Translated by: Alya Zahira (15 th - 2016)

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Parent's Guide : Part 2 Communicating With the Coach

 

You should always try to have an early-season conversation with your child's coach. It doesn't matter how long your child has been playing for the club. In fact, many coaches hold brief meetings for parents before the season starts. In either case, this is an excellent time to get a sense of the coach's philosophy on training subjects such as sportsmanship, playing time and practice, as well as guidelines and rules.

 

Some Questions For Head Coaches:

 

How many players will play in the team?

 

What is your philosophy of winning, coaching and developing a fun environment?

 

What are the training days?

 

How do you handle scheduling conflicts?

 

Have you coached players at this level before?

 

Do you have an assistant coach?

 

Can I help in some way?

 

What's the best way to contact you if I have more questions?

 

NOTES:There are coaches who may will schedule a specific time on Sundays for home talk if you have an issue to discuss as the season progresses.

 

Once you are satisfied your child is in good hands, give the coach enough space and freedom. Allowing them to coach without feeling watched gives the coach the space he needs to create a positive team environment for all players.

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One of the main lessons on the basketball team for youth players is tolerance and adjustment of different leadership styles. Allowing your children to handle the player-coach relationship alone will be of much greater benefit to your child. If a problem arises, you should be there for your child, but let this be resolved at team level first.

 

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Approaching the Coach On a Problem

 

Occasionally, misunderstandings occur. Maybe you feel that your child is not getting enough play time. Maybe your child is playing forward instead of guard. Or your child's team seems likely to treat its opponents in an unsportsmanlike manner. Whatever concerns, consult a trainer in a spirit of cooperation - NOT confrontation.

 

Some parents get angry and confront the coach in the middle of a game. Not only is this kind of action counterproductive, it embarrasses everyone, including your child. Like everyone else, the coach is much less likely to listen if you get in his face.

 

If you feel the need to discuss an issue with the coach, try waiting 24 hours and then calling the coach at home (make sure you get the appropriate contact number for the coach before the season). Try the following approach, "Coach, maybe you can help me with a problem my daughter has is you see, she always prefers to play point guard, and we see that you have her play forward As a result , he's a little.. confused. Can you help us work through his troubles?”

 

If you address the trainer in a non-confrontational way, he or she will likely be more than happy to talk through the issues and work out solutions that work for everyone.

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What if my child doesn't get enough Playtime?

 

Again, these are the types of issues that should be brought up in a calm, private conversation with a trainer. Ideally, coaches have data on who is playing and how many, and in what positions, during a game. But if you and your child believe that he is not getting enough playing time, then it may be time to talk to a coach.

 

In many children's competitions, there are rules regarding the participation of players. Before addressing issues with a trainer, you should be aware of any guidelines, if any. Preseason/competition conversations or meetings with coaches are the times to find this information. If not, try calling the coaching coordinator, or head of engineering to find out. Once you are ready with the information (for example, maybe that all players are required to play at least one-half of the game) you will be ready to talk to the coach.

 

Keep in mind, though, that with younger players in particular, it can be confusing as to who is playing and for how much time. Coaches usually employ assistants to monitor each child's play time. If there's a question about playing time, it's a matter of consulting the assistant coach's score sheet. If your child's coach doesn't have data ini, offer to help_cc7819905-5cde-39405-5cde-3945-5cde-3940 Besides helping to log playtime of your child, it might help some other players with the same thing. And who knows, trainers might be gladly take a hand.