A few years ago, I was asked by a Metro-East high school to present a program addressing coaching discipline techniques. It appeared that one of that school 's coaches overreacted to a student-athlete's bad behavior using excessive physical running as punishment, which compromised the athlete's health. I did spend an evening with the school's coaching staff using several methods to convey what I called, "Sensitivity Decision Making."
The so-called bottom line message that I left with these sport mentors was this: 'Youngsters will mess up and behave badly at times. When they do, you must address the behavior in such a manner to preserve the honor and integrity of your program. However, remember when the athlete misbehaves the spotlight and scrutinizing is on him; do not invoke questionable punishment that would swing the wrong behavior spotlight onto the coach.'
Personally, I always thought that reduced game-playing time was the best punishment to get the attention of the misbehaving athlete and shape a more desire able behavior.
One of the biggest changes in parent-child relations, as it pertains to discipline, is the degree of 'negotiation' between parties. My parents' generation seemed to subscribe to the biblical charge; "Let your yes be Yes and your No be No."
No comments:
Post a Comment