- Coaching- teaching, trusting, disciplining, encouraging,pushing.
- High school coaches can survive the ups and downs by creating a form of trust with his/her players and inspiring them in all that they do. (138 characters)
In
Jack London’s book, The Call of the Wild, Buck, a St. Bernard-Scotch shepherd dog, has many coaches along his
journey. However, the only “coach” he works hard for is John
Thorton. John Thorton is the only
man who proved himself to Buck by saving his life and treating him as a true
companion. The relationship between John Thorton and Buck can be compared to
the coach/player relationship. High
school coaches can survive the ups and downs by creating a form of trust with
his/her players and inspiring them in all that they do.
To be a successful coach one must work
to create a strong form of trust between herself or himself and their players.
In a recent interview with Johnathon Burgess, Batesville High School girls head
soccer and girls assistant volleyball coach, he declares, “You spend a lot of
time with your players throughout the year and if you give them a reason not to
trust you then they probably won’t enjoy playing for you, which could lead to a
lack of effort on the field.” Trust is one of the most important things two
people can have. Slipping up one time could not only ruin
that relationship between the two people, but could also hurt the entire team’s season.
Trusting each other fully, a player and coach will
put out their best effort when on the field and sidelines. Columnist, Patrick
Hite, reports in his article, “Parents driving coaches away from game,”
“Bennett and his coaching staff were questioned by parents about something
after every game.” In the same way that a player and coach must have a bond of
trust, so must a coach and the player’s parents. I am not saying they need to
have the same type of relationship that a coach has with his or her players,
but they need to trust that each other are doing the best thing for each
athlete. The first step to surviving coaching is having a form of trust between
the coach, his or her athletes, and to some degree the athlete’s parents. “Trust
is a very important factor” and with mistrust comes the early cessation of a team’s
season and the chance of advancing to the state playoffs.
It is not unwonted for every athlete to be inspired
by someone or something, and a coach has to be that someone. Again Burgess adds,
“Athletes will learn a lot from their coach throughout high school, mainly
because they spend so much time with them each day. I get plenty of
opportunities to try to teach and mentor my athletes and I try to give the best
advice I can to them while being a positive role model.” A good coach, as their athlete’s role model, will inspire them
to be better in every way in their life, “On and off the field.” Not to mention
the fact that they will show more respect during practices, huddles, games,
timeouts, and later on in life even after they graduate. In B. Mackenzie’s
article, “Coaching Principles,” she uses a quote from Richard Caborn MP, UK
Minister for Sport who claims, “They [coaches] are the people who motivate,
encourage, and inspire.” Whether athletes realize this now or not, coaches have
a huge impact on their lives. Everything they learned from their coaches in
high school they will take with them the rest of their lives. Inspiring players
on and off the field will be a huge factor in whether or not a coach is
successful.
On the other hand, whether or not a
coach will survive depends on how many wins a team has in his or her coaching
season. In Clay Travis’ article, “Derek Dooley Loses 11th Coach in One
Offseason,” he writes, “None of them left for better jobs. It's simple, they
have no faith in Derek Dooley's ability to win football games at Tennessee. Or
in Dooley's future as a coach at the university.” Nobody likes a losing team,
and they sure do not like to be a part of one. Who cares if a coach inspires
his players and has a certain bond of trust with them that nobody else has if
they are losing? The only thing that will help a coach survive is if he or she
is getting the W’s down on paper by the coach doing whatever it takes to come out ahead. However, Mackenzie again states, “Being a good
coach is not just about having excellent sports-specific and technical
knowledge.” A coach should be hired not
just by his or her ability to win, but by their character and how they are
going to be able to lead the adolescence of our society into becoming adults.
What teenagers learn while they are in high school is not transient, but will carry
on with them for the rest of their lives out into the whole wide world.
As
a coach is to his or her team so is a parent to a child and a teacher to a
student. A person may not
“officially” be a coach, but everyone at some point is a mentor to someone
else. This calls for self-examination in
terms of being a positive or negative influence.
Work Cited
Hite,
Patrick. "Parents Driving Coaches Away from Game." The News Leader.
05 Feb. 2012. Web. 16 May 2012.
<http://newsleader.com/article/20120205/SPORTS/202050332/Parents-driving-coaches-away-from-game>.
"Interview
Questions with Johnathon Burgess." Message to the author. 03 May 2012.
E-mail.
Mackenzie,
B. "Coaching Principles." Coaching Principles. 1997. Web. 16
May 2012. <http://www.brianmac.co.uk/coaching.htm>.
Travis,
Clay. "Derek Dooley Loses 7th Coach In One Offseason : Outkick The
Coverage." Derek Dooley Loses 7th Coach In One Offseason : Outkick The
Coverage. 02 Mar. 2012. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://outkickthecoverage.com/derek-dooley-loses-7th-coach-in-one-offseason.php>.
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