A Yelling Coach

As the parent of a young hockey player, you may be under the impression that a “yelling coach is a caring coach.” This is an old adage that has been passed down for a long time…despite the fact that it’s really not true.

So many people see a yelling coach as one who really cares about the game and his players,  who is always trying to improve young athletes, and who believes in “tough love.” Really, though, in the world of youth hockey, yelling is not necessary, nor is it healthy or good.   

Truly good youth hockey coaches don’t yell and berate…ever. They plan ahead, they do their coaching in practice and only offer constructive advice and encouragement during games, and they spend lots of time in the video room seeing where everyone can improve.

Screaming coaches are only making their players fearful and nervous, which rarely leads to success and ,in fact, can make things worse during a tough game. Furthermore, all of that screaming can be confusing for young players who just aren’t capable of playing and concentrating on the game and then concentrating on what the coach is screaming about at the same time.

Good coaches know to make notes of any bad plays or moves they see and to talk to the players, calmly and quietly, about them later. So, don’ t buy into the hype that a yelling coach is a good coach. He’s not…or he is at least a coach who needs to rethink how he does things and how he interacts with his young players.

As a parent, if your children have a coach who is always yelling and who could stand to be more supportive and encouraging, it might be time to look into finding a new team for your kids, one where they will be nurtured and respected, not yelled at.