Joystick Coaches

[Guest]

Agree.

Nothing worse than seeing the coach sitting on his butt looking at his phone keeping his mouth shut. I paid this guy this much for what now?

Oh right! We need to give the 6-year-old the chance to make decisions on their own because they don't need any instruction at all.........

*** This is the worst! A parent that thinks their 6yo superstar is going pro. Let them play the game, let the coaches develop them and sit on the sidelines and cheer.

[Guest]

Amazing how different two coaches can be within the same program, same (in theory) league and age group. One, for the most part, watches the game and does his training (and yelling, TBH) before, after, and during sessions. One screams all game long in reactionary mode telling someone to be somewhere AFTER the play has happened. Really poor coaching on the second as they don't train you for what will happen, they just try to beat you into submission after it does.

Honestly, at the pro level, there are successful coaches who joystick and some who watch and train after. Some unsuccessful as well. The difference is they are anticipating the play and try to correct it real time vs. after, and in-game.

Watch the coach before you commit is my only suggestion, but I realize it's not perfect.

[Guest]

Are the absolute worst.

So we all complain that most of the coaches suck, then someone that is actually trying to coach tactics & probably teach your kid to stay organized is “the worst”.

Got it, let the kids play kick and chase while running into each-other because they’re not prepared but Karen thinks her son is having fun while he’s overwhelmed!

[Guest]

This subject is more complicated than it may seem. A coach that is constantly telling players of any age and level what to do, where to be, etc... be it before or after the play... is just a bad coach, no question about it. In fact, a coach that is so verbally active during the game is a coach who is not observing properly and therefore cannot provide valuable and actionable feedback that is helpful to the player. With that said, any coach who is on the phone at any time during a game (and practice) is just a bad coach as well. I'm grateful for my kid's coach who for many years coached her with just the right amount of feedback and always at the right time. No joystick required.

[Guest]

FIFA/Joy Stick = RJ from Seacoast

[Guest]

Amazing how different two coaches can be within the same program, same (in theory) league and age group. One, for the most part, watches the game and does his training (and yelling, TBH) before, after, and during sessions. One screams all game long in reactionary mode telling someone to be somewhere AFTER the play has happened. Really poor coaching on the second as they don't train you for what will happen, they just try to beat you into submission after it does.

Honestly, at the pro level, there are successful coaches who joystick and some who watch and train after. Some unsuccessful as well. The difference is they are anticipating the play and try to correct it real time vs. after, and in-game.

Watch the coach before you commit is my only suggestion, but I realize it's not perfect.

Going to watch games or practices is recommended for many reasons. You can watch how they coach on and off the field.

[Guest]

So we all complain that most of the coaches suck, then someone that is actually trying to coach tactics & probably teach your kid to stay organized is “the worst”.

Got it, let the kids play kick and chase while running into each-other because they’re not prepared but Karen thinks her son is having fun while he’s overwhelmed!

Coaching tactics is one thing; screaming at kids constantly about what they did wrong moments after it happened really doesn't do any good. The play is lost, they've moved on. Watch video together and coach them then if you really think what you are doing is beneficial.

[Guest]

So we all complain that most of the coaches suck, then someone that is actually trying to coach tactics & probably teach your kid to stay organized is “the worst”.

Got it, let the kids play kick and chase while running into each-other because they’re not prepared but Karen thinks her son is having fun while he’s overwhelmed!

Treatment by these coaches is important. My son was lied to and made to feel inferior repeatedly and now is a mess.

[Guest]

Treatment by these coaches is important. My son was lied to and made to feel inferior repeatedly and now is a mess.

Careful, you bring up a subject like that on here you son will be deemed soft and lazy and out of his element and the coach is right and you whine too much and you have misplaced expectations. Trust me, I know.

It can take a while to rebuild a kid's confidence after experiencing a negative coaching style.

[Guest]

Treatment by these coaches is important. My son was lied to and made to feel inferior repeatedly and now is a mess.

How so in this context?

[Guest]

Coaching tactics is one thing; screaming at kids constantly about what they did wrong moments after it happened really doesn't do any good. The play is lost, they've moved on. Watch video together and coach them then if you really think what you are doing is beneficial.

This is spot on. The amount of times you ask a kid "so remember that last play?" And they have no clue what happened because they're not thinking like that and they've moved on. So that's when you might do more direct instruction or to some degree "joysticking" because you want the player to be in the right position, to then be able to make their own decision on the next play.
Coaching is multi layered. Sometimes you need to give direct instructions and sometimes you need to stay silent to let players figure it out. Sometimes you need to berate a player and sometimes they need gentle encouragement. The good coaches are the ones who can navigate all that.

The bad ones are the ones who posture and coach for the parents. Shouting meaningless platitudes for moments passed that benefit no one, other than showing they know what "should've happened."