teams

teamchemistry wrote:

How do others deal with the social aspect of teams? If you have a young elite, or possibly more talented athlete than existing team members. When more talented or harder working young athletes come into existing programs it seems to create resentment and sometimes mean treatment from older athletes. Should coaches interfere? What if older athletes cut them off in runs, try to prevent them from passing and treat them badly? Some kids just want to train and not get involved in social, yet some coaches try to force the social aspect. Do you think coaches should use young athletes to force older athletes to work harder, by embarrassing them, and having younger kids beat them in front of parents and other athletes during training?Is this a common tactic? Is this fair to the younger athlete?

1) No it isn't fair.

2) Life isn't fair, so deal with it.

3) Not the coach's job to be everyone's mommy.

4) The best at almost anything will be resented at least in some way by others in that same activity; jealousy and hatred. Part of life.

5) If an athlete doesn't want to work, they won't...can't force work on them if they don't want to be there. Back in my middle school wrestling days, one guy on the team didn't like to work out, so he would frequently punch himself in the nose until he got a big nosebleed, and then he was able to sit out the workouts...the coach never knew he did this and just thought he was a "bleeder".

No athlete should be cut off in runs or treated badly. No athlete should be used to embarrass another. You need to create a culture where everyone is working to his/her own ability while striving to be better. My older athletes would welcome a young phenom and it is my task to ensure that everyone is treated fairly.

It's time to have a talk with your athletes and get them on the same page. Motivation comes first, training methodology second or even third.