CollegeDoog:
First of all, you are reading into the preview clip way too far. Reality TV is fake. It's almost always loosely scripted, and sometimes it is completely scripted. The producers can edit that shit any way they want, and the trailer is going to be filled with some of the worst stuff because controversy sells. Some 9 and 10 year old kids cry when they get hit too hard. Kids cry and say they can't do it when they get really tired during conditioning. It's nothing unique.
I would estimate the majority of these of these kids dream of becoming a star player for their high school and playing at Texas or A&M. Working hard is the price you pay to do that. If these kids don't want to do it, they will fall behind the kids that are willing. I don't agree about all the methods and I doubt anyone would disagree that some youth coaches and parents can be psycho's, but there is some good in teaching kids if you want something, you have to work really hard and pay the price. Life is rarely easy, which is something that is obvious you don't understand yet. Hard work for you is studying all night for a really tough chemistry test.
The crap about these kids being scarred for life by these coaches is bullshit. They are more likely to laugh over beers about it when reminiscing once they get older than being scarred by it. I doubt many kids, even the ones with shitty experiences are affected long term by stuff that happened during youth sports. Kids get scarred by not getting love, being ignored, getting beaten, sexual abuse. Getting yelled at or having a dad that was too tough on you during athletics is probably very low on the list.
While I agree with you about the best coaches being teachers, there's nothing wrong with yelling. No kid ever needs a fire lit under him? I've seen it work with some kids, and even myself. Some kids can take it, others can't. The best coaches know how to push the right buttons for different kids.
Disagree. I work my ass off. Not sure how you could speculate that from an online sports forum.
My point still stands that there are better and more constructive ways to coach youth sports.
"Scarring for life" is a bit extreme. It's more about having a sporting experience ruined by a myopic adult.
It's obviously secondary to much worse parenting problems. But part of being a kid is playing sports, and adults too often lose sight of that and make it about themselves.
When it comes to yelling, for me personally and other kids playing sports, it's not as effective as other methods of teaching. There are plenty of child psychology studies that show that style does more harm than it helps. Psychological intimidation of a child by an adult isn't accepted in other parts of our society, why do we so freely accept it in coaching? The kind of emotional maturity you talk about that allows kids to respond better to that style probably isn't developed that early. I think by high school most are ready to deal with a coach like that, but before probably not.
I've always thought playing youth sports was about getting better and enjoying it with your friends, and of course winning. I found that I became better and enjoyed playing much more for coaches that were stern, but not abusive, and we actually won. The yellers were often losers.
I don't think you become tough or get soft by how a coach treats you. Tough people and soft people are just that way by nature.
I understand where you come from though. There are certainly people that respond well to yelling and confrontation. But too often coaches who are prone to demonstrative tactics to teach think it applies to everyone, when it doesn't.
It's all about pushing the right buttons.
