"At lunch recently with some sports parents, I mentioned that I was a supporter of PCA. A couple of them were skeptical. They told me their kids had played on teams led by PCA-trained coaches, and they had never seen such badly behaved coaches, abusive to players and parents. Why does that happen and what can be done to improve the situation?"
-- Anonymous
To answer, click on the Comments link below.
To Ask PCA a question, e-mail AskPCA@positivecoach.org.
PCA Response by Jim Thompson, PCA Executive Director
From the beginning, PCA has been about "unfreezing" coaches and refreezing them in new, better coaching behaviors. We discovered that training coaches wasn't enough. We quickly moved to a "systems approach" to work with leaders, coaches, parents and athletes so that the entire system reinforces the behaviors we'd like to see.
Let's consider four kinds of youth coaches.
1) Members of this group embrace PCA methods and tools and quickly integrate them into the way they coach because Double-Goal Coaching is already part of their identity even if they didn't have the specific vocabulary down.
2) The majority of coaches are well-meaning people who haven't developed a robust coaching philosophy and thus are susceptible to the pressures of a win-at-all-cost culture. They are inconsistent in their coaching and sometimes step over a line that they later regret (even if they publicly justify it when criticized).
The good news about this group is that they are also susceptible to a positive coaching culture in the organizations in which they coach. And because PCA tools are research-based and reflect best practices of great coaches, when coaches use them, they work. And they then tend to use them even more, which creates a virtuous circle.
3) Some individuals initially resist change. Because all coaches depend on having an organization in which to coach, many of these resisters will come around if the signals from their organization are consistent. Many famous successful coaches started out as screamers but learned a better way and transformed themselves.
4) People in this category shouldn't be allowed to coach kids. The best training in the world won't change them and the harsh truth is that these folks need to be removed from coaching kids.
Whether the abusive coaches described above fall into category 3 or 4 needs to be determined. While an organization must remove any Category 4 coaches, a Category 3 coach may be improved through the tenets of Social Learning Theory.
Social Learning Theory says that people learn how to behave in groups by watching what others do and seeing what happens. So standing quietly by as a coach abuses or bullies players is not going to get us to the youth sports culture we all want.
I caution anyone reading this that I do NOT recommend taking action that might escalate into a conflict. Here are some things observers of abusive coaching can do:
1) Register your discomfort with the coach's behavior. This is best done in private. You can simply say as calmly as you can something like, "That is not the kind of coaching that is going to get the best from your players." Or you can politely ask the coach how his behavior aligns with PCA tenets. "Is yelling at your players consistent with being a Double-Goal Coach?" How and whether you have this kind of conversation with a coach depends on many things, including whether you know the person personally. And I emphasize that you should not do this if it runs the risk of escalating the situation.
2) If talking to the coach does not help, let him or her know you plan to take this up one level and talk to his or her supervisor. When you talk to the coach's supervisor, whether that is the school athletic director or principal or chairman of the YSO board, say what you saw and ask if that is the kind of coaching behavior the school or organization desires. I have found from past experience that often the supervisor is not aware of the bad behavior. In other cases, the supervisor would prefer to ignore it and hope it doesn't cause a problem. You raising the issue makes it harder to ignore. Even if it doesn't result in immediate action, over time it may lead to change, especially if the supervisor hears from others similarly concerned.
3) Ask the organization to implement a feedback process to give players and parents a chance to comment on coaches' behavior. PCA has collaborated with Liberty Mutual on the Responsible Sports Season Evaluation tool that makes it easy for any school or YSO to implement an evaluation process.
We have recently begun to use the phrase "Live it. Teach it." It is not enough for a coach, parent or athlete to just live out PCA ideals. If we are to change the culture of youth sports, each of us who believes in the power of sports to create Major League People needs to let others know about our commitment to PCA principles and hold each other accountable. So, live it, yes! And teach it.
Posted by Emily Wyffels at 03/12/2010 09:31:13 AM |
I think coaches who have been trained in PCA should be held accountable to the standards on which they should be following. I know a rival coach who was given a PCA award even, and his antics with the referees are embarrasing to say the least. I doubt that anyone from PCA has ever seen this coach in action. It's time we start to make coaches accountable and remind them what they are there to do.
