The Effects of a Coach

Being a coach is a special task typically taken on by people who want to give back to a community that helped them develop. On most occasions, players look at their coach like another parental figure, someone they can trust to help in their maturation process. Unfortunately, more and more cases are coming to light of an adult who has been entrusted with the incredible title of “Coach”, and has abused their powers, and maybe taken the love of the game away from some of their pupils.

Typically, the biggest headlines have come from the different coaches who have manipulated a young mind into allowing the coach to make inappropriate advances. It is especially important while your player grows both in age and in maturity, to educate them on what is right and wrong, and how to go about handling different situations. We are looking to tackle a different aspect of coaching that is also becoming more and more of a problem. Mental abuse, and its tolls on a player.

As the game grows, it invites many different walks of life through the door. Growing and diversifying the game is important, but we all need to keep in perspective what is most important in the amateur ranks, and that is player fun and safety. These young minds feed off the information given to them by their elders, and at times, the adult in the room forgets that. When being a leader of our future, coaches need to allow these kids to fail in a safe environment, as youth hockey is a game of failed opportunities. No one should expect any of these players to be perfect. Belittlement of a child can be one of the most detrimental memories a player can have and can drive them away from the game. This goes for officials as well, all players under the USA Hockey and AAU Hockey banners are trying to better themselves and should not have adults screaming at them for mistakes that will be forgotten as soon as the day is over.