I am a new young coach I am a 21 year old female coaching 15-17 year old girls. How do i handle attitudes?

Question

Some of them complain A LOT about having to run and some of them always have a reason why they cant run...I know sometimes there reason are good but most of the time its just because they want to get out of running.

I really like all of the girls but they are very chatty and always interupt me wheni am talking. Does anyone have any good ideas on how to handle this?

This is for womens lacrosse

Answer 1

I am 25, a teacher and coach, that maintains great relationships with students and athletes. I am probably as inexperienced as you, but this is what I have learned from coaching so far. First off, always model the attitude you expect them to maintain. Remain calm and indifferent in any possibly intense situation.

I tend to respond with something like "it is fine if you don't want to work to be your best, there are others willing to work harder and fill your spot."

Note that good rapport and mutual respect are important. Always let them know you are there to make them successful. Hear out their excuses, but if they are too sore, hurt, or lazy to condition, then they are too sore, hurt, or lazy to compete.

I tend to pause when I am interrupted, and then carry on when the other person stops. They generally get the picture, but I am not being any more rude by ignoring them than they were to me. If that doesn't work, I will assign consequences, like running, sitting out, or something else.

I usually make an example of a few (justified of course), which puts an end to others' behaviors. Addressing the issues directly, dictating consequences, and following through on the consequences is a must. Reminding them that being part of a team is a privilege and that hardest working people will develop into players.

Attitudes will not go away as long as they are acceptable!!!! Don't let the athletes coach the team!! Athletes want to compete, and if you set the criteria, (listening, attitude, effort, attendance, school behavior, etc.) they will work to meet your expectations. Good Luck!!!

Answer 2

What sport is this for? Let them know that efforts at practice will be rewarded with starting positions. It's all about figuring out what will motivate them. You can try other things, too. I'm on a college swim team and our coach has a "point system" where we're rewarded points for doing things like making a fast time at practice, or acheiving a personal best in an event, weight lifting, etc. Then she has reward levels for the points (in this example it's 120 points for a Tshirt, 160 for a sweatshirt, and 200 for a zip up fleece). It works really well to motivate the team. An old soccer coach of mine had a binder with a page for each girl on the team, and when you did something good in the game, you got a sticker on your page. It was good to be able to see a visual of the progress made and motivated you to do well. Don't take this the wrong way, but they don't care about you or what you want, so they probably wont do anything if they don't reap any benefits from it.
As far as the interrupting, just let them know that you're not going to talk when they are, and that you are going to eventually say everything you want to say, and it is up to them how long it takes before you are finished. Basically, if they want to keep talking, you'll wait, but it's just going to make practice run longer. It's the age old respect thing...remind them that they dont like it if they're interrupted when talking, and neither does anyone else.

Answer 3

Ignore the attitude where you can. Don't get too friendly with them, but do form a relationship with them when the opportunity arises e.g. after a lesson whilst walking back to change.

Insist on good manners and don't get into arguments about whether they can run or not. Just listen to their excuses and then go down the line saying, "You can run, you can run, you can sit out, you can run" and refuse to defend yourself. They are testing you, especially as you are not much older than them. Don't you remember how it was?

Answer 4

i'm 14 going on 15 and from my point of view i think u should try a new activity that will be fun and get excercise @ the same time. you can have a vote on things to do but it has to be something that u can get the same excercise as running. now to deal with the attitudes u can try to express ur self and tell them how u feel about what thier doing.
p.s (sometimes it might help if you threaten!!! lol)

Answer 5

Try to become their friends it's a lot of the time more fun when a coach or teacher is more like a friend then the boss. It's good to have control, but they are probably more likely to listen to you if they like you like a friend.

Answer 6

I work with kids this age too. I know it's tough at first but you really need to be strict with them. Let them know what you expect, and that you won't take any crap. However at the same time, let yourself have fun with them. You need to find a good balance. If you're too strict, they won't want to work for you because they'll see you as mean, but you can't be too lenient or they will walk all over you.

Answer 7

those are cute all of my friends have them; the two in brown or multicolored. those are so cute, get them. she would have the capacity to truly get excitement from them, like what lady would not like clothier shoes. while you're not sure, get her some physique spray like Juicy Couture or L.A.M.B. by skill of Gwen Stefani or Ralph Lauren Wild those are particularly sparkling and not too overwhelming for a woman that age. Or in case you pick something extra low priced get her Hollister Malaia. stable success!

Answer 8

gain tehir respect first