For Coaches Questions

[gymnasticcoach]

I would like to know from Head Coaches and also other coaches answers to some questions

1....Would you ever coach your own children ?

2.....Do you work for an hourly wage or salary (Head Coaches) ?

3.....Do you think Head Coaches should have absolute and total control over programming and not accept new program ideas ?

4.....If as a Head Coach your club hired a full time coach who was more experienced than you ?

Thank you for your opinions

Don

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

1....Would you ever coach your own children ?

Not if I could avoid it. I believe that the role of coach and the role of parent are both very important, and must remain distinct from each other. (note: I don't have any kids of my own; this is just based on my observations of other coaches and their kids)

2.....Do you work for an hourly wage or salary (Head Coaches) ?

Hourly wage.

3.....Do you think Head Coaches should have absolute and total control over programming and not accept new program ideas ?

No, but it's pretty clear from how you phrase the question that you don't expect any other answer.
The purpose of a head coach is to have the final say and to provide guidance, but the head coach should not have the ONLY say in how things are done.

4.....If as a Head Coach your club hired a full time coach who was more experienced than you ?

Um... I'm not sure what the question is here.

Something to note: I'm not head coach for the gym as a whole, merely for the boys team (which currently has 8 members, compared to the 60 or so we have on the girls team)

 

[gymnasticcoach]

ooooops....the fourth question i posted was incomplete, it should read.

4.....If you are a Head Coach and your club hired a full time coach who was more experienced than you, the Head Coach, would you feel intimidated by that or welcome a coach who was more experienced than you. (this new coach is in no way after the HC job, now or ever) ?

 

[ACoach78]

1. First of all, I don't plan on having my own kids. However, if I did, I'd have no issues coaching them. What happens in the gym would stay in the gym.

2. Although I'm qualified, I have yet to be the head coach of an entire program. I've been in charge of groups/teams, however. Currently, I am not coaching. However, when I return somewhere down the road, I'll only accept a head coaching role. In my full-time positions, I've been salaried. PT - Hourly.

3. I think that the head coach should be the final decision maker otherwise nothing will ever get done. But, I think that the head coach should be very open to new ideas or thoughts that might make the athletes and/or the program better. If you think that you know everything, then you'll only succeed in proving that you really know very little. With that said, it's vital to try and surround yourself with other coaches who share a similar training approach and speak the same language as you'll have a lot more confidence and trust in their thoughts/ideas. If you have major fundamental differences, then you'll just always be questioning one another on every minute detail and this is not a good situation for yourselves or the athletes.

4. First of all, experience does not always reflect "know-how." I've worked with plenty of coaches that have 2-3 times more experience than I do. But, their level of knowledge was not even remotely comparable to their years of experience. Having said that, if I'm the head coach and someone comes along that speaks my language philosophically and knows more than me, I'm not intimidated in the least bit. I'm excited. I'm going to get better as a coach and the kids are going to benefit tremendously. I now have a resource to bounce ideas off of. Obviously, the intimidation stems from the insecurity surrounding the perceived loss of credibility in the eyes of the athletes - I don't believe this happens. It's ok to say..."I'm not sure...let's get "Joe's" opinion because he's worked with this skill a little more. Your athletes will trust you even more and maintain that level of respect because they recognize that you're human and they also can see that you're trying to do the very best that you can for them.

 

[KBT]

I am a rec coach, also former high school/middle school coach, always as an assistant coach.

1....Would you ever coach your own children ?
I don't have children so it's hard to say, but I think it depends on the child. If both parent and child are mature enough to handle the working relationship then I see no problem. I did have my dad as a math teacher in high school, and it worked fine. I think he expected more of me, but never treated me differently in class. I did not expect preferential treatment and we didn't discuss math at home.


3.....Do you think Head Coaches should have absolute and total control over programming and not accept new program ideas ?
Not total control. I think head coach is ultimately in charge of the program, but should be willing to listen to and encourage new ideas in the program. Part of being a good coach and having a good program is knowing that there are always new ideas out there that may make a program better.


4.....If as a Head Coach your club hired a full time coach who was more experienced than you ?
How are you defining more experienced? Having coached more years or harder levels doesn't necessarily make a better coach. The job expectations of a head coach are different than just a coach (i.e. creating the gym program, coming up with new ideas, discussing program with other coaches) so more experience also doesn't mean this person could be head coach. A good head coach wants what's best for the girls, and another experienced coach can only help that goal. As long as you've got a head coach without an ego I don't see major problems.