Just wondering if we have any coaches here on CF. Doesn't matter what sport or what level. Football, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, etc...pee wee, little league, middle school, high school, AAU, college, etc... I have been coaching football and/or basketball for several years at either the middle or high school level. I also have a few close ties to some AAU basketball coaches. I really enjoy it (most of the time). I currently work at a school where there is a ton of pressure to win games because we historically have good teams so the wins are unfortunately more of a relief than anything and the losses (which fortunately for me so far, don't happen too often) can be stressful. I have an uncle who is the head coach at a small D1 program and I used to wonder why he worked so hard, but now I know. He was an assistant at a couple of SEC powers prior to taking over this job. They made the NCAA tournament a few years ago for the first time in a long time, but got spanked by one of the big boys. Before he got there, they were chronic losers, but now they expect him to put out 20 win seasons, conference championships, and trips to the big dance. Whatever he goes through must be exponentially greater than whatever I think I'm experiencing so you work hard to get to the top and even harder to stay there. Pressure is a byproduct of being part of a successful program as success breeds expectations which fall squarely on the shoulders of the coach. At the end of the day, I'd much rather face the expectations than not win though. I can't stand losing. When I was a kid, I hated to lose at anything whether it was thumb wrestling, checkers, Nintendo, dodgeball, four square...well, you get the point. I guess that competitive nature helps me thrive (or just survive maybe) in this type of atmosphere, but there have been times where I have actually lost sleep after a loss and wondered if it was worth the stress. Still, I love the competition, the X's and O's and watching a group of young men learn and improve on your watch aided by hard work and determination to grow into an outward reflection of your inner vision of what they could become if they just believe in you and also themselves. Basically, coaching is very much like my wife, there are some things about it that get on my nerves, but at the end of the day I realize that I have a passion for it. So if there are any other coaches here, let me know what you coach and some things you love and hate about the job. I would say one of my favorite things is watching overbearing fathers yell at their sons and the refs while "coaching" their sons from the stands and occasionally second guessing your play calling, substitution patterns, etc. It is so easy to have all of the right answers and push all the right buttons from the bleachers, lol. I had a dad confront me on the court after a game about his son's playing time (or lack thereof I should say as this kid doesn't tend to get on the court until we're up 12 or more) a few weeks ago and I basically had to tell him that he wasn't ready yet for this level of competition and doesn't work hard enough in practice to get there. The talent was there, but the hard work, focus and dedication weren't and I was working to get that out of him, but he needs to step it up in practice. I truly believe that this kid only plays sports because his dad makes him. So many of these fathers think that their kid is going to be the next Lebron James or something and I'm thinking are they watching the same thing I'm watching.
Yep, been coaching for more than 15 years.....mostly peewee and AAU stuff, basketball, soccer, little league, football. I love it. DD
I did ten years of youth basketball. Now I'm an assistant coach for my daughter's club volleyball team.
I coached youth basketbal for a couple of years, And I was also PLayer/Coach of a Basketbal team. I'm not a very good coach.
Other than three years while I was at UK, I have been coaching something since I was 16. I started out coaching soccer, then basketball, and now I coach volleyball. I like working with the young kids on fundamentals, so there isn't as much stress as a high school or college team. I was asked to coach basketball at a local high school about six years ago but decided against it. It would have been a great challenge because the school has always struggled to win games, but I like working with the younger kids too much to give it up. It's possible that I might move into those higher age brackets though once I finish my masters since I will be teaching math in grades 5-9, so I may end up at a high school. The only problems I have ever had have been with parents. Most of the time I am pretty good at dealing with them, but sometimes they make me want to beat my, or even their, head against a wall. In the age groups I teach, everyone gets to play half the game in the leagues, but in tournaments it's in it to win it. I still make sure that each girl gets time on the court, but I try to keep my best players in in order to secure the wins. It's not always easy, but it's always harder to explain why someone's kid isn't getting to play because she's just not as coordinated or talented as the ones I put on the court. This past season my dad went to some of the games I was coaching and sat with the parents. My team was struggling to focus for most of the match losing the first game, but we won the second game and fell behind in the deciding game but finally caught up and went ahead by one. I don't know how much you all know about volleyball, but the other team got a side out, tying the game at 13 all (they play to 15 in the tie breaker). I called a time out. One of the kid's parents is complaining, "why did she call a time out, they don't need a time out, she's a horrible coach, they are doing fine" blah blah blah. So my dad says, "she's the best coach they have at the school so why don't you just watch and cheer for your daughter. She took the time out to ice the server." Which I had. The girls get back on the court, the opponent misses her serve into the net, putting us up by one... our best server goes back, serves up an ace and we win the match. It's always nice to be proven right when someone else thinks they can do a better job. Especially those parents who have never set foot on a court themselves but think they know all. Overall I love it and wouldn't give it up for anything. Edit: and did you know if you volunteer and don't get paid, you can claim the expenses on your taxes when you itemize Just a helpful tip!