Posted by: Paul ( Email: ) at 3/12/2010 12:49 PM
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I believe it is more difficult to apply the PCA principles than it is to read/learn about them. It truly is a paradigm shift in one's behavior, if you coached originally from a negative slant. It wasn't an easy 100% shift for me...it took 2 seasons of coaching high school lacrosse, where I would question and analyze every behavior I made...ascertaining whether or not that these behaviors fell within the PCA's guidelines. It was draining, but has ended up being incredibly fulfilling. You have to be cognizant of it each and every moment...and believe me that can be hard to bear! It really hurts looking in the mirror! hah! I have seen the positive difference in myself and my players and alumni players! It is worth all the mental work!!! Give it a go...but be honest with yourself!
Posted by: Trez Garrett ( Email: ) at 3/12/2010 12:57 PM
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I think the reality for most youth sports leagues is that they require PCA training, and their coaches attend in order to qualify as coaches. Leagues should do a better job of grading coaches performances at the end of the season and cull the non-believers from their ranks.
Posted by: John Rinn ( Email: ) at 3/12/2010 12:58 PM
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Some coaches are required to take the PCA sessions but it's hard to change personalities and behavior.
Also, some youth sports groups simply go through the motions of having coaches do PCA with no follow up or insufficient consequences for coaches who fall far short.
Posted by: Eric Tyson ( Email: | Visit ) at 3/12/2010 1:50 PM
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A lot of sport organizations set requirements for coaches to complete, such as PCA training or CPR certifications, for example. There are coaches out there that feel they do not need any training or certifications and would just rather coach their own way. What tends to happen as a result is that a coach goes through the 'mandatory' certification just to get the certificate or certification card. The truth is that this individual is then not open to the experience and does not retain any of the knowledge. How we rectify that is a bit trickier - do we require out coaches to be certified and force them to complete it, despite their lack of desire to do so? Or do we make it optional and do what we can to encourage participation? I don't think there is a clear cut answer, because of personality differences, these coaches that tend to be stubborn will always be around.
Posted by: Erin Kennedy ( Email: | Visit ) at 3/12/2010 2:03 PM
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Without knowing the specific coaches or scenarios it is hard to respond to generalizations. That being said, here are some points I would share:
1) The coaches in question may be new the PCA methods of teaching. Bad habits are not fixed overnight.
2) A large portion of the success for coaches depends on the organization these coaches belong to and how strongly they encourage their coaches to embrace the PCA model. It also depends on what consequences exist for those coaches who don't follow the model they have been taught.
3) It also depends on how much the parents themselves embraced the concepts of PCA. If they don't believe in it and look for issues in a coach to prove that PCA doesn't work then they can probably find some.
The bottom line is PCA training is not realistically going to creat perfect coaches that never make bad choices. What we hope happens is that coaches begin to realize more often when they make mistakes and that they will continuously work to improve their coaching methods.
Posted by: Ulf Lilienthal ( Email: ) at 3/12/2010 2:07 PM
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My thoughts - while these coaches may have gone to the training, they didn't embrace the concepts. You know the saying - you can lead a horse to water... The only thing I can think of to resolve it is for the league staff to address the issues with the coach and put them on some sort of probation or training program where they are shown their errors and how they can make it a more positive experience. Some just don't have the ability to apply what they have learned without being shown.
Posted by: Fran ( Email: ) at 3/12/2010 2:08 PM
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I have just recently found the PCA website and program. Thus far, I haven't found anything wrong with the PCA idea and push for positive coaching. So, if there's nothing wrong with the program or the idea and ways it hopes to obtain the goals of positive coaching, then the problem lies with the coach.
Every coach has the instinct to go for that win. Losing really isn't something on our list of things to do. The coaches who apparently follow the PCA program don't appear to get the complete idea of what PCA is actually about.
Some coaches allow the "urge to win" to overcome the PCA program. The coach gets caught up with a good season or gets tired of losing, while trying to be a good person to follow the PCA standards.
What can be done to improve the situation?? A realization or possible intervention with the coach from athletes or parents (could be dangerous to do). Other than that, I can't imagine a coach changing his ways over night if he's been in the business for a long time.
Young coaches are impressionable and really have the idea of making great things happen, especially their first year. Most young coaches are try too hard and by doing have a negative impact on their athletes.
Coaches need to find that balance between the urge to win and healthy athletes. The only time I bully an athlete is when I know they can get through it to find something great about themselves on the other end. I carefully watch him and his reactions so I can bring him to the athlete/person he's supposed to be. Once a coach can find that balance, then they can properly follow the PCA program. It's pretty hard to though to change coaching ways and ideals.
