I have played a sports for most of my time on this Earth and therefore had quite a few coaches through the years. As I reflect on things, I have come to a very important conclusion:
Coaches are Overrated (and in some cases unnecessary) (Theorem 2):
I will start with what coaches are absolutely necessary for, and explain why I think non-coaches can do what they do. Coaches are necessary for organizing a team and being a leader. Every player has their own agenda and it is important for the team aspect to get everyone on the same page. There has to be one person that makes final decisions with regards to subbing and strategy. These decision are best made by a coaching staff, as one person's perception of what is going on is often flawed. However, in theory, a good player-leader can take on this role. If a player can assess personal flaws as well as the flaws of other players, that player can make all the decisions for the team. Granted, that player must be a baller as well as a strong leader, but it is theoretically possible. Case in point: BronBron.
Furthermore, a person need not know anything about the sport to make these decisions. My proposal: replace a head coach with a successful business manager and keep the assistant coaches as advice-givers. This would be similar to the president with his cabinet members. The hierarchy works like a charm.
Some would claim coaches teach valuable skills to the players, thereby bettering their performance in competition. This is usually not the case. In my experience, you gain skills by practice and only by practice. You can show an 8-year-old how to throw a baseball, but they are getting better not because you are "teaching" them, but because they are actually throwing the ball and practicing. Chances are the 8-year-old isn't even listening. The 8-year-old will discover on his own what works and what doesn't.
You might say that you have to teach the 8-year-old basic footwork and such to make him throw "right." False. All the 8-year-old has to do is watch T.V. and mim(m)ick that motion. Besides, there are so many different throwing motions in the MLB, and all are successful in some way or another. Every kid will find out what works for him and will do that. Furthermore, most coaches, especially at the youth level, go to coaches clinics to learn how to teach the kids the skills. I say cut out the middle man and have the kids go to the coaches clinics. That way they learn the skills and how to teach them. Everyone always says you learn the best when you try to teach it to someone else, so why not try that with sports!
You also might say, "well some kids learn so much faster than others... because of the coach!" True, but not because of the coach. Inherent athletic ability and coordination is the reason for that. Some kids have better motor skills that others. It's called genetics, and practicing your motor skills (See A Birth in Four Cultures by Jordan or Small, I don't remember. Ask McKenna).
So here's my strategy:
Step 1: Breed well. An athletic woman goes a long way, and good genes will give me a huge head start on developing a star athlete. Heather Mitts? It's a possibility...
Step 2: Start early. My son/daughter (well, son) will have a ball in his hands straight out of the womb. He will be juggling by his first birthday and able to throw a curveball by his second (it's amazing how poor the young'uns are at hitting breaking balls, so that's key). I will not place major benchmarks that are sport-specific, but rather give him any opportunity possible to improve hand-eye coordination, which is essential in any sport.
Step 3: Pick the right neighborhood. I will need a number of slightly older boys who enjoy sports as well living in the neighborhood. They will play only the fun games including but not limited to: Home Run Derby, The Hitting Game (I may explain this invention in a later post), Kickball.
Step 4: Forego the hiring of a coach. Instead, I will illegally pirate instructional DVDs (further saving money) which my son will watch and take notes. This will eliminate the middle man.
Step 5: Watch a lot of T.V. We will watch every Cleveland Indians baseball game or at least have the T.V. on. During basketball season, we will watch Butler, and at all times we will watch any European soccer team.
Step 6: Encourage pick-up games to be played. Pick-up games are a great way to practice skills and learn to play with other random people.
Step 7: Play Halo. Halo is the number one way to get the competitive juices flowing and build up aggression. Physical violence is a key in sports and should not be disregarded.
Step 8: Play multiple sports. Athletic diversity is essential and skills from one sport can definitely be used in others.
After these steps I will reassess my son's abilities and either enter him into a draft, or enroll him in high school.
Coaches are Overrated (and in some cases unnecessary) (Theorem 2):
I will start with what coaches are absolutely necessary for, and explain why I think non-coaches can do what they do. Coaches are necessary for organizing a team and being a leader. Every player has their own agenda and it is important for the team aspect to get everyone on the same page. There has to be one person that makes final decisions with regards to subbing and strategy. These decision are best made by a coaching staff, as one person's perception of what is going on is often flawed. However, in theory, a good player-leader can take on this role. If a player can assess personal flaws as well as the flaws of other players, that player can make all the decisions for the team. Granted, that player must be a baller as well as a strong leader, but it is theoretically possible. Case in point: BronBron.
