you make a mistake, what happens on the next play?” He responded, “We make up for it.” We told him to get a drink of water and let us know when he is ready.
1. We acknowledged he made a mistake.
2. We assured him that he is still a great player and that we weren’t mad.
3. We gave him the time and space to deal with his emotions.
4. When he was ready to go back in, we challenged him to make it up to himself and to his team.
After a few plays he came in more determined. He was focused and no longer emotional. He ended up making a crucial tackle stopping the drive. This is what worked for this athlete. We have to under each player and how they respond to different situations. There is a running back on that team that I would have had to take a completely different approach. He is one that responds to direct interactions. He is the type that if he makes a mistake, you call him on it right there and challenge him. Other athletes might feel that you are being mean or too hard on that athlete but it is how they respond. We need to be counselors just as much as coaches. We can come up with amazing concepts to stop the other team, but we need to be able to bring out the best in the athletes.
The Athletes
We are competing against so many other stimulates in the lives of these athletes. There is their home life, school life, friends, game consoles, cell phones, and sports. Some athletes are trying to juggle multiple sports in the same season. All of these factors are weighing down on the athlete. As coaches we can see the potential of the athletes. But we need to understand that this team is only a piece of who they are. They are on your team, but they want to be a part of something bigger. They are looking for a family. To be around other where they can be their authenticate self without being judged. Does this mean you need to tip toe around the athletes? No, they will see through that. You need to be real with the athletes while still keeping the separation of coach and player. Joke with the athletes. Allow them to crack joke about you. Challenge them to sprints or push ups. The athletes are going to crack jokes with each other, but you are there to ensure they don’t go too far. Remind them that this is a family. Your and your brothers will fight and make fun of each other, but in school or in public, that is your family. You stand up for what is right together. I challenge my athletes to make sure that they are the leaders in their schools. Someone picking on someone, they defend them. Someone teasing your teammate, the team lets them know they have their back. Someone doesn’t have someone to sit with at lunch, it is their duty to sit with them. Coaching is not just about the sport, it is teaching life lessons.
