Thursday, December 9, 2010
A Coach's Perspective
So, tonight I have my last game for my 7th grade team. So far we are undefeated and 8-0. We play the hardest team in the league, who we came from behind to beat and only by 3 points last time. I'm extremely nervous...yet I'm not even playing. Since I'm head coach, it's up to me to call the shots and if we're in a sticky situation, it's my job to get us out of it. Game management is key: knowing how many fouls my girls have, how many time-outs I have left, managing the clock, trying to sub girls in (we have 16 players) appropriately not only so we can win, but since it's 7th grade, trying to be fair about playing time, calling the right play at the right time, and SO MANY MORE THINGS. This made me think, are all coaches this nervous before big games? As a player, I've never thought about it! I guess this means I've growed up :(
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haha. although it would be a little easier if it were high school level cause then you wouldn't have to make it fair but definitely not as easy as we all thought.
ReplyDeleteWell it makes sense that you're nervous, since coaches are very important for younger kids. The players can't really take matters into their own hands or use their own 'sport sense' for situations since they haven't developed it yet. So you do have a big role, almost like you're playing, so you're entitled to be nervous.
ReplyDeleteOnce players get to high school, coaches shouldn't be as nervous about making the right decision since the players know how to play for the most part (or they should). The need for coaches continues to decrease as players move up the ladder, however most coaches are worried for the sake of their jobs, not necessarily whether or not they do the right thing (even though those two ideas can be linked).
For example, college coaches are consistently judged as successful if they win, but it is usually excellent recruiting that makes them win instead of superior strategy on the court. Similar in professional sports, coaches are the scapegoats for players underperforming.
I dunno, that's just my three cents on the matter.
Keep up the good coaching!
Oh no, Kyle, your essay makes perfect sense. I hadn't thought about it that way. Although, my high school team (freshman) suck. So, they really don't have any sport sense. Also, today, we lost by 6...but it was a close game. At the end I was telling the girls to go for the steal during the time out...and they got on the court and had no idea what to do. It comes with experience I suppose. Let's just say my voice is pretty shot now. Even though we lost (and I'm pretty upset about it) we played well, and ended up tying for 1st, so no worries.
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