Posted by: Dano ( Email: ) at 3/12/2010 4:00 PM
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Speaking as a PCA Champion but otherwise as an outsider, I think that some PCA-trained coaches may behave badly for many of the same reasons that some well-trained lawyers remain unethical, some well-trained physicians commit malpractice, some well-trained school teachers remain unable to convey their academic subjects, and so forth. A few years ago, I attended a lecture whose speaker frankly discussed teachers’ competency; “There are bad apples in every barrel,” he admitted, “but overall the teaching profession is a mighty good barrel.” I agree.
I think the “PCA barrel” is also loaded with plenty of “good apples,” despite the relatively few coaches who may take the training but revert (initially, at least) to the old ways. A quality coaching-ethics program suffers from high public expectations similar to those that plague the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; NASA launches dozens of capsules that never reach the headlines, but we certainly hear plenty about the few capsules that explode during liftoff. Similarly we often pay little attention to all the coaches who complete ethics training and adhere to their ideals because these coaches do what we expect them to do; we certainly do notice, however, the few coaches who trumpet their ethics training and then let us down.
What can be done? Without making apologies for coaches who let the children down, I believe that parents must look in the mirror before they chastise an ethically-trained coach whose behavior might not appear to measure up. The coach may hold the best of intentions yet cut ethical corners to win because of subtle and not-so-subtle pressure imposed by the parents themselves. Early and effective communication is key. In the pre-season meeting, the coaches must forthrightly state their ethical standards and the parents must forthrightly assure the coaches that they support efforts to be Double-Goal Coaches. Without that firm mutual assurance from this give-and-take, the coaches’ easiest default position – the path of least resistance -- may be to strive to win by sacrificing other values. For coaches and parents alike, it is easy to wax eloquent about ethics in a meeting room or classroom discussion; it takes genuine fortitude, however, to remain ethical in the heat of the game, when you are calling the shots on the bench or rooting in the stands while the scoreboard lights are on. If parents demand ethics from the coaches (as they should), the parents must also demand ethics of themselves.
In the end, PCA and other ethics training programs can provide the tool box, but coaches and parents must decide how they will use the tools at the local level. I continue to believe that most coaches trained in ethics do measure up to reasonable expectations and serve the children well, an outcome that marks success for any training program.
Doug Abrams
Posted by: Doug Abrams ( Email: ) at 3/12/2010 4:00 PM
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I have not taken the training so I'm commenting from some degree of blindness. However, as someone who was/is a Double Goal - Positive coach before I even heard of PCA, I have not seen in the written materials much reference of the "manner" or "style" in which to talk with kids. I have seen/read more of the "content" and "philosophy" that must be conveyed
It's all good to train coaches to "fill emotional tanks" and "flush it down" or to say "teaching you life values is more important than winning" - and these are all very important. However, I've seen many coaches who "preach" this stuff and then will turn and get right in some poor kids face mask and scream at him, spitting and drooling and humiliate him for missing a tackle - but it's okay in that coach's perspective as long as he can later tell the humiliated kid to flush it down.
What needs to be taught MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVELY in the positive coaches movement is HOW TO TALK WITH/TO KIDS and not just WHAT to say and preach! And yes - referencing John Rinn's comments - grading or monitoring coaches is very important. No more in any sport than in football.
Before every football game when I meet the other head coach and the refs at the center of the field, I say the following after the Ref is done and asks, "Coaches are there any questions or comments?":
(Me) "Yes sir/m'am, I just want you and Coach So-and-so here to know that I teach my players manners and respect of their opponents and the refs. If any of you see anything to the contrary from any of my players or coaches, could you please let me know immediately?!"
They usually say, "Yes, thank you coach...". And if they don't say it, then just before we turn to walk away from mid-field, I'll make sure I say to the other coach in front of the Ref: "And I'll ask the same in return from you coach."
That can start the tone off better...slowly...one game, one mid-field meeting at a time. As Coach Trez said, it is a paradigm shift - especially in football.
Besides that tone setting though, we need: (1) more monitoring of sideline/practice coaching activity and, (2) we need to be VERY CLEAR in training that coaches can talk all about flushing it and filling emotional tanks but if they yell at and humiliate a kid....the rest of the words out of their mouths are pure garbage. (3) The future of PCA efforts should try do do as much publicity and training aimed at PARENTS - as the parents are the ones who see and know on a practice by practice, game by game basis. (4) PUBLICITY: GET THE MESSAGE OUT - a PSA contrasting Vince Lombardi and Tony Dungy or similar old school vs. new school coaches asking, "Who do YOU want coaching your kid?" ...with a chyron and/or voice over saying one of the many positive coaching/positive parent PCA messages. Why don't you ask Phil Jackson and some of the other more fortunate members of the board to fund such a PSA - and participate in it possibly - and to help raise money from professional athletes to pay for the broadcasting of said PSA on the major networks and the sports networks.
