Coaching a Winning Machine 597.3
When Larry volunteered to coach a boys’ football team, he wanted to help each youngster develop not only his football skills but his character and work habits. He also wanted to mold them into a winning machine.
Early on, however, he realized those goals were incompatible. In the end, his desire to win won, and he convinced himself that the youngsters would learn more by winning than losing.
His teams went undefeated for five consecutive years until one day it dawned on him that “I’ve made some very good football players, but they aren’t going to people I’d want as neighbors, let alone fellows I’d want to date my kids.”
And at once, all his victories turned to dry powder. When he saw some of his best players make bad life decisions, he knew he’d failed them. What he’d taught them about blocking, tackling, throwing, and running had made them better athletes, but he could have spent more time teaching them values that would have made them better people.
Today Larry coaches coaches. He tells them their primary responsibility is to provide kids with a safe and fun context for building character and positive life skills. He tells them competition and passion in the pursuit of victory are important to sports and, when kept in perspective, enhance enjoyment and personal development.
Then, using himself as an example, he warns them not to let the desire to win blur their vision as to what coaching is really about.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
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Comments
I don't believe that winning and character are incompatible. I have seen good, honest and compassionate athletes achieve great results.
Posted by: rita | December 19, 2008 8:43 AM
Larry is a typical Yank, who coached that winning games was the only way. This is a crock of American compost. I started to play soccer at age 10 and played until I was 38. I played at a rather high level in Germany. Between 10 and 18, a retired player was our coach. Never were we told you must win. I knew winning was better than losing. What was expected of us was to give 110%. This also was a no-brainer. We won many games by a large margin. Still, I was not happy because I did not have to perform at even 75% to beat a bad team. We also tied and lost many games, but I could walk tall, even at 5'7", because we lost against a better team. I never considered myself a loser. This experience prepared me much better for things to come when I immigrated to Canada in 1957 with no English skills and only $64 to spare. It was hard for 2-3 years, going to job interviews, shopping and adjusting to the Canadian way of life. No one ever called me a loser. I also developed a toughness and together with the grace of God I survived non-Hodgkins Lymphoma 16 years ago and three more close calls. Now I am 75 and celebrate Christmas every day.
Please do not compare me to coach Larry, OJ, or Vick and thousands of other functionally illiterate winners. What is the definition of a winner?
Posted by: Dieter Oltersdorf | December 19, 2008 9:42 PM
I know by experience that building kids into good human beings is the best way to make winners. Those who have great character are the ones who have the best work ethic and will give everything they have for the team and coach. I have many championship teams as proof of this.
Posted by: MIKE | December 27, 2008 4:59 AM