Coaches - You are a JOKE!

[default]

I saw something tonight that I thought I would never see in High School softball (or any High School sport).

Let me set the stage. The team is visiting a local rival. As the game proceeds the visiting team is struggling. A number of errors have turned into runs for the other team and the sticks are no working. Not a great deal of strike out, just hitting the balls where the other team is. The game ends, the two teams shake hands, the visiting team?s heads are down, because they knew that they did not bring their A-game and were embarrassed by their effort.

The post-game meetings then occur. The home team goes out into left field, the visiting team goes out beyond the right field fence ? jokingly I think? well out of ear-shot of everyone else. They are going to get an earful!

As the home team finishes up their post game celebration and we begin to pack up to leave, I look out to see beyond the right field fence the visiting coach has the girls running laps. Let me say that again. They are running laps! This goes on for close to 20 minutes.

Let me say this first. If there is one person on this forum that thinks this is acceptable let me first say ?You are a JOKE!?

Rule 1 on managing people? and yes coaches you are managing people. Praise in public, condemn in private.

You have a problem with the way they played and you feel you need to ?punish them?. Just as an FYI? making them run is? a punishment. Then you wait till they get back to the high school. You tell them to call their parents and tell them that they will be home late. They will be running laps.

If you were a good coach and you want to punish them, then you might be a little more creative than just having them run? maybe taking a hundred ground ball for every error they had? a hundred fly balls for everyone they miss? but if you are not a good coach and you can?t teach them the proper techniques to make the plays, then go ahead and have them run. In PRIVATE!

Let me ask you this, if the AD has an issue with the way you are running your program. Is it OK for him to call you out in front of the players and parents. Would you expect the AD to call you down to his office and discuss his issues with you there? It would be unacceptable for him to call you out in front of the players and parents. Why would it be any different for these young girls. Do you think that they don?t know a number of girls on the other team (who are now sitting in their dugouts watching them run). Softball is a small community. Most of these girls will play against each other (or even with each other) in the summer.

I watched as the girls came back from their forced run, their heads down. You could tell that they were embarassed and just wanted to get back to their bus. Out of a sign of respect, I made it an effort not to look at the girls? faces. But coaches, I made a huge effort to look at your face and I made sure to memorize your faces? because my daughter will never play for you. She busts her butt to much to be treated like that. You would only get her for one year. After that she would be GONE!

I memorized your faces coaches because, YOU ARE A JOKE!

 

[default]

 

[default]

It is not just at this level and this is not China bashing...Pitcher has a poor outing in Australia and pitches for Team China and is slapped in the face in the locker room last year, Team has a poor performance in Washington playing an NPF team and is made to run back to the hotel at 10:30 PM in their uniforms through a high crime rate area as the bus holds traffic up at the intersections, Head Coach is frustrated and kicks a hole in the wall at our hotel outside of Chicago, just recently player refuses to play for her provenience's team and is slapped in the face by a member of the Olympic committee...2006 we loose in at the Canada Cup and it is that time of the month and ALL the girls are having cramps...they were made to run 2.5 hours and the press and media were there to observe it.

You can not make this kind of stuff up...so why should it surprise you if it is done at a high school game?

If the parents ALL file a complaint together going through the coach first and then the AD they will get something done..if not grin and bear it.

Howard

 

[default]

1373 u don't know what happened in that dugout during that game so don't be so quick to snap. Just maybe it was well deserved. How many times have u seen a kid have to run to the fence and back during a game for watching a third strike or striking out period. Happens all the time in some programs. Not the first time a team has had to run after a game and not the last. Get over it, it just might toughen them up alittle.

 

[default]

I believe I was at the same game you were tonight. I don't believe most people even realized they were running behind the fence due to the tarp on the fence and the JV game being played. I don't know the reason for them running, but there has to be consequences for certain actions. So until I hear from the coach or authority I will reserve judgement and name calling. I suggest you do the same.

 

[default]

I know that the coach for Greenville has all players run sprints after each game win or lose. It is a matter of discipline, and it is normally done immediately after the post game handshake and before the team meeting.

