Cussing at practice...Yes or #&%@!

I will say damn it. But not at or to a kid. If something goes wrong that is my go to swear word. It's really just a reflex I don't see the need to cuss at a kid

Guilty...BUT...I'm a dam.n, a$$, he11 kind of guy.

I think I said 3 F bombs last year and they were the week we played our longtime rival, directed towards THAT team. (I also did Push Ups...150 to be exact. I don't have a book of rules..but, an F bomb and/or a G.D from a player gets them 50 up downs. I dang sure wasn't doing up downs, but I did do push ups and the kids counted them out.)

There is however, another side of that coin.....I'll have one or two a year (usually seniors) that just take getting their butts ripped to get in gear (be it practice or game). What I might say to them at times isn't broadcasted for the world to hear. It's them and me....usually me literally right up next to their ear holes on their helmets.

I'm with CoachXO, though, I always try to drop any of those words in a positive light.

This was 1988, I had a kid ask me about 4 what ifs in a row and I kept answering with what we would do to fix it, finally he said, well what if he does this and I yelled well then we are f--d in the middle of a sh-- field.
Famous line!
Times have changed.

Our previous HC was fired for this. He was warned during games, several parents kept records on what he said and how he said it. I think the difference was he swore AT kids and thats why he was fired.

Sent from my Motorola Electrify using proboards

their is a whole political party looking to tell you what you can and cannot own, where you can and cannot go, what you can and cannot eat, and that they are more capable of raising your kids than you are...just food for thought when using the mound.

Seriously need myself and my staff not to curse ever. The chain crews love to criticize my coaching staff if they use a curse word. Theres always something for people to pick at and language is just one of those things that we can control.

Our staff makes an effort not to cuss, and we succeed most of the time. Our kids also make the effort, and see us making that effort. But they also know we often fall a little short of our goal. It is an expectation we strive for, but we strive to make every tackle and never miss a block...that doesn't always happen. When something slips, it actually serves as a little reminder to me that I'm not perfect...and neither are my kids. So when they screw up, I'm patient.

I've also done a few push-ups as well at practice for cursing! One coaching staff I know has a swear jar...every word has a value:

D - quarter
A - quarter
S - fifty cents
Bi or Ba - 75 cents
F - a dollar
GD - ten dollars

Anything else a quarter haha

Kids and coaches have to do it...

Pays for more than a couple meals when they go to clinics, let me tell you!!!

Speaking for myself here but I find it difficult/hypocritical to run a disciplined ship if my staff and/or I are swearing. I look at swearing like yelling in the classroom. If I have to swear on the field or yell in the classroom to make a point or establish authority or [insert your objective], then I'm not a very effective coach or teacher.

That's not to say something hasn't slipped. If it does, I do push-ups just like we make our kids do for the same infraction.

I do my best to not swear in front of the players, however I certainly do swear. I will not swear at my players. Professionalism is a key for you to be respected by the players and the parents.

Yeah, I am not allowed to say dam or he11 or even defication but they can play music over the PA pregame and every other word is pure vulgarity!

I slip occasionally but never at a kid. I usually tell them that most of the people that swear all the time aren't intelligent enough to think of better words. Strangely they seem to respond to that.

Here is a way to look at it.. I have a 5 year old son playing sports (Football, basketball and now T-Ball) and a 4 year old right after him...

Being a parent does change your perspective.

Now I am not comparing Varsity football to 5 year old T-Ball... BUT.. 

If my son was in high school and he said to me that his coach was dropping F-Bombs all the time in practice would I be ok with it? Would I have a problem with it as a parent?   Not cursing at him and still cursing... 

Being a parent kind of flips your perspective with regards to coaching... Stuff I did in my 20's are probably things I would not do today.  I guess that could be said for most on this board.  

Not to go on about this...

But any of us who are parents this might be a good way to measure our cussing in practice. 

Thoughts? 

I started out coaching with Terry Bowden. At FSU it was ddgummit this and that for everything. Means the same thing in my book. I don't think making up new curse words makes you look more intelligent or more religious. I have a friend that uses fudge just like I use the f word.

He is a good baptist though. You know what they say about Babtists, never take just one fishing with you, he will drink all your beer.

I'm pretty good around kids. Really don't cuss much. And certainly never at a kid. And no fbombs or anything real bad. I tend to curse more jokingly than in seriousness.

But I did find that I was cussing too much at home. I'd keep it all inside and bottled up at school and then unload at home. Now, im single and dont have kids, but it was still bothering me. Found it harder to talk when I talked to my mom. So this last lent I "gave up" cursing. There were some slips, especially early, but it really helped change my speaking habits.