BAD COACHES

Working for the YMCA, I have been so blessed to witness some awesome youth sports coaches. I have been fortunate that I have only had to deal with a handful of idiots in my 25 year career.

Recently, the media has addressed coaching behavior in college football by Nebraska's Bo Pellini and also Arizona's Mike Stoops. And recently, coaching behavior has invaded the life of my own kids.

It is inevitable with every game being scrutinized by a half dozen cameras and unlimited media outlets. I am sure it won't be long into this college basketball season when the cameras catch some coach grabbing a players uniform or accidentally slobbering on some teenager as they scream unlimited profanities.

My opinion on this issue makes me feel like Canada because I am on the fence. I grew up with several face mask grabbers and shirt pullers. I can't remember being cussed, but I have been yelled at unmercifully. Coach Hopkins at Mauldin High School called me a terd maybe 6,000 times! I still liked that bald headed jerk and I don't need therapy. (My wife may debate that statement) I kind of like it when my kid's coaches "get up in the grill" ( the new term I am learning) because they don't get much of that at home. Darrell and Sandra Corder definitely knew how to get up in my grill and I was called much worse than terd.

I like to use the old joke that I thought I was a Cherokee Indian for many years and that my name was Little Bastard.

One friend told me yesterday that he didn't care if a coach yelled at his son, but don't dare yell at his daughter. Why do most parents feel that way? I am not sure but they do! When I coached the women's team at Wingate, the head coach very seldom "grilled" the team, but look at Pat Summit, she is ruthless. No coach is more ruthless than Coach K. (We like to call him Coach F) But most of his players revere him.

I think the key with Coach K, Pat Summit and my parents, is that at no time during the verbal barrage do the players feel like they are not loved. These coaches have earned respect and have a strong enough relationship that they can withstand a "GRILLING." These coaches also know and understand what buttons to push and when to push them.

The problem becomes when we encounter coaches at the YMCA, the rec league or in our school systems who are not professional coaches. They don't know how to create realtionships and don't know the psyche of the 10 year old boy or 17 year old teenage girl. They look at the unlimited images of these legendary coaches "ripping new ones" on their players and they think, I can do that.

Again I am on the fence. If they can motivate my kids to hold a block, hit the cut off man, make a layup and more importantly clean their room and pick up their dirty clothes than let it roll baby, let it roll!

Watch this clip of top coaching melt downs.