Hounddogharrier wrote:
Here is some advice from an old coach who has been in the game a long time . You can tell by a kid’s 3rd race of his first season if the kid has potential. Don’t waste your time with the kids who show no potential at all . Turning 26 minute 5k runners into 21:30 5k runners achieves nothing . Yeah they may be nice kids but that doesn’t win races .
Hey you sound like a complete jackhole, just a heads up. If you're actually a coach, please quit immediately
Hounddogharrier wrote:
Here is some advice from an old coach who has been in the game a long time . You can tell by a kid’s 3rd race of his first season if the kid has potential. Don’t waste your time with the kids who show no potential at all . Turning 26 minute 5k runners into 21:30 5k runners achieves nothing . Yeah they may be nice kids but that doesn’t win races .
This is probably the most horrible advice I have ever heard. People tend to forget that most high school athletes will NOT make the olympics. The job of a coach is to make EVERYONE on the team better athletes and give them the best possible atittude towards sport. A good coach should make the athletes want to give it their best and help them learn determination. Then if you have propper professional knowledge, the results will come.
Hello online liar wrote:
Hounddogharrier wrote:
Here is some advice from an old coach who has been in the game a long time . You can tell by a kid’s 3rd race of his first season if the kid has potential. Don’t waste your time with the kids who show no potential at all . Turning 26 minute 5k runners into 21:30 5k runners achieves nothing . Yeah they may be nice kids but that doesn’t win races .
Hey you sound like a complete jackhole, just a heads up. If you're actually a coach, please quit immediately
If I hear any more yapping from you hobby joggers I will seriously throw up ? in my mouth . If you want to sing kumbaya and give every finisher a medal start a jogging club . There are winners and losers . I teach kids to be winners .
FYI my squad has won the league 3 of the last 8 years .
Read the post right above this one ☝?, that’s some “propper professional knowledge “. Your post was so whiny I actually threw up in my mouth . Thanks ?.
CPAHELP wrote:
Just accepted assistant coaching position at local powerhouse HS. Whats your advice?
1. Get involved with most of them on social media.
2. Make them like u and think your funny by telling lots of jokes, sex jokes.
3. Talk about dieting.
4. Determine the females menstrual cycles so you can properly design their training
5. Correct the head coaches training by secretly suggesting, giving, or conducting alternative workouts.
6. Belittle and criticized slower runners in order to motivate them to new heights.
7. Show favoritism.
8. Super high mileage.
9. You yourself should wear short shorts, or tight tights, to practice. Add a cut off shirt.
10. Constantly name drop all the famous runners you have been associated with. The kids need to know your legit.
11. Exaggerate your own running achievements. Make sure it is not easily verifiable.
12. Earn the trust of a vulnerable one and pursue a “relationship” with them. This could be a male or female.
13. For recovery, massage their legs after hard workouts. Use lotion.
14. Do everything in your power to get rid of the old blood (i.e. coaches, non compliant athletes) so you can take over and control the program.
15. Start making cuts.
My advice as a teacher and head coach of a small program is this:
It is kind of sad we need to say "know your athletes names". We need to be better than this. Don't just know your athletes names. Know what they like. Know if they are a huge NBA fan. Know how they react to hard practices / bad races, etc. - Actually knowing about your athletes interests will help you create genuine relationships, which is critical if you are to help them grow.
Your goal should be to create better people, not just better runners. Don't just focus on the fast kids, unless you are a complete selfish knob and only care about getting to states. You probably won't get there with a bad attitude like this anyway.
Finally, I'd like to echo the advice of do NOT text/email athletes individually. Use an app like TeamSnap or Team App, both are great (it's 2019 you need to protect yourself from ridiculousness, unfortunately). If your HC has a problem with this, simply explain that you are not comfortable with the liability element and tell him to check out the apps above.
Toast
Ben There wrote:
Do whatever the head coach tells you to do. And don’t touch any of the kids.
this is probably the best advice you can get. The coach will give you better advice than anyone on here. When the kids complain about stuff always take the head coach's side, I see a lot of young coaches try to buddy buddy with the athletes and they make this mistake all the time.
