Below is a great SI article that I found on St. Louis' Rick Majerus. Majerus is truly a genius when it comes to coaching basketball, but I almost felt sorry for him (not to mention some of his players) after I read this article. He is so driven and focused on the game that I can't help but wonder if he has missed out on some other important things in life. John Wooden talks a lot about balance in his writing. As a coach, we sometimes forget to keep things in perspective and keep a proper balance between the game and a healthy personal life...
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/the_bonus/01/17/majerus/index.html
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Coach Walberg Receives National Press!
I was really surprised when I found out last month that Coach Walberg had resigned from Pepperdine. It was unexpected because I truly believed that with another great recruiting class signed for next year Pepperdine basketball was set to blow up. Apparently Coach Walberg had a lot trouble getting some of his players and assistant coaches to believe in what he was trying to do from a tactical standpoint. Amazing... It just goes to show that belief and loyalty from those around you are so important when you are coaching.
It will be interesting to see where Coach Walberg ends up. With top teams in the pros (Celtics), college (Memphis), high school (Bob Hurley at St. Anthony's) and AAU (Nike Team Florida) all running his offense, it is obvious that he will be in demand as an assistant coach and may have other head coaching opportunities as well. I hope Walberg gets another good opportunity and that he has the success he deserves. He is a good guy and he has been very open and helpful about sharing his ideas with me and hundreds of other coaches around the country.
Below is a link to an article about the Dribble-Drive Motion in this week's Sports Illustrated. I actually knew a few weeks ago that this article was coming out because the author, Grant Wahl, sent me an email looking for information. Apparently, since I emailed Coach Walberg so often with questions over the past year or so, he gave this writer my email (along with the emails of a lot of other high school and college coaches across the nation with whom he had corresponded.) I exchanged a couple emails with Grant which was pretty neat, and our school, Glenelg Country, is listed in the print addition as a program that runs the offense. Glenelg Country on the map!
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/grant_wahl/02/12/memphis0218/index.html
It will be interesting to see where Coach Walberg ends up. With top teams in the pros (Celtics), college (Memphis), high school (Bob Hurley at St. Anthony's) and AAU (Nike Team Florida) all running his offense, it is obvious that he will be in demand as an assistant coach and may have other head coaching opportunities as well. I hope Walberg gets another good opportunity and that he has the success he deserves. He is a good guy and he has been very open and helpful about sharing his ideas with me and hundreds of other coaches around the country.
Below is a link to an article about the Dribble-Drive Motion in this week's Sports Illustrated. I actually knew a few weeks ago that this article was coming out because the author, Grant Wahl, sent me an email looking for information. Apparently, since I emailed Coach Walberg so often with questions over the past year or so, he gave this writer my email (along with the emails of a lot of other high school and college coaches across the nation with whom he had corresponded.) I exchanged a couple emails with Grant which was pretty neat, and our school, Glenelg Country, is listed in the print addition as a program that runs the offense. Glenelg Country on the map!
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/grant_wahl/02/12/memphis0218/index.html
Monday, February 11, 2008
Parents and Coaches
Let me start off by stating that I am not a parent, and as such perhaps I shouldn't judge. However, I am going to get on my soapbox for a moment here:
It seems like more and more seemingly reasonable, intelligent, well-intentioned adults are becoming overly involved in their children's athletic lives and handicapping them in the process. It is frustrating when I see overzealous parents teaching something that directly contradicts what the player's coach is teaching. Coaches are rarely perfect and will certainly make mistakes, and it is a parent's perogative to not agree with gameplans, strategy, etc -- but when a parent communicates that to the player it undermines the coach's authority and ultimately just hurts their child in the long run. If your son thinks the coach doesn't know what he is doing because that is what you told him, he will become unteachable and uncoachable. Moreover, if a player does not always like his coach or always agree with him, that doesn't mean he cannot learn something from the coach. (Maybe you can learn what not to do in some cases!) Everyone who has played sports has had a coach that maybe we didn't like personally or didn't totally agree with at all times. Conversely, every player (and person in general) needs challenges in order to grow and learn. If a parent constantly protects and makes excuses for his or her child, he or she is not allowing the child to be challenged and is ultimately limiting their potential for growth and improvement. The bottom line is if you don't always agree with your son or daughter's coach, fine. Just don't make the mistake of communicating that attitude to your son or daughter. If you do so, I believe you are only hurting your child in the long run.
It seems like more and more seemingly reasonable, intelligent, well-intentioned adults are becoming overly involved in their children's athletic lives and handicapping them in the process. It is frustrating when I see overzealous parents teaching something that directly contradicts what the player's coach is teaching. Coaches are rarely perfect and will certainly make mistakes, and it is a parent's perogative to not agree with gameplans, strategy, etc -- but when a parent communicates that to the player it undermines the coach's authority and ultimately just hurts their child in the long run. If your son thinks the coach doesn't know what he is doing because that is what you told him, he will become unteachable and uncoachable. Moreover, if a player does not always like his coach or always agree with him, that doesn't mean he cannot learn something from the coach. (Maybe you can learn what not to do in some cases!) Everyone who has played sports has had a coach that maybe we didn't like personally or didn't totally agree with at all times. Conversely, every player (and person in general) needs challenges in order to grow and learn. If a parent constantly protects and makes excuses for his or her child, he or she is not allowing the child to be challenged and is ultimately limiting their potential for growth and improvement. The bottom line is if you don't always agree with your son or daughter's coach, fine. Just don't make the mistake of communicating that attitude to your son or daughter. If you do so, I believe you are only hurting your child in the long run.
A Nation of Wimps?
I found the following on Brian McCormick's blog http://www.thecrossovermovement.com/. I highly recommend his blog. It is a site that I read frequently:
Sefu Bernard’s blog alerted me to the Nation of Wimps. As the author writes:
Armed with hyperconcern and microscrutiny, parents are going to ludicrous lengths to take the lumps and bumps out of life for their children today. However well-intentioned, their efforts have the net effect of making kids more fragile. That may be why the young are breaking down in record numbers or staying stuck in endless adolescence.
I see this every day and hear about it even more from my sister who teaches at a school where nothing is ever allowed to go wrong and no child is ever responsible for his or her own actions. How can a child really learn when a parent is right behind the child making excuses for every error rather than helping the child learn from his or her mistake?
What’s more, parents are seeking status and meaning in the achievements of their children. The trouble with turning tots into trophies is that the developmental needs of the young are sacrificed to the psychological needs of adults.
Sefu Bernard’s blog alerted me to the Nation of Wimps. As the author writes:
Armed with hyperconcern and microscrutiny, parents are going to ludicrous lengths to take the lumps and bumps out of life for their children today. However well-intentioned, their efforts have the net effect of making kids more fragile. That may be why the young are breaking down in record numbers or staying stuck in endless adolescence.
I see this every day and hear about it even more from my sister who teaches at a school where nothing is ever allowed to go wrong and no child is ever responsible for his or her own actions. How can a child really learn when a parent is right behind the child making excuses for every error rather than helping the child learn from his or her mistake?
What’s more, parents are seeking status and meaning in the achievements of their children. The trouble with turning tots into trophies is that the developmental needs of the young are sacrificed to the psychological needs of adults.
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