Sounds about right This is exactly what I do. They all play, but certain people play once I feel the game is under control. Then I try to sneak them out there in a situation where there isn't as much pressure and I feel they can be most successful. I try to explain to them that these aren't garbage minutes and that they can EARN more playing time by doing well during these moments as well as in practice. Some parents have a hard time being objective when it comes to their child and believe that their kid is the best player on the team when they may be fortunate to have even made the final cut in the first place. Yeah, it is something I believe you really have to enjoy doing which I do. I know a few people who just do it for the extra cash which can range from a little (not worth it in my opinion if you're only in it for the money) to a pretty decent amount, especially when it comes to football. A lot of people don't know that a lot of these head football coaches are getting 6 figure salaries these days comparable to or even greater than what the head principal at their schools make, but they do put in some serious hours. A few of these small town coaches also get additional perks like sizeable housing allowances or in one case I know of...a house. Football in Texas is serious business! Win or you're fired though, lol.
Coaching youth basketball made me a better leader and manager. There's no better way to learn how to manage grown-ups than to succeed in managing kids (and their parents).
I've been coaching in Judo for the last 10 years and have also been a referree for the last 4 years. Coaching an individual combative sport is a little bit different than a team ball sport as there is less amount of strategizing that the coach can do during the match and most of the time the work is in preparation. That said I find it more stressful coaching than playing but both playing and coaching pales to the amount of stress I have as a ref. Its way more stressful making sure there is a fair match especially with players, coaches and parents getting irate at you.
High school basketball for the last 10 years...6 years freshmen coach and this is my 4th year as JV light coach.(sophomore team) Have not moved up into more competive levels because I can not dedicate that kind of time to the program. I had retired a few years back but came back to help a friend, the head basketball coach. JV light position opened up and if fit my schedule perfectly. This is my 4th season with the JV Light level. 15-6, 22-1, 20-1, and this year so far, 9-1. Working on the 4peat. Also coached football, softball, and golf(interim head coach...drove the kids to course and made sure they came back safely...)
Pretty impressive records there. I assume your defense is pretty strong. Do you press (half/full) and in half court sets, do you go man or zone?
Related, but I don't want to start a new thread: Are there any team-sport referees on here? I have a buddy that has been trying to recruit me in the local refs organization, mostly for basketball. For someone like me who wouldn't take it really seriously, it would be a lot of Middle School and JV games. Is it any fun? I wouldn't do it for the money, but if I can have fun around kids playing ball, it might be worth it.
I hate zone defenses. I coach a help side man defense. We will play the entire game in a half court big on big. If they press us, we will simply extend out to a full court man. One man offense play(w/ options) and one zone offense play. We keep it simple but effective.
I was a paid trainer for U-12, U-14, and U-19 select soccer teams while I was in college. I have (or had) my USSF "E" license with plans to move up to a national "A" license and make a career out of it. I gave it up because I just got tired of dealing with the parents and the money kind of sucked. It was great while I was in college. It was about $1500/month cash. Post-college, I would have needed more... Now I am one and I'm about to start coaching my 3-yr old son's soccer team. I have no clue in the world how to coach kids that age.
I used to do rec soccer games in high school which wasn't any fun. Part of the problem there was my age though and the parents didn't respect what I was doing. That was especially difficult when they didn't understand offside and the change of rules between age levels. Grade school parents in basketball aren't typically too terrible if the coach controls them. I have a "contract" I have my parents sign that has all kinds of respect issues on it for them to agree to. Basically it's a "this is for fun, don't ruin it for your kids" type of thing. There are some coaches that will give you a hard time, especially in more competitive leagues - mainly dads who are coaches (no offense to those of you here) but they seem to be the ones who get hot under the collar and scream at both their players and the refs. If you can find a good league to do, I would imagine it could be a lot of fun. Personally I'd rather coach than ref just from my own personal experiences.
