[Drakebulldog93]

In Little League, soccer or other sports? Did you enjoy it. Did your kids enjoy you coaching them? Any over the top parent stories you wish to share?

I've got a few, but I want to hear from you.

[hawkfarmer]

My dad coached me as a kid in basketball. He was toughest on me, but I enjoyed it. Never thought anything about it.

However, he did umpire some of my little league baseball games, and that was a different story. I was a pitcher and my strike zone seemed to be about half the size of the opposing team. have you ever rolled your eyes at a call and have to do extra chores for the next week because of it!

Also, he called me out at home plate, when I was clearly safe (catcher missed me completely) to end the game ( I was the tying run). We still argue about this every time baseball comes up.

[AHawk1]

The only thing I would say is always remember you are dealing with kids. Kids make mistakes, and they should be out enjoying themselves. Thats not saying they dont need correction, guidance and still have a burning desire to win. I've seen a lot of young kids who were burned out by the time they were in highschool. The most outrageous parents are usually the ones who were never athletes or didnt live up to what they thought they were. They are trying to relive there athletic career through there child, and thats a shame.

[2boys]

I coach both of my boys in basketball & baseball. It's great fun, but much more work than I ever anticipated it would be. It definitely is a commitment.

When we were putting together our teams, we always picked the parents and not the kid, so I haven't had any bad parent stories.....yet!

My only advise is to make sure you have a very active practice plan put together before each practice. Young kids do very well when they are kept busy. If you allow time in between different drills because you are struggling to think what is next, they'll be tough to handle.

My last piece of advise would be to make sure you have them in a league where they can be competitive. Doesn't mean they have to win every game, but you don't want young kids getting hammered every game.

[TwinTownHawk]

I coached my son when he was in 5th grade. It was a Minneapolis Park Board league. There was a little jealousy from another player but nothing over the top. Still I wasn't real comfortable with it and when the next year rolled around I stayed with the same age group and my son moved on to another team.

I only coached 2 years - there were a lot of 'helicopter' parents (and one outright a******). They really spoiled it for me. The next time I coach it will be for an orphanage.

[tweeterhawk]

I coached my sons in T-ball, soccer and basketball. In the first few years I was far too serious, especially in basketball. I was sure I was the next Robert Montgomery Knight. In later years I mellowed quite a bit.

I enjoyed it tremendously and I think my boys did, too. I would recommend it to anyone willing to make the commitment. It's a lot of work -- organizing practices and games, making sure everyone knows the schedule and will be there, planning practice exercises that will be fun and yet teach something. But the rewards are huge. As another poster noted, the goal must be first and foremost having fun, especially at younger ages and lower divisions.

There are a lot of things I would do differently now: the championship trophies that seemed so important at the time now sit in a corner of the basement collecting dust; memories, on the other hand (good and otherwise), are very much alive.

My tale of woe: during my youngest son's last year in rec sports I moved from coaching to refereeing. At the last minute and despite my objections, I was assigned to my son's game, which that Saturday just happened to be against a vocal, complaining coach with whom I had butted heads as a coach. I did my utmost to be fair, although subconsciously I probably called a tighter game against my son's team than the other one. Soon my son's teammates and coaches became unhappy, then my former rival and his parents and players started complaining, and pretty soon I was the lonely man in the middle taking shots from all sides. My usually reserved, timid wife got so upset by what parents on my son's team were saying she yelled not once, but twice, "SHUT UP!" I never could regain control, despite my best -- or worst -- efforts.

When the game finally (and mercifully) came to an end, I sulked off to lick my wounds and vowed never to do a family member's game again.

[Hawks1]

I was one of the coaches of my sons little league football 3rd to 6th grades. We had weight classes so it didn't matter what grade as much as their weight but age was a consideration to even out the teams. Kids over a certain weight couldn't carry the ball.Some parents would put weights in the kid pockets to get them in a higher weight class so they could run the ball because they light in the higher weight class.

[Drakebulldog93]

I've coached my daughter in softball for 4 years. I've really had a blast working with the girls. To see how the kids improve over the course of a few months.

Biggest problem I've had with parents, is getting them to get their kids to practice and GAMES on time...or if the weather was iffy they would call and have the "decency" to tell me they can't make it, because it too cold, too hot or it looks like it might rain. A couple of times, it was our assistant coach that did this.

My first year coaching competitively, was an eye opener. At the draft, another rookie coach and I were sitting next to each other, when one of the veteran coaches and League board member, drafted a girl with his first pick, that didn't attend the tryouts. It turned out his first four picks didn't attend tryouts (they were told to stay home by him and his assistant).

When I voiced concern to the League President, I was basically told that was the way things have always been done. Couldn't believe it...the season was decided before it began...all to build the egos of 40 y.o. men.

We went to a different league after that season, and sadly it was pretty much a repeat of the previous league. Let the kids play, and get out of the way.

[VintageHawkeye]

What I want to know is, how many of you have kidded your coach??

[CalvaryHawk]

I have coached soccer and basketball for my kids. My favorite story is what happened one soccer season:
My wife had a member of the Des Moines Menace as one of her part-time employees and he agreed to coach the team, so my title as "coach" was supposed to be ceremonial. Just before the first practice, he got homesick and left the country (went home to Spain). I wasn't very happy about it, but decided to make the best of it. At our first/second game, my daughter went to kick the ball and broke her big toe. So, I was "stuck" coaching a team I had no intention of coaching for my daughter who was out for the whole season. Ah, memories.

[DDThompson]

I've been an assistant coach when my daughter played softball and have been an ***'t and manager for my son's Little League team. I've had fun doing it and they've had fun with the dad-time on the field, driving back-and-forth to games and the extra time coaching and just talking at home.

I did blow it big time with my son one time in the 10 and under league.

Long story short: I thought my son was giving me an attitude and pulled him out of the game. We were down to eight players because a kid got injured. With him out of the game, down to seven. The other team hit the ball where the 8th player would have been for a "walk-off in-the-park" two-run home run.

After the game I had a talk with him and found out that I misread him and that I over-reacted. I apologized to him and told him I was at fault -- not him. I felt so low I could have crawled underneath a chalk line.

My advice: if you're going to coach or have coached your own kid, don't be quick to jump on your kid just because he's the coach's kid.

***'t coach = assistant coach. What's up with that?

[imported_ankle23]

Originally Posted by Drakebulldog93

In Little League, soccer or other sports? Did you enjoy it. Did your kids enjoy you coaching them? Any over the top parent stories you wish to share?

I've got a few, but I want to hear from you.

daughter, soccer, it was generally fun. i ended my run when i chose to be ***'t one season - the guy was tough on my daughter, but when it came time for me to say something to his daughter, different story.

i'd do it again, and i'll do it again.

[tweeterhawk]

Drakebulldog -- Thanks for asking. Dredged up some favorable memories, at least for me.
Calvary -- Sorry about what happened to your daughter. Soccer is terribly misunderstood in this country, even in the Northeast, which has social clubs (incl bars and restaurants) built around ethnic soccer that are a blast as far as being a referee assigned to their games. What happened to your daughter can happen in any sport.
Yeah, I'd coach again. And am thinking about volunteering for a very young team for this fall.

[schoon]

I coached both of my girls in t-ball. Both were a positive experience. Of course this was very young with no practices just games. I got out before it became too organized. I have to say some of my favorite memories are of once a boy sniffing the air and saying " I smell macaroni, I'm really hungry" or another one going " Look a snake hole" as he is sticking his arm into a hole in the ground. The best is still when the kids hit the ball then look left and right then run to third base. I really miss those day's.