These things and more are needed to really push forward that "paradigm shift" that Coach Trez was speaking about.
Coach Dave Segal
Head Coach, Littleton Patriots
MHFL Spring League - H.S. Division
www.milehifootball.com
Posted by: Dave Segal ( Email: ) at 3/12/2010 4:54 PM
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I only wish PCA was had more of a presence in ice hockey (USA Hockey). All my children’s bad coaching experiences have been with hockey from people who came from non-traditional hockey areas.
Posted by: David Frenkel ( Email: ) at 3/12/2010 6:17 PM
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Maybe, just maybe, the coach or coaches mentioned are unable to control themselves under fire.
I've seen coaches who do well with their teams in practice but completely lose it in games. I've also seen coaches who do well with lower level teams completely lose it when they coach the more competitive teams, especially in close games.
The "Jekyl and Hyde" coach can be a difficult coach to work with and even identify because sometimes that coach is very talented in everything but game demeanor or, worse yet, is talented and ok as long as the team is winning and goes berserk when they start losing.
Going deep into a season with an undefeated team can turn ugly quickly if this unfortunate personality issue surfaces in pressure situations. I've been around teams where this has occurred and the suffering can be considerable and lengthy.
Posted by: Phil Carragher ( Email: ) at 3/12/2010 7:21 PM
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The behavior displayed by individuals depends on their own choices in the short run.
In the long run, however, both parents and administrators have huge responsibility in shaping how coaches interact with their athletes.
Coaches should take a brave stand regarding whether they want or not to be Double-Goal Coaches. If we don't walk the talk, we only give PCA a bad name. If we do decide to be DGCs, then we need to recognize that change is difficult and needs to be worked at intelligently (Chip and Dan Heath's book 'Switch' is an excellent work on this).
Leagues and/or organizations, such as ours, should provide constant training (easier for professional coaches than for volunteers), codes of conduct, evaluation and feedback mechanisms to ease communications and incentives. We also need to coach our coaches through their process of adoption of PCA principles.
Finally, parents should actively assume their responsibility to ensure that feedback is provided to the coach in a manner that is easy to assimilate (eg. in a private conversation or email 24 hrs plus after an incident). Trashing the coach in private not only doesn't help, but is actually counter-productive because it charges the atmosphere among other parents.
Posted by: Raul Escalante ( Email: | Visit ) at 3/12/2010 10:44 PM
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Good comments by all to a good question. Unfortunately, there are likely no easy - "silver bullet" answers to explain contradictory behavior by PCA-trained coaches. Like many things in life, changing coach behavior, in my view, takes time and lots of work to achieve consistently positive behavior.
We have had a multi-year multi-pronged approach to changing our YSO (Youth Sports Organization)culture and with it have come fewer "incidents" and a better experience for the kids, coaches and parents alike. Our initiative has included:
1. Rigorous training, extended and on-going training and education for our coaches in sportsmanship, administration, skill development, mental behavior and character development
2. Clear and transparent coach selection criteria mirroring the values of our organization's culture
3. Formal and informal feedback mechanisms for the League in general and each of our coaches
4. Clear and specific "job specs" and "able to do's" for our coaches by division
5. Adding parent education and a formal parent culture keeper to help the coach with the families and their behavior in the stands
6. Formal sportsmanship awards for both kids and coaches that are celebrated and publicized
7. An internal structure and transparent complaint process to objectively deal with negative behavior and incidents, should they come up, that are fair and objective for both the parents/kids and coaches.
8. Direct outreach to the kids themselves during key opportune moments (e.g., opening day, at skill clinics, etc.)
9. Formal parent/player/family code of conduct agreements that lay out our League's expectations for behavior and attitude.
This effort has evolved over several years and has taken some significant effort and time to be widely adopted. Yet, we are seeing very favorable results in:
- increasing player registrations across the League (vs. declines/drop outs)
- higher coach (and League) satisfaction feedback scores from parents and coaches alike
- far fewer negative sportsmanship "incidents" and
- an increasing pool of interested coaches wanting to coach.
PCA has given us the content, tools and insight to help us remake the culture of our YSO. They can't do it for us nor should they be expected to. It takes vigilance - a real commitment, time and effort from all YSO constituents to affect change, especially change that is a deep-rooted cultural mindset in individuals who have different perspectives, personalities and life experiences. We are not perfect as an organization, but we've been able to affect real positive change in our YSO, with the help of PCA, a number of of like-minded individuals (board members, coaches and parents) and some elbow grease. And, fortunately, it has been worth the effort!
