Here's a question I want answered by all the daddy coaches: why, when there's a ton of former players here on Long Island, do self proclaimed experts with no lacrosse experience at all - not one second of experience as a child or adult, not one practice, not one game, no ability to perform the skills they expect from their players, not a second of college training - absolutely nothing to reference... how do we put up with these men as our children's coaches? Think about a 6th grader, playing travel and PAL. That child has hundreds of games, thousands of hours playing, training, just messing around with his stick. He's been in game situations. He knows you can't "scoop through" every ground ball. He knows you have to put one hand on the stick when appropriate, etc... then he is screamed at by some plumbe's helper whose claim to fame is that he watched lacrosse from a sideline. Ever have your legs full of acid, or the wind knocked out of you while a ding bat is screaming, "wheels!!" And expecting you to run the ball up? This is why there is such a drop off with talent here on Long Island. We have coaches with real life experience, then we have Carvel workers who know nothing and claim up the head coach position from kindergarten and then the kids and parents are stuck with that moron until that kid ages out of youth sports. He never had a chance.
I can answer that for you. It's because dads like you have no interest in coaching kids when they are 5 and 6 years old. You lack the patience and ability to complete the task. You're not intelligent enough to realize that a young child needs more than a stick and a ball. You're not wise enough to develop a practice plan for each day (because you can't coach 20-25 5 and 6 year old children, whose parents drop and go, without a fully thought-out and developed plan). You're too foolish to realize that at the early stages of youth sports, its not about winning, but rather about developing the team first and player second. You're too selfish to devote all of the necessary time it takes, on and off the field, to reach a predetermined goal or level of success. You're too weak to ignore your own child so that you can give more intensive instruction to a small boy who doesn't have a father to "have a catch" with him when he's not at practice.
You want to coach them when they are 12 and have all of the prerequisite/fundamental skills, because, quite frankly, coaching the little ones is a very challenging task. But, unfortunately for you, by then they're off to middle school sports. You want to jump in now and take over? Thanks, but no thanks, Dad. I've spent 6 years developing relationships with my players and their parents. I understand their strengths and weaknesses and I know how and when to motivate them and how to make them feel proud of the effort they put in. You just continue to sit on the sidelines and [lacrosse] and moan to everyone who will listen. My child will remember the good times we shared while I coached his team and his friends. Your child will more than likely remember his miserable dad bitching about how this PAL program is a waste of time.
For the record, I've never played lacrosse, but I've played other sports at a high level. I know about good coaching and poor coaching because I've experienced both. I've seen how a coach can be a positive role model in a child's life. I've also seen how easily a coach can ruin a child's self esteem and drive him or her from sports prematurely.
So why don't you do yourself, and everyone else on the sidelines, a big favor. Go over to his coaches and shake their hand and say thank you. And while you're at it, apologize to them for talking so much trash since your boy was in kindergarten.
This reply is so spot on!!! Thank you!!! My sons coach has never played lacrosse a day in his life and is the best coach he has ever had, on any sport. He gets the kids. He lets them play and also have fun. They all respond so well to him because he genuinely cares about them. Any former lacrosse player can tell plays from the sidelines with a coaching t shirt on, its the one who make the kids love the game, that are real coaches.