Hounddogharrier wrote:
Here is some advice from an old coach who has been in the game a long time . You can tell by a kid’s 3rd race of his first season if the kid has potential. Don’t waste your time with the kids who show no potential at all . Turning 26 minute 5k runners into 21:30 5k runners achieves nothing . Yeah they may be nice kids but that doesn’t win races .
My first 3 races my freshman year were all in 23 or 22 minutes. My first 2 years I had a coach like you. Oh, he was knowledgeable. Was a teammate of Jim Ryun in high school. Had the photos to prove it. Long time runner and coach. Only cared about his all-state star. But, just showing up to practice and being dedicated got me into the upper 18’s by the end of sophomore year. And that was off of a 1 minute PR in the final race that year. I switched schools my junior year and the team had a coach that cared about everyone. Finished high school with a D1 scholarship. I’m in my 40’s now and the things my second coach taught me I still carry to this day. You’re missing out on massive opportunities to impact people’s lives, and maybe find some diamonds in the rough, but something tells me that’s probably for the best. With this demeanor, it’s probably better for the kids that you be less involved with them.
CPAHELP wrote:
eye no wrote:
How old are you? Are you male or female? Are you coaching the boys, girls or both? What type of shape are you in right now? Do you have another job? Get back to me and I'll let you know.
23, male, coaching just the boys team. Just got finished marathon training a few months ago and have maintained pretty decent shape (marathon was 2:39:32). I work full time at a marketing agency in town, doing the morning shift so I'm out of work by 2 everyday
State College has a marketing agency in town?
CPAHELP wrote:
Just accepted assistant coaching position at local powerhouse HS. Whats your advice?
Fake up that you are following the head coach, then just ask JS here on the boards what's best to do. lol
Thank you all for the help and tips! This is all good to know. I'm excited to be coaching at a relatively small school with like 10-20 runners, so hopefully shouldn’t be too hard to actually learn everyone’s names. I’ve been good family friends with the head coach my whole life and don’t envision any issues popping up with following his lead on everything!
He will be coaching both the boys and girls teams for the first time this fall, but I’ll just be focusing on the boys side, so hopefully that’ll give plenty of opportunities to learn.
Really appreciate all the helpful insights.
emil_zatopek wrote:
Siding Scale wrote:
Oh, and while I gave you some genuine advice in good faith, make it a general rule to not seek advice on this site
retweet ^^^
retweet^^^
WTF! Why would you ever want to coach kids nowadays? 20-30 years ago maybe yes, because you could possibly make a difference and enjoy your role as coach. These days, no effing way. Things have become just too toxic. But it's your choice. Anyway, my advice if you want to come through unscathed is to keep your mouth shut and unless instructed otherwise do as little as possible.
I'm sure you will regret your decision.
I can only assume Hounddogharrier is a troll, but will give him a 5/10 on his post since so many people responded and because I'm going to, as well. I had XC friends as a freshman, so as an overweight kid I took up casual running on my own freshman year to drop some weight and joined the team as a sophomore. I ran a 26:10 5k in my first race as a sophomore. I improved to something modest like 20:50 for 3 miles by the end of the year (short, fast course). When I returned as a junior the next year I was the top runner on the team. It's absurd to think a kid doesn't have potential just because they show up to you running a 26 minute 5k. You're describing most freshmen. If you aren't helping the slow ones get faster, then it doesn't sound like you're a great coach.
It's tough as a 23 year old assistant, because you want to try to be friendly and relate to the kids, but more often than not this will only get you in trouble. It's much better for your coaching career if you get friendly with the coach and make sure you are championing his/her cause rather than the athletes. Your job as a coach is to guide the kids; it is not to try to guide the other coach. The assistants who pal it up with the kids rarely last more than one four year cycle before they quit because the team just doesn't feel the same anymore. The assistants who take their tutelage seriously end up being a head coach four years later and realize it's their job to ensure consistency for the kids.
CPAHELP wrote:
Just accepted assistant coaching position at local powerhouse HS. Whats your advice?
Because I am really interested in youth sport coaching (and I extend that into high school coaching), I am curious what qualifications and training you have or have sought out to be in this position.
