Coaches How to coach with someone more fun than you...

[Rorysmom17]

Does anyone else co-coach with someone super “fun”? How do you do it? I am going from coaching with someone who I was really on the same page with and pretty similar personality wise, to someone who is always making the kids giggle and say that they hope to be with them... I legitimately had girls in the group saying that right in front of me, and I told them that I was glad they were enjoying the new coach, but that it was disrespectful to say that to me.
The girls are young, so I am glad that there is a little fun in it for them, but I worry that this coach may be a little too much of that!
I feel like we can’t both be fun because it is team and we do have expectations for the kids and a lot that we need to accomplish before competition season. I wouldn’t say I’m mean, but I am super strict about behavior specifically and I make a ton of form corrections. I feel like I have to be even more on top of these things with the other coach goofing around the whole time.
How do I keep coaching with this new coach without feeling like I am the mean coach? The worst part is, because this coach is new, the girls are totally trying to impress during practice with new coach. The dynamic of the group is very different and the girls are on super bad behavior with me... girls are level 1-3 we split into groups and event coach. Girls are 5-7 years old.

This is also a brand new situation, so I know it will take some time and adjustments for it to work- any advice or stories about similar situations would certainly be appreciated. Maybe it will calm down a little bit as well? Maybe?

 

[Jard.the.gymnast]

Have you already talked to the other coach? I notice with myself I don't always realisme what I'm doing or not doing that the other coach would like to see. Tell other coach it's OK to have fun, but not too much, they have to stay focused.

Also don't forget you are not a bad coach because the kids seem to like the other coach better. You just have different coaching styles, and some kids respond better to fun than strict (and the other way around of course)

 

[kiwi2406]

Agreed. Try talking to the other coach and see if that changes anything (it should). As for the kids, they're young so don't worry about them. At 5-7, they don't really understand that they are there to work, rather than play and socialise. Eventually, they will get to like having a stricter coach.

 

[coachmolly]

Story of my life. I am very quiet and have almost always worked with another coach who is more outgoing and fun than I am. The kids who are more on the quiet and serious side tend to gravitate towards me while the kids who are a little bit more outgoing and fun loving gravitate towards the "fun" coach. I think it can be good to have different personalities working with the kids as they all have someone they feel they can relate to well, however it can be a problem if the other coach is going over the top. I have worked with other coaches who talked to the kids while I was trying to talk, allowed them to climb all over them, and wanted to be a friend of the kids/well liked over serving in a coaching capacity.
Maybe just remind the other coach that meets are just around the corner and it's time to really crack down on fixing little details and getting serious about their routines. Remind the coach that they are little and easily taken off task so, as the coaches, you need to make sure they are getting their work done so they are prepared for meets. You could also come up with a plan to add some fun into the schedule so this coach can continue being silly with the kids but in a more structured way. Maybe allow 10 minutes at the end of practice for a game if they work hard during the rest of practice and use it to encourage them throughout the practice time- "If you work hard and focus now we can play a fun game at the end." You can even make it a game that serves some gymnastics purpose- relay races, stick it, strength challenges. Or give that responsibility to the fun coach to plan and lead the activity. It could be every practice or once a week.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

It will all calm down on its own. So long as they are working i would take advantage of it