sbv
Sophomore Member
Posts: 171
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Post by sbv on Nov 12, 2009 13:58:51 GMT -6
I was wondering how you guys deal with player discontent, through rumors? My situation was that I heard from a teacher that there were three of my 9th graders (our school is brand new and will add a grade each year) that one was complaining about not getting the ball, my QB (who will be 3rd string QB next year when I get some talented kids in here) complaining about formations used and plays called and my Center saying we need to tackle more in practice next year.
Out of these three kids, the Center (he was right that we need to tackle more next year and did what we could but with only 16 kids it was tough) is the only one that will be starting next year. The QB completed 17% of his passes and threw a lot of picks on top of being slow and soft (the ultimate threat!). The other guy was my Z WR who moved in as a slot and right HB in a 3 back look, averaged 3.7 yards per carry compared to the 6.8 by the HB. If you heard they were complaining how would you handle it?
My course of action was to confront them immediately. I let them tell me what took place, what was said because I didn't want to take something they said and reported to me by the teacher out of context. I heard this at 12:30pm and the situation was resolved by 1pm. I let the Center know that he is right, we do need to work on more tackling but if he feels this way he needs to come and talk to me and not complain in another class. The Z I explained his production compared to the HB and told him if he doesn't like how I call plays he doesn't need to participate in them. He was appologetic but like I said, he will probably be #2 on the depth chart as a Z. The QB I laid into telling him that I don't need my QB and supposed leader questioning my calls and formations to their teammates behind my back, and if he feels there is a problem to have the stones to come and talk to me about it. This kids parents are a headache and like I said he is bad and will be 3rd string QB or 3rd string TE next year so I included that "this will be a nugget of info to remember when I am deciding who I can trust next year to be the QB" so he can see the writing on the wall. I don't know if I handled things properly or not so am looking for what you guys think. Thanks.
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Post by brophy on Nov 12, 2009 14:05:44 GMT -6
what do you think the kids learned?
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sbv
Sophomore Member
Posts: 171
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Post by sbv on Nov 12, 2009 14:12:20 GMT -6
I am hoping that they learned:
A) Do not badmouth the team, coaches, schemes, etc in front of everyone else.
B) If they have a problem in the future that they feel needs to be voiced, to sack up and talk to me about it.
C) I am not going to put up with their garbage.
In a brand new school we only get one chance to do things right. This class had very little talent, all I am looking for out of them is to lay the foundation of work ethic so when the talented kids below them get up here we may have some people who can fulfill a leadership role.
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Post by touchdownmaker on Nov 12, 2009 15:07:11 GMT -6
I would suggest this...
Get a thicker skin. Not being critical at all, this is about as sound advice as anyone will give you because the kids are going to do this every year. They hear it from their parents, they hear it from ex coaches and ex players, faculty, other students etc. They see the old players on espn talking about the coaches (as if they know anything) - guys like deon sanders for example...they basicallly think they know as much if not more than you because they watch nfl game day, play fantasy football and madden 2k10.
If you are going to coach though you need a thick skin, you have to be completely secure in the fact that you know so much more about coaching and running a program than any of these kids, their parents or their peers. period.
Now, I know that some coaches will confront a team and say "you think you can coach better than us? go right ahead" and things like that. Not me. Im the coach, they are the players, when I smell dissention I simply put another player in the lineup. if i need to confront a kid ill do that too but you dont need to justify squat.
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Post by bluedevil4 on Nov 12, 2009 15:09:23 GMT -6
I always tell it like it is when a player is upset about not getting the ball or playing time. I'll tell them if they're not trying, not focusing, bad attitude, I've even told kids they aren't playing because they are afraid of contact. Saying it like it is has been a good motivator for me because it makes the players want to prove me wrong, then they fix their problems in practice.
In terms of players questioning your coaching and play calling, just say one thing: "Do you want the whistle?" Works every time, with parents too, in both public and private.
If a kid continues to complain, I just send them home.
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Post by jackedup on Nov 12, 2009 19:12:30 GMT -6
Sorry sbv, I have to agree with touchdownmaker... I would not have made a big deal about this. If you already know that they weren't going to be starters next year, then don't worry about it. Or even better, if you felt so compelled to say something, maybe just have a casual conversation about their playing time or the formations and plays you called. And when they don't come clean, tell them you've heard elsewhere what they actually said. Once you catch them in a lie or denial, they know you've got them. And leave it at that.
