Off the court frustration...

It is a challenging enough job to get a team of kids together to play as a team in a sport. There's a lot to do - learn the rules, teach the basic skills, teach strategy... Realistically, everything only comes together after the first few games, if that early. If you've hit your stride by the middle or end of the season, that's not so bad.

So what happens when the league you're playing in takes some liberties with the schedule and the format of the games. Liberties like, "it's always been a certain way, and now everything is totally different"... And not just before the season - during the season! First the games are 12 minutes, then they're 8, then they're 12 again, and now there's 4 and not 5. Wow.

This type of situation falls into those buckets where you may have to just throw your hands up. There are things you can control, things you cannot, and then things that just irritate you to no end. This could easily be either of the latter two, or both. Sometimes, league officials may be influenced, and see the light. Other times they will not. In these situations, it is difficult - but likely the best course of action is to roll with the flow as much as possible. Keep in mind, youth sports are about the kids, and having them learn and enjoy the sport in a positive way. It is not about parents, adults, or league officials getting their air time. As a coach, you can very much influence the tone of the practices and games which - despite what else may be happening - can mean all the difference.

I say all of this, and I hope I mean it...

Enforcing Rules

I was looking back on the post from May 4th (Titled "Rules")... I smiled to myself at the Big Lebowski reference - and here's that topic again. Rules.

This time, though - when is the right age to start enforcing the rules during a game? We're about mid-season now with the basketball and soccer teams this summer, and that question is front and center. Not for the 5-year-old soccer league - where they've been doing great. ...except for the one team which likes to try to slide in front of other players... The issue is the 8 and 9 year olds playing basketball.

In basketball, there are a lot of rules. Not a lot like baseball, but quite a few. Traveling, double-dribble, and then a bunch that are a lot more picky - 5 seconds, over-and-back - not to mention fouls. About this age, most leagues start to enforce the rules - resulting in turnovers or free throws... This is a good thing - the kids are old enough to start to follow the rules, and the games look more like "real" games.

All works well, until different "refs" work the games each week, and call wildly different games. Is it so hard to have some consistency - and some basic guidelines? I'm not talking about calling things to the letter - but if someone takes more than 2-3 steps... that's traveling when you're 8. If you're dribbling with 2 hands, or constantly picking up your dribble and restarting, that's double-dribbling.

Why? At this age, cheating actually gets you somewhere. Look how fast you can be if you don't need to dribble - or if you can pick up the ball whenever you want. And if not now, when? Some schools start playing competitively in 5th grade, and I know traveling teams start in the 3rd and 4th grades...

My apologies for the rambling this time. If your son or daughter is 8 - or older - and their games don't begin to resemble "real" games... it's time to ask questions.

Rules

For as much as I want to encourage parents - or anyone - to volunteer their time to coach, you have to really want it. You have to be the "authority" on the team - the example for everyone to follow. And, you have to know the rules... of the sport, and of the league you're playing in. It doesn't matter when you learned them - just that you know, and adjust your coaching and strategy accordingly.



Why isn't this just really obvious? Because there are a lot of other things to think about. Equipment. Emails to the team. Dang, work was really bad today... When is practice? Little Johnny can't make that day, can you please move it to Tuesdays? In fact, that's the only day he can make it... But, you've seen soccer on TV - it can't be that hard, right? No hands, 11 players per side...?


Nothing is more embarrassing than to show up having practiced with goalies and now you can't use them. Or finding out that the basketball hoops are really 8 feet and not 6. Or that your team missed out on scoring a touchdown because you didn't realize you only had 2 timeouts per half. I've seen all of this happen, and none of it was positive.


Reading the rules literally takes a few minutes. It's ok to have questions. Every coordinator I've ever worked with was more than happy to follow up on any questions I had. Once you've read and understand the rules, don't let anyone else dictate the rules as they understand them to you (not parents, and especially not other coaches!). You will have practiced skills and put in strategy around the rules to give your kids the best chance of success (RIGHT?!). This is not to say you shouldn't agree to minor rule modifications with other coaches or officials as individual situations dictate! But knowing the rules puts you in that authority role that coaches should be in. Your parents will respect this, and the kids will rally around it.


Rules are your ally. They are in place to put the kids in the best and safest environment to succeed in the given sport. Knowing them well gives you an advantage, and it is difficult to argue what's written in the coaches' packet (vs. what you've "heard" or assumed about the league). This simple action can make the difference between great and not-so-great experiences on the field.


For my friends who may be reading - or for those of you who enjoy "The Big Lebowski" - yes, the scene with Smokey and Walter was the inspiration for this post.