Yelling at players during games.

I have written on this subject before, but was asked to do so again. Hey, I like to honor all reasonable requests!

With it being the middle of winter I am largely limited to watching basketball to feed my sports addiction.  I need not your sympathy for basketball was my first love and remains dear to my heart. At a recent high school basketball game I observed a coach berate a player for a mistake made and mumbled under my breathe that he was wrong for doing so.  I was overheard by someone sitting near by and an impromptu discussion on the subject of yelling at players took place and led to the request to once againshare my thoughts on the subject.  I've decided to do in bullet point style this time.

* No one is perfect. Everyone makes a plethora of mistakes each day. It's how we handle them that matters most.

* In an athletic contest, chances are pretty good the person who just made a mistake realizes it without you having to point it out to them.

* Yelling at or chastising a player for making a mistake is in and of itself a mistake as it continues a chain of negativity. And it can be particularly demoralizing if done in front of the team - the players teammates, peers and friends.

* No use dwelling on or belaboring a mistake. Put it behind you immediately and continue playing the game.  Break the chain of negativity immediately and move on to the Next Play!

* This is the biggie insofar as coaching is concerned;  if a player or team is not performing as you wish them to it is because you failed to properly prepare them to do so. Do not yell at players because you failed them - that makes no sense at all and only serves to make you look like a fool.

Obstacles or opportunities?  Mistakes will happen.  The quality of life, the quality of performance in an athletic contest, will be determined by how you handle mistakes.  If we treat a mistake as an obstacle to our success that is exactly what it will become.  If we approach each mistake, each failure, as an opportunity to learn our path to success will be shortened.

Do not yell or scream at players for mistakes made.  Teach from mistakes.