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newhc
Sophomore Member
Posts: 209
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Post by newhc on Nov 12, 2009 19:43:15 GMT -6
I also try to kids a voice. I want them mine to take ownership of the team. I have created a Leadership Council to deal with situations like this. The Leadership Council has my ear at anytime. I will try to accomodate them, and if the request con't accomodated then I explain to them why. It may get the kids to buy in to the program, and understand the why you do or call some of the things that you do.
**** Caution this may not work for me but I goota try something different to get us where I want us.******************
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Post by coachinghopeful on Nov 12, 2009 23:27:15 GMT -6
You don't need to justify squat, but have you ever sat the team down in an offseason meeting (say, before spring ball or fall practice) and just plain explained to them (and your assistants and any parents or admin who want to sit in) the philosophies that guide your program?
You could take a couple of hours to go over stuff like your vision for the program; the roles and responsibilities of the coaches, players, and parents; why you can't just throw together all the stuff that everybody wants to try; basic offensive and defensive philosophies; importance of weights and practice; why a team sticks together and doesn't talk behind each others' backs; etc.? Yeah, they're bratty 9th graders who think you can and are just making stuff up as you go, but if they see that you've got it together and are allowed to see how the wheels turn behind the scenes, maybe they'll be more inclined to go with it.
I wouldn't be so quick to kick run these kids off. They may be PITA and not start for you next year, but they're only 9th graders. A lot can happen in the next couple of years if and when they grow up.
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Post by kylem56 on Nov 12, 2009 23:45:57 GMT -6
Coach
I wouldnt worry about it to much. Kids will be kids. I mean I think we can all think of a time in high school were we thought to ourselves "coach x is such a jerk bla bla". In almost any job, someone is going to critcize you and second guess your decisions. Especially in our game where if you play Madden and watch football on the weekends, your pretty much qualified to be a head coach:). Now say these 3 young men are in your classroom (you didnt seek them out). I would imagine if you sat these kids down in a non-threatening manner and just let them vent out to you it would be resolved and done with. Kids are immature and say stupid things, especially at that age. At your next team meeting, I would bring it up to everyone in general that you are the boss and if you can't buy in to the TEAM philosophy, then maybe you should think about playing another sport.
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Post by blueswarm on Nov 13, 2009 0:02:55 GMT -6
I don't think it is that big of a deal. If you were to hear them, you need to call them on it immediatly, but getting the scoop second hand (even if it is a reliable source) is hard to call them out on. It should be something that you deal with them individually.
I had one of my players (I am the head coach/DC) call my OC out on a draw play when we were doing a 2 minute drill in practice and I stopped practice and ripped him in front of the whole team. That was a situation in which I wanted the kids to understand that it is their job to execute the plays, not criticize the plays that are called. Other players were thinking the same thing as our center, but they didn't say anything at the time, but many of them, including the center apologized after practice and said they understood why they were in trouble. I think the more you can deal with things like that one-on-one, the better. Also, if you talk to the kid(s), it can be a teaching moment for you because maybe next time they are talking in class and someone overhears them, it isn't about you but something else and they are setting a bad example as a football player and leader in the school.
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Post by touchdownmaker on Nov 13, 2009 5:55:32 GMT -6
You don't need to justify squat, but have you ever sat the team down in an offseason meeting (say, before spring ball or fall practice) and just plain explained to them (and your assistants and any parents or admin who want to sit in) the philosophies that guide your program? You could take a couple of hours to go over stuff like your vision for the program; the roles and responsibilities of the coaches, players, and parents; why you can't just throw together all the stuff that everybody wants to try; basic offensive and defensive philosophies; importance of weights and practice; why a team sticks together and doesn't talk behind each others' backs; etc.? Yeah, they're bratty 9th graders who think you can and are just making stuff up as you go, but if they see that you've got it together and are allowed to see how the wheels turn behind the scenes, maybe they'll be more inclined to go with it. I wouldn't be so quick to kick run these kids off. They may be PITA and not start for you next year, but they're only 9th graders. A lot can happen in the next couple of years if and when they grow up. This is exactly what you must do, lay it all out, have written contracts/expectations and policies, have them sign off on it. also, have a parent meeting, follow up with a letter summarizing what you covered at the meeting. (i am considering having a video made of me laying out the program so I dont have to keep doing it ha ha) what I have found, and Im sure I am not alone here, is that the very kids who cause the most trouble are the ones who conveniently are "busy" the day of your program meetings. similarly, their parents are "busy" with "prior engagements" (usually involving a town wannabeheadcoach meeting at the local watering hole) and ...yes, you nailed it, THOSE ARE THE KIDS AND PARENTS WHO NEED IT MOST. |
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Post by touchdownmaker on Nov 13, 2009 5:59:37 GMT -6
heres a way to handle this:
players " coach doesnt know what hes doing"
coach "ok, youre all coaches now, get here at 5 am and work on this list of things to do- redo the bulliten board, break down the film and grade each position, collect the laundry and do it, write out the practice plans for the week, make the game plans for the jv and varsity games, call the cheerleading coach to find out if they are going to ride the bus with us , communicate that to the ad and the transportation office, make sure you hand in a roster of whos riding the bus in triplicate...etc etc"
usually that nonsense will end.