Not knowing the entire situation in the game you are referring to it is difficult to comment on. I see similar actions from HS coaches regularly. Home or away, win or lose, keeping the attanetion of the players and maintaining discipline is a critical proponent to a successful season.

 

[default]

Taken from the Southwest District Website..

I have come to a frightening conclusion.
I am the decisive element in the gym, on the field, or in the arena.
It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the weather.
As a coach, I possess the tremendous power to make a child or athlete's life miserable or joyous.
I can be the tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration.
I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child or athlete humanized or dehumanized.

 

[default]

My DD used to have a coach like that. Half way through the season the parents figured out it was done for lack of a better thing to do after another lose. She was not a good teacher of the game and tried to B.S. her way through everything. Analize the books, look at video tape, try teaching your players to bunt before the seasons half way over. Life is all about lessons. Boy are we glad we got that one out of the way early. :

 

[default]

Jogging to a pole after taking a 3rd called strike is ok in my opinion, but running for 15 or 20 mins after getting your Rear handed to you is nuts in my opinion.
How does running help your players hit better, or field better, or catch fly balls better ?

That may work with a boys football team but not for a girls fastpitch team.

If my team is having a hard time hitting the ball we work on hitting, if the trouble is fielding, we will take many ground balls, etc. But My girls won't be running just to punish them EVER.

My players always want to win, and they play this game for fun and they know that I want to help them ENJOY the game. I don't ever want my girls to worry that if they they make an error they will be punished.

We will just work on the problems and try to see to it that it does not happen again.
Life is too short to be nervous while doing something you love.

Maybe I have the wrong Philosophy in some coaches eyes but we only lost 11 games last season out of 50+ and 90% of my players returned this year to play for me again so it can't all be bad. We may not win every game or play a "GOLD" Schedule but my girls do have fun and that means a lot to me.

 

[default]

All coaches have there ways...some good some not so good....With me not being there I have NO idea why they would be running laps after the game....Maybe for stike outs, maybe for Errors ,maybe they missed signs, heck maybe they were 10 minutes late for the bus trip....also maybe the coach gave them a choice to run tonite after game or tommorow at practice who knows except them...The deal is we as outsiders do not know the whole story. And in my opinion to go on this site and call coaches jokes for this kind of behavior is just plain WRONG. > > > > I do not believe in bashing a coach everytime a coach does something that I disagree with...I also do not believe in making girls run for "punishment" I believe it has NO PURPOSE AT ALL but if thats what a coach wants to do then so be it....It is very easy to bash someone when you do not know the whole story........I for one thinks this is acceptable if thats what the coach does and has done in the past...I geuss that makes me a JOKE..... oh well.....

 

[default]

My daughter's summer team runs a lot. They don't do it for disciplinary reason, but they do it to keep in condition so that they are ready for the long and tiring tournaments. Once season starts, there isn't much time devoted to conditioning, and doing sprints during practice and after games helps them stay in condition.

I remember this past fall after they lost a game and were running sprints, a parent of a pick up player was so upset thinking our coach was making them run sprints as a punishment for losing. His daughter was given the choice to run or not and chose to run with the team. Once it was explained to him, he didn't have a problem with it.

 

[default]

634 and others,

It is easy to judge without the whole truth. I have many time jumped to the conclusion without knowing the whole story and am reluctant to do so again. A wise fortune cookie from the "Chinese Dragon" Carryout - What appears to be - often is not. Paraphrased - sometimes a Joke is not always perpretrated on the intended party. jmho. It reminds me of the old Odds Couple sitcom epidose about the word "assume". For those who are not old enough to remember - let me know and I will describe the scene.

 

[default]

PRIDE. Just to repeat myself? PRIDE.

Now just to clarify?

You are right? I don?t know the reasons why and I assume I never will know the reason why the girls had to run for 20 minutes. IT COULD ALL BE DESERVING AND I WILL NEVER KNOW.