As for your request, I suggest you develop a coaching philosophy of your own--ideally it lines up with the HC and the school's. (Does the HC have a coaching philosophy)?
Study up on the developmental levels of the high school age group. I would argue that some of that and the mental skills stuff is more important than training plans and workouts.
Check out stuff on coaching from Positive Coaching Alliance and icoachkids.eu (some of the latter is probably not exactly aimed at high school aged kids, but much of it is generic---look that the MOOCs that are offered).
Read "What Made Maddy Run" especially if dealing with girls. (Depending on how old you are it might also give you a lot of insight into the world teens are navigating these days. I am in my 50s and teen life for me was so much different than it is for my teens). Another book recommendation if you are coaching girls "Brave, Not Perfect".
Make it fun. Figure out ways to take mundane workouts and add an element of fun while keeping to the goal of the workout. You may have less control over this depending on the views of the HC.
Hello online liar wrote:
Hounddogharrier wrote:
Here is some advice from an old coach who has been in the game a long time . You can tell by a kid’s 3rd race of his first season if the kid has potential. Don’t waste your time with the kids who show no potential at all . Turning 26 minute 5k runners into 21:30 5k runners achieves nothing . Yeah they may be nice kids but that doesn’t win races .
Hey you sound like a complete jackhole, just a heads up. If you're actually a coach, please quit immediately
Wow! Heck then why even have those slow kids on a team? Just jettison them! If they are not helping you win then what good are they. Or hey let's run kids off from the sport and have no chance of them ever becoming a fan or a coach or a volunteer.
If you are coaching HS kids, please do them all a favor and retire. Go coach on serious runners although my guess is that no one would want you.
eye no wrote:
CPAHELP wrote:
Just accepted assistant coaching position at local powerhouse HS. Whats your advice?
How old are you? Are you male or female? Are you coaching the boys, girls or both? What type of shape are you in right now? Do you have another job? Get back to me and I'll let you know.
I can see where this might help with specific advice, but I would say 90% of the things I would tell a coach are independent of this. The what kind of shape question is particularly bothersome. I mean this guy seems like he might be a pretty good coach
https://people.com/sports/espys-2019-rob-mendez-jimmy-v-perseverance-award/Kung Pow Chicken wrote:
A) Don't show up to practices or meets hungover, intoxicated, or smelling of stale alcohol.
B) Look presentable at all times.
C) Be on-time.
D) Do not berate the kids or throw objects at them even when they deserve it.
E) Do not call the kids names in front of parents, and always tell parents you are grateful for their input and concern for the program and will always take it under careful advisement.
F) Never find yourself alone with any of the kids.
G) Gotta give respect to get respect, but always make sure the kids know you are a pack leader.
H) Don't BS.
I) Make sure the kids understand how tough you are and how much harder things were back in the day.
Regarding E, how about never calling the kids names PERIOD.
Fast kid wrote:
Why should he not give more attention to the faster kids? He ultimately wants a winning team.
Well then how will the slower kids get faster?
Also, I think a high school coach should still be concerned with the development and improvement of all kids. I have an idealistic streak that I want to see them all improve and also love running so that they are doing it decades later or they become coaches later.
If winning is your only goal, then you likely will be greatly disappointed and should be fired after the first meet you lose, right?
Or if you do not win state, then out you go.
Hounddogharrier wrote:
Hello online liar wrote:
Hey you sound like a complete jackhole, just a heads up. If you're actually a coach, please quit immediately
If I hear any more yapping from you hobby joggers I will seriously throw up ? in my mouth . If you want to sing kumbaya and give every finisher a medal start a jogging club . There are winners and losers . I teach kids to be winners .
FYI my squad has won the league 3 of the last 8 years .
I find it funny you take that view. Sad as well. No one has an issue with teaching kids to be winners. I have an issue with it being the most important thing though. What lines do you draw in your pursuit of winning only. Also how do slower kids develop? Some probably survive whatever program you have in place because if you drop a carton of eggs some will not crack.
How many of your runners keep running after HS? I do not mean in college on a team, but keep running?
I have seen plenty of top programs in the country (far more successful than you claim your's to be) that have a philosophy of seeing everyone improve.
You are the sort of coach that I would love to see run out of coaching young people.