Beyond Idiotic Sports Coaching



Posted: Tuesday, April 21, 2009

by David Shields

Let's face it. There are a great many terrific coaches. There are also a lot of idiots prowling the sidelines. I don't mean to be derogatory; simply accurate. By "idiot," however, I don't mean what the word typically connotes today. Rather, I'm returning to its original usage. In ancient Greece, an idiot was a person who was only concerned about their own good. An idiot was someone who was self-centered. They were not contributing members of the community. They were takers, but not givers.

Today, many coaches seem to forget that sports can and should serve the common good of all. Sports shouldn't be just about heaping glory and rewards on those who win. Sports are about excitement, exhilaration, enjoyment, striving, mastery, dedication, teamwork, loyalty, commitment, resilience, and hope. The list, of course, could be extended indefinitely because the bounty flowing from well-played sports is endless. Ultimately, for those committed to sports, the competition is about pursuing excellence of physical performance and finding enjoyment in strenuous pursuit. These benefits have little to do with the victory stand.

Many coaches, however, reduce sports to a battle for prestige, a war for reward. It is not that there is something wrong with wanting to win. The whole competitive enterprise would fall apart if people weren't trying their utmost to come out on top. Necessarily, winning is the internal goal of the contest. It is the goal everyone must pursue for sports to exist. But the goal of the contest is not the same as the reason for playing it. The real purpose to play is found in the play itself. To achieve the positive gains that come from playing, win or lose, is the ultimate reason to compete. When coaches fully grasp this, they move beyond being idiots concerned only with themselves and their team.

Famously, ESPN's "coach of the century," John Wooden, never talked to his team about winning. Of course he wanted to win; that's not the point. But Wooden defined success not as victory, but as playing to the best of one's potential. That's what it's really all about. When everyone views sport in that way, everyone benefits. Let's move beyond idiotic coaching.

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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by Anonymous 3 years 35 days ago.
I couldn't agree with you more David.  Coaches need to realize the impact they have on a child. More importance should be placed on team building and good sportsmanship, rather than winning at all costs.
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