What Makes A Great Coach ??

Great post.Honesty is so important for the players &parents.Saying 1 thing & doing another or saying something & not backing it up is not honesty.Telling a player they are fine,but continuing to treat them different is not honesty.Its hard to find ,but coaches w/ out a dd on the team would be ideal.Having 4 coaches & all has dd on the team usually creates a problem for the rest team somewhere,somehow down the road. Alot times there is issues with the amount time others get looked at or honestly looked at ,even at practices .If the other is comparable or maybe even better, the coaches dd still will get more practice time & much worse is more instructional practice at a given position almost every time. And of course that will equal more playing time .Not saying it cannot be done ,because I have seen the complete opposite .Just saying honesty in all aspects is a must to be labeled as a great coach, if they qualify in all other aspects.

 

No DD on the team

Agree with everything that has been said in this thread.

For those that have not coached a team other than one your DD plays on, I stongly suggest you give it a try. You will know almost immediately if you are coaching because you love the game and want to help the ladies reach their true potential and dreams or if you are doing it just because of your DD. If you find out you are doing it just for your DD, you should probably step down and let someone else handle it.

A while back I figured out it was time for me to move away from coaching my DDs. I still help them but do not 'coach' them. For some reason, they seemed to listen to and respond much better to other coaches. Go figure...

As for myself, the most fun I have had coaching were the years where my DDs were not on the team. Going to be able to get back to that this spring and cannot wait!

 

I know, but I don't know???....

.....If any or all of us could define "what makes a great coach" then we could package that answer in a bottle and sell it for millions!

Fishman

 

Thats 1 honest post right here!

 

A good coach:
1. Has rules that everyone agrees to and abides by the same rules as all players.
2. Never tells the girls he is going to take his foot and stick it up their .......
3. Doesn't blame the refs for a bad call that he thinks lost the game.
4. Doesn't let the best guest pitcher, who is thrown out of the previous game for telling blue "you suck", play the next game.
5. Doesn't use the phrase "it's all about the girls" then brings in guest pitchers/players at every tournament.
6. Never calls time, goes to the mound/infielders and tell them they suck..
7. A good coach is always trying to learn how to be a better coach. He is passionate about the game, plays by the rules, hates to lose but loses while respecting the refs, other teams and coaches.

 

Looks like you played for the same team we did. I won't say who we played for but sounds very similar.

 

Beer and pizza at his house after the game

 

I do not normally weight in on such things......BUT....can't help myself.

My daughter hasn't played for a coach yet (starting at coach pitch and now in college) that hasn't left some good life lesson with her. She has had some who taught her more softball techniques/fundamentals and some who taught her more about sportsmanship/life lessons. Some we have liked more than others BUT not a single one she nor her parents didn't learn something from either good or bad. I can say I haven't had a boss that I haven't learned something from either. Some I liked and some, well, lets leave it there. I think if we are not careful, as parents and we bad mouth the coach (players or other parents) then we are the true problem and not the coach! If you are unhappy or it is not a good fit for you then move on but keep it to yourself and leave it there.

Funny how the things we learn as kids ourselves sometimes needs to come back in a big ole' second helping of "If you do not have something nice to say.....then say NOTHING". My mother was the greatest teacher of all!!!

To answer the original question. What makes a great coach? It is someone who cares enough to give up his/her time to do it in the first place. Thank you coaches!!! It is truly a thankless job.