Parents coaching from the stands...

Parents I kindly ask you PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't coach your child from the stands.  I've been watching basketball games as a coach and trainer for over a decade now and have never (ever) seen a time that anything good happened from a parent coaching from the stands.  This is a slightly controversial subject, but something I don't want to shy away from.  My job is to help kids develop and become the best they can be, and this is something that I see that holds kids back.

Here's a few of things that I see that negatively affect your child when you coach from the stands...

1. If your child is listening to you, then they are not listening to the coach.  If they are not listening to the coach there's a good chance there's going to be a nice spot for them on the bench.
2. Most kids are embarrassed by their parents coaching from the stands.  
3. You wouldn't go to your child's classroom and yell out the answers during a test would you?  Then let them do this on their own as well.  A game is a chance for your child to show what they can accomplish on their own.  
4. If you're coaching from the stands I promise the coach knows your doing it.  There's no quicker way to get on a coaches bad side than to coach from the stands.  
5. RESPECT!  Show some respect to the coach and let them do their job.  You're teaching your child to not respect their coach.
6. I hear this a lot:  "The coach is a moron, they have no clue what they are doing".  That may be true, but they are still the coach and you need to respect that.  If it is really that bad, then don't have your child play for that coach next season.  
7. I believe that a big part of athletics is teaching your child the game of life.  In life you're not always there to protect your child and help them make the right decisions you just have to rely on the fact that you've taught them well enough.  Same goes for basketball... If your child has prepared and you and the coach has taught them well enough in practice then they should have the opportunity to perform on their own in the games.  
8. WHAT IF YOU'RE WRONG???  What if you're telling your child to do something from the stands and it's opposite of what the coaches game plan is?  It happens more often than you think.  When I was coaching AAU about 8 years ago I actually had a parent telling their child to shoot the ball because they were open.  That kid (a post player) could not have made that 15 foot shot if they shot it 20 times and they knew it.  I didn't want them to shoot it, but the parent is screaming for them to shoot right behind me.  Yup, I kicked them out of the stands.  

Parents, I know you want to help your child succeed and it's your parental instinct to want to do so at all times, even during the games.  You should help your child succeed, but not during the game.  Talk with them before the game, talk with them after the game, but during the game, that's the coaches job and the player opportunity to perform on their own.  What's wrong with just cheering positively from the stands?


Alex Harris
Evolution Basketball Training
www.evobball.com

Want to talk about this topic?  Email me: alex@evobball.com