How To Deal With Difficult Coaches?

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Aug 4, 2014
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At my school, we have 3 cheer coaches, One for Freshman, one for JV, and one for Varsity. You could call the Varsity coach the "head coach" and this women is a piece of work. When I think of a coach, I think of someone who is strict yet somewhat forgiving on the little things if you're working hard. I think of someone who I can look up to and be comfortable telling things to and asking questions with.
The head coach normally controls every minute of every practice, I don't think I've had more than 5 minutes to work with just my JV team. Not that I'm complaining too hard but it'd be nice to get to know the strengths and weaknesses of my own team so we could work together and well be a team.
Also, at every practice the head coach normally spends 3/4ths of the practice on her phone and pays no attention to us, and then goes and screams at us when we get even one motion wrong, even though we haven't been properly taught how and where to place the said motion. (And yes, I mean scream. We are on one side of our school and people on the other side can here her). The other two coaches are normally sitting on the ground, on their phones, or talking to their children, who they bring to practice with them, Every. Single. Day. And then criticize us on every thing we're doing, even if it's surprisingly good for a first time doing it.
Another example, some girls are just learning to get their fingers all together and flat while doing blades, and I think they're doing a fabulous job with the effort they put in. But the coach makes girls stand up on their tip toes and hold their arms in a fight position with their fingers in blades and walk up and down the hallway on their tip toes until she says stop. And if you step down from your tip toes, even to get balance back, she makes you start again. She does the same thing for squats. If they're not low enough, she makes you squat with your hands on your things and basically waddle down the hallway while squatted and if your fingers come apart, she makes you start again.
I really feel like they forget we are all different teams, meaning we all have different skill levels. You don't expect someone on the freshman team to have the skills a returning Varsity member has right?
I don't mean for me to sound like this is complaining, because I'm not, it's just I'm tired of going to practice and having everyone looking like they'd rather be anywhere else but cheer practice because our coaches refuse to let us laugh at a little at our mistakes and then help us fix our mistakes.
I want to have a practice where no girls leaves crying because she's been completely broken down by our head coach.
Any advice?
 
Does your school have traditionally amazing cheer teams? If so that may be a reason why her methods are uncontested.

But regardless she sounds like the devil. You gotta work pretty hard to make cheer NOT fun at all. I wouldn't want to cheer there either.
 
My biggest thing re: constant yelling and screaming and punishment is that a lot of coaches fail to realize that if you're constantly yelling, it's likely due to something you did or didn't do as a coach.

If you are yelling, screaming, and tip toe punishing (not even sure what the point of that is) about incorrect motions EVERY practice, you typically:

1. Never taught them well from jump street.
2. Failed to correct them when they first started doing them wrong.
3. Did not gain the respect of the girls in the beginning so they've been doing it wrong for so long because they genuinely do not care.

I am a pretty stern coach (ask any of my kids) but even I've met some coaches who make me question why people would bother trying out. Who wants to be Abby Lee or Gordon Ramsay SCREAMED at every day?
 
Does your school have traditionally amazing cheer teams? If so that may be a reason why her methods are uncontested.

But regardless she sounds like the devil. You gotta work pretty hard to make cheer NOT fun at all. I wouldn't want to cheer there either.
How can a team be amazing if the coaches hardly pay attention to the athletes?
 
That's why I asked. Why is this ok? Are they so awesome everyone just puts up with it?
It's really difficult to make a team at my school. We have to learn a dance which is about 2 minutes long, 3 chants, a cheer, and we have to make up our own chant, plus be able to do a toe touch, hurdler, and a double jump (or be able to tumble) just to try out! And a lot of girls and guys try out and only 25 girls all together made it. So we have to deal or get some really bad side comments from the coaches about how we're worse than the girls who tried out and didn't make a team. We just go around reminding each other that we're here because we deserved it and how much time of hell we have left.
And also, no, our teams are not grand or eye catching. We're just a sideline team. But they are kind of fun to watch every once in a while, because these girls are great at putting on happy faces and acting like they're having fun, even if they get hardly any respect from the coaches and our school.
 
It's really difficult to make a team at my school. We have to learn a dance which is about 2 minutes long, 3 chants, a cheer, and we have to make up our own chant, plus be able to do a toe touch, hurdler, and a double jump (or be able to tumble) just to try out! And a lot of girls and guys try out and only 25 girls all together made it. So we have to deal or get some really bad side comments from the coaches about how we're worse than the girls who tried out and didn't make a team. We just go around reminding each other that we're here because we deserved it and how much time of hell we have left.
And also, no, our teams are not grand or eye catching. We're just a sideline team. But they are kind of fun to watch every once in a while, because these girls are great at putting on happy faces and acting like they're having fun, even if they get hardly any respect from the coaches and our school.
That's truly sad.
 
Have you spoken to another coach or your faculty advisor (whatever teacher or staff member oversees cheer from an advisory standpoint) about it?
No, I haven't because I have no clue who that would be! My school's principal has literally nothing to do with cheer nor really likes it, also the athletic director is never in his office, so it's next to impossible to speak with him.
 
No, I haven't because I have no clue who that would be! My school's principal has literally nothing to do with cheer nor really likes it, also the athletic director is never in his office, so it's next to impossible to speak with him.
Seek him out. Schedule an appointment with him AND the principal. Talk to a guidance counselor if you must but speak up. You can speak up in a mature and intelligent manner. If you make a concerted effort you should be taken seriously. If not then I'm very disappointed in the adults in your life.
 
Seek him out. Schedule an appointment with him AND the principal. Talk to a guidance counselor if you must but speak up. You can speak up in a mature and intelligent manner. If you make a concerted effort you should be taken seriously. If not then I'm very disappointed in the adults in your life.
Alright! I'll try my best, even if it has to be a couple weeks from now when school starts so maybe he'll be in his office for once, but i'll try! Thanks!
 
Seek him out. Schedule an appointment with him AND the principal. Talk to a guidance counselor if you must but speak up. You can speak up in a mature and intelligent manner. If you make a concerted effort you should be taken seriously. If not then I'm very disappointed in the adults in your life.


Yes.

If possible, I'd make notes and use direct quotes of things that she has said. BE SPECIFIC AND CLEAR.

It's one thing for a kid to come to me (in guidance dept) at school and say "Like, the volleyball coach is really mean and stuff."

It's another for her to tell me "Well, on June 3, 2014, she was overheard telling a freshman player to "F*ck off" while the Assistant Coach laughed."
 
Alright! I'll try my best, even if it has to be a couple weeks from now when school starts so maybe he'll be in his office for once, but i'll try! Thanks!
You're very welcome. One way to approach it is to ask for help on how to address it. Another adult in an authority position should be more than willing to help you resolve this diplomatically. The last thing you want is for them to go jump on the coach on your behalf and then she just takes it out on you. It's probably best if your name is left out entirely to be honest just because your coach doesn't sound like the type that will take constructive criticism (she can't even give it from what it looks like) easily.
 
Document as much as you can. Specifics go a long way in these situations. Ask permission of and document others names in case they need to talk with them also. Good luck!


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Remember as well:
Many times, high school coaches are simply "sponsors"...a.k.a The school needs a body to be there for practices & made a teacher take up the position. Most do not have much if any experience in the cheer coach realm, nor do the schools care. This is the recipe for MANY high school programs across the country sadly.........
 
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