Furthermore, a person need not know anything about the sport to make these decisions. My proposal: replace a head coach with a successful business manager and keep the assistant coaches as advice-givers. This would be similar to the president with his cabinet members. The hierarchy works like a charm.
Some would claim coaches teach valuable skills to the players, thereby bettering their performance in competition. This is usually not the case. In my experience, you gain skills by practice and only by practice. You can show an 8-year-old how to throw a baseball, but they are getting better not because you are "teaching" them, but because they are actually throwing the ball and practicing. Chances are the 8-year-old isn't even listening. The 8-year-old will discover on his own what works and what doesn't.
You might say that you have to teach the 8-year-old basic footwork and such to make him throw "right." False. All the 8-year-old has to do is watch T.V. and mim(m)ick that motion. Besides, there are so many different throwing motions in the MLB, and all are successful in some way or another. Every kid will find out what works for him and will do that. Furthermore, most coaches, especially at the youth level, go to coaches clinics to learn how to teach the kids the skills. I say cut out the middle man and have the kids go to the coaches clinics. That way they learn the skills and how to teach them. Everyone always says you learn the best when you try to teach it to someone else, so why not try that with sports!
You also might say, "well some kids learn so much faster than others... because of the coach!" True, but not because of the coach. Inherent athletic ability and coordination is the reason for that. Some kids have better motor skills that others. It's called genetics, and practicing your motor skills (See A Birth in Four Cultures by Jordan or Small, I don't remember. Ask McKenna).
So here's my strategy:
Step 1: Breed well. An athletic woman goes a long way, and good genes will give me a huge head start on developing a star athlete. Heather Mitts? It's a possibility...
Step 2: Start early. My son/daughter (well, son) will have a ball in his hands straight out of the womb. He will be juggling by his first birthday and able to throw a curveball by his second (it's amazing how poor the young'uns are at hitting breaking balls, so that's key). I will not place major benchmarks that are sport-specific, but rather give him any opportunity possible to improve hand-eye coordination, which is essential in any sport.
Step 3: Pick the right neighborhood. I will need a number of slightly older boys who enjoy sports as well living in the neighborhood. They will play only the fun games including but not limited to: Home Run Derby, The Hitting Game (I may explain this invention in a later post), Kickball.
Step 4: Forego the hiring of a coach. Instead, I will illegally pirate instructional DVDs (further saving money) which my son will watch and take notes. This will eliminate the middle man.
Step 5: Watch a lot of T.V. We will watch every Cleveland Indians baseball game or at least have the T.V. on. During basketball season, we will watch Butler, and at all times we will watch any European soccer team.
Step 6: Encourage pick-up games to be played. Pick-up games are a great way to practice skills and learn to play with other random people.
Step 7: Play Halo. Halo is the number one way to get the competitive juices flowing and build up aggression. Physical violence is a key in sports and should not be disregarded.
Step 8: Play multiple sports. Athletic diversity is essential and skills from one sport can definitely be used in others.
After these steps I will reassess my son's abilities and either enter him into a draft, or enroll him in high school.
good column like the new picture addtion.
ReplyDeleteI agree that coaches are pretty overrated to an extent. I have played organized sports all my life as well. It just so happens that I am on the club volleyball team which does not have a coach, the first one ive played to ever not have one, and I thoroughly enjoy it. Our current senior president acts as the coach which I find extremely enjoyable and effective.
However, without my high school coach there would be no way I would have been able to reach this level. At that critical stage a coach can impart knowledge of a game and specific drills to help develop the correct set of skills necessary to play the game.
I guess it might be different in different sports. For me, the sport of soccer has the best argument for the necessity of a coach. But baseball is all about finding what works and repetitions. Basketball is about athleticism and mimicking what the good players do. Volleyball might be complex enough to really require a coach. However, I fully believe that there's so much information out there about a sport and if you devote your life to following what an instruction DVD tells you, you'll go just as far as if you had a coach...
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