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Post by coachcb on Nov 13, 2009 6:45:31 GMT -6
I personally don't care unless it is dragged onto the field. They're going to talk among themselves, with their parents, etc..etc.. When it becomes an on field issue, you need to put your foot down on it hard.
I've posted about this kid once or twice, but I'll do so again. We had a SS this year that worked hard and played hard, but he was very arrogant and had a bad attitude. During the beginning of the season, we had an issue with him because he didn't like sharing reps with other safeties.
I got on him about it fast and he kept quiet, at least around me. I found out that, in the huddles, during games, he was trashing his teammates. I took playing time away from him; sat him on the bench for a half. After that, I also had the team captains talk to him about his crap and I thought it was done and over.
The last game of the season, I pulled him out to get another kid some reps, and he was just furious about it, because we were losing the game. I heard him on the bench laying into another safety out on the field and I laid into him harder than I have ever laid into a player. I told him to keep his mouth shut and that if I heard another word from him, I'd have him take off his pads and go to the locker room.
As I started to walk away, I was still upset, so I walked back over to him and got on him again; I told him that the player he was bashing played hard, if not harder than he had all year. And, because the kid was all about stats, I asked him how many picks he had all year, he told me he had 3. I told him that the kid he was trashing had 7 INTs and walked away.
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sbv
Sophomore Member
Posts: 171
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Post by sbv on Nov 13, 2009 8:16:25 GMT -6
I guess my main problem with the situation is that the teacher who told me this was my wife who teaches science here. They were talking about it in her classroom and loud enough for her to hear it. They wanted it to get back to me but didn't have the sack to say it to me themselves. About two weeks ago I had a lineman tell my wife in class "I'm not playing football next year if I have to be a lineman." My wife told me, and I didn't address the player about this, but everytime I see him I say something along the lines of "We've got to get some more weight on you so you can be a better lineman next year" and go about my business. The kid isn't a very good lineman, wants to be a TE but has hands like feet. Next year, he will start off as a lineman. I am stubborn and I don't like ultimatums.
DC, as far as the QB is concerned, he told our math teacher three weeks ago that he wasn't going to play football next year because he couldn't be the QB. I asked him about it in the exit interviews and he said "I never said that, I just said that everyone keeps telling me I am going to get beat out next year at QB." My response was that "(the 8th grader) is pretty good. Now are you the type that will just roll over and let him take the QB spot or are you going to fight for it?" Last week we had a 9th grader transfer in that was a pretty good QB this year for another team, which pushes the current QB to 3rd string.
I agree with people that I don't need to justify what I am doing to the kids but I am trying to bite the dissention in the butt before it spreads. A lot of my kids think they are great athletes and do not realize that there will probably only be 5 of them starting on the JV team next year and the other spots will be filled with this year's 8th graders.
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Post by touchdownmaker on Nov 13, 2009 8:22:28 GMT -6
sounds like you have some drama queens.
Been through that myself. Sometimes kids talk, they talk everywhere all day long, it gets back to you but never said to you directly. We suffer with the "im going to quit, lets quit" suicide pact as someone else called it, it gets around school and turns into "i hear everyone is quitting" - that stuff needs to be confronted and the kids need to learn about MORALE and how they are also responsible for morale and what it means to the team.
the stuff you speak of is killing team morale and staff morale. it kills school spirit and support, so you confronting that is probably worth while in whatever shape way or form you choose.
you might have a situation where you need to let a few kids go, the "im not playing such and such" stuff is just talk though. kids do that.
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sbv
Sophomore Member
Posts: 171
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Post by sbv on Nov 13, 2009 8:25:07 GMT -6
Thanks TDM. I also like your tag line at the bottom and think I will steal it.
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KCoach
Sophomore Member
Posts: 121
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Post by KCoach on Nov 13, 2009 9:15:52 GMT -6
Players complain for 2 reasons.
1. Their not playing or getting the ball
2. Your losing
The more #2 happens the more you'll hear #1. Coaches coach, players play and parents should support coaches and players. Everyone has a role.
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