Posted by: Scott Barnum ( Email: ) at 3/13/2010 5:14 PM
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unfortunately, I Live in a state where politics are in soccer to the point that kids get rotten coaches an not much can be done about it, even thru the state assn...the really good coaoches just leave the state...it is even in the school system also...it would seem that money is most important, player developement is not at the top of the list.
Posted by: gene irelan ( Email: ) at 3/14/2010 9:27 AM
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PCA presents a model of how we should approach youth sports. However, there is a gap between intellectual awareness and practical application. To change any behavior, you first have to change the sponsoring belief. This seems to be harder to do.
Posted by: Jeremy Pryce ( Email: ) at 3/14/2010 10:32 PM
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Wow an ethical question. I was recently nominated as one of the International Institute for Sport Sports Ethics Fellow 2010and I am taken back by many of the comments posted so far. Each one seems to reflect the point of blame. PCA has helped us to start the conversations, supplied materials, administrators of the program, given the tools to teach the material, but it is us, the members of the sporting community, (that includes the boards, coaches, parents and even the athletes) to help enforce the models and the roles that each of us play in the game and all that surrounds it. The culture has to take a hold grow ROOTS and be nurtured, renewed and yes even thumped into our thick heads.
Sport in itself is raw competitive emotional and being in the moment is very difficult to stop and think about what you are projecting whether it be a word or action. Habits form over time and we are not perfect beings. We all will have failures and momentary lapses in our judgments, character, and teachings. It is crucial to how we handle when we get back up. Do we dust ourselves off and move on or dwell in the past and repeat and our errors.
I believe it is our collective responsibility to help coach the good habits whenever and wherever possible. Painful at times, especially when you have to approach a good friend. Harder yet a complete stranger where you need to stand up for the good of the game.
Posted by: Peter Sabin ( Email: ) at 3/15/2010 11:00 PM
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Whether or not to tolerate bad coaching behavior is a cultural decision made by the parents, coaches, and leadership in a league, and it's usually well known among athletes and families. PCA coach training provides education and tools for leagues and coaches to use, but it really doesn't directly drive the larger cultural choice, and won't change the coach who doesn't want to change.
The way to improve the situation is for PCA coaches and parents to let league leadership know their preference, and ask for action when a coach heads in the wrong direction. A few disciplinary examples will carry far more weight than general statements of principle. Of course, some leagues just won't do anything about bad coaches, and nearly all leagues and parents will put up with a bully and a cheater with a 15-0 record.
But that doesn't absolve the PCA coach from doing his or her best to run a principled program.
I've also felt that it sure wouldn't hurt if some PCA coaches did a better job of understanding and teaching the principles of successful play and competition in their sport. I've observed that some positive coaches rely entirely on positive attitude, don't really coach the skills, tactics, and strategies of their sport, and thereby lose a chance to convert more coaches, players, and families to the PCA approach.
Posted by: Bob Cram ( Email: ) at 3/16/2010 3:14 AM
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I think there are two key points to why PCA training sometimes fails to make if from the classroom to the field of play. First is that there can be a long way between theory and practice. It took me two years of coaching before I really "got it" about positive coaching, and then the results in terms of player and team development were tremendously rewarding. I'm sure this could be expedited by coach mentors, who periodically attend practices and games and make suggestions to coaches. For example, a soccer coach might yell "don't let them get the ball" when two players are racing to win the ball. One thing taught in communications classes is that negatives tend to get lost, so the player might subconsciously hear "let them get the ball." Also, there is an implicit assumption that if the other player gets the ball, it is because you let them, which can be demoralizing. A better coaching direction is "be first to the ball". Lots more could be said about communication skills, but the bottom line is that they take hours of practice, and feedback helps.
The second point is that sports leagues often do not have a lot of choices about coaches. Until more parents step up to take on the time and responsibility of coaching, leagues may have little or no choice about who coaches. I know our soccer league is routinely short of coaches, so there is little "pressure of the marketplace" for old-style coaches to make the effort to add PCA principles to their coaching skills.
Finally, both of these play together, because if there were a surplus of coaches, the ones that had both the PCA and technical skills would be effective and highly evaluated by parents, and the aspiring coaches would likely want to be their assistant coach. That would allow the mentoring that would help the spread of PCA.
Posted by: John Henderson ( Email: ) at 3/16/2010 8:55 PM
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