My issue is not with the fact that it happened. If the coach feels he/she needs to punish her girls. So be it. I don?t care. I don?t know the team. I am not effected by it. My issue was with WHERE it was happening.

Let me ask it this way:

You would see no problem with Jim Tressel having the Bucks running sprints on Michigan?s home football field after a loss? The Michigan players would be laughing their arse?s off. Pictures would be all over the school?s locker room. Year?s from now they would still be laughing about how the Buck?s ran sprints because they couldn?t win a game.

No ? as Buckeye fan?s we expect our Bucks to get on the bus after Florida smoked our backsides 41 ? 14 in the National Championship game with heads held high and back straight. Yes they beat us but we are still PROUD to be Buckeyes and we will never show YOU anything less than the PRIDE we have for our team and our school.

NOW? Yes this is not Buckeye Football, but to these girls, they have PRIDE the same as the Bucks do. You let the girls get on the bus with heads held high. They may or may not deserve to be punished but punish them at HOME!!!

We preach PRIDE, CONFIDENCE and COMMITMENT to our girls.

There was no pride in the way those girls came off the field. There was no confidence in the way those girls came off the field. Was their commitment? I don?t know. But if my boss made me look a fool in front of my peers (making me ?run sprints?), chances our, I wouldn?t have much commitment either.

Again? the issue was WHERE it happened. Not why or if it should have happened.

 

[default]

My 1 st question is how familiar are you with that team??
Many coaches run there kids after games win or lose.
We split with a team this year and after both games the kids ran bases.
We split with another team and the team runs 60 ft sprints after the game in left field.

 

[default]

maybe that coach was tryin to get the girls loosened up so they didn't cramp up on the long bus ride home...... ;D

btw- my DD's team runs a sprint after the game for each error or missed sign, the TEAM runs for 1 girls blunder,, keeps the continunity of the TEAM aspect, and I have no problem with it. ............ pdad7

 

[default]

WOW! Maybe before jumping to conclusions about this "cruel and unusual punishment", you should talk to an experienced sports trainer - preferably a baseball/softball knowledgeable one. Baseball/softball is a sport of short bursts of explosive energy, followed by fairly long periods of inactivity. Most college teams RUN between innings, especially the bench. Are they being punished? Absolutely not! They are being smart about their physical preparedness. They are keeping their muscles warm and loose - ready to help their team.

15 minutes of easy jogging after a game never hurt anybody. Now if you couple that with a heavy dose of verbal abuse and a bull whip, well that's a different story. But I think before you jump to conclusions, you should make sure you know exactly what this coaches intentions were.

Here is a link to an article about interval training. The last part is most relevant to softball players - specifically pitchers.

http://www.baseballfit.com/baseball-training-0805.htm

 

[default]

I see this all the time at our games. Our girls are made to run excessivly after a loss right there and then after shaking hands which to this point is every game but 4. A parent for today's opponent asked me why they were made to run so much and when will it end after 5 minutes around the bases at that point. I told her probably when the coach quits being pissed about being run ruled. Practices are worse. Almost half our girls said they won't be back next year as they said they wanted to play softball, not run track! Negative reinforcement is a tool that should be used sparingly, otherwise you will have negative players if used all the time. Our coach is always blaming the losses on the girls. They have a bad attitude or arn't playing for the team, or letting the seniors or captains down. Harry Truman's "The buck stops here!" was one of the great sayings of truth last century and it still hold true. Responsibility when things are wrong always lies at the top with the coach.

 

[default]

1373

Does the softball team in question ride to games with baseball? Perhaps the coach is just killing some time until the baseball game is over.

 

[default]

hockeye,
not being there knowing the full aspects does put us into a speculative manner but after sitting next to 8th grade girls every week, sometimes the girls are their own worst enemy...

"well, she only cares about travel"
"if i was playing instead of on the bench we'd be winning"
"omg, she made ANOTHER error"

and the list goes on

 

[default]

Stats, you gotta be there to truly understand. When the other teams parents and coaches are talking about what they see going on you know it's NOT normal.