Believe it or not, this is not allowed either. I can see this. Singling out an individual and making them feel isolated I don’t think is a good idea. Although I have told kids they cannot participate in a drill if they haven’t completed the previous expectation.
I’m not in this to win games. I’m in this to make soccer fun and to help them improve their soccer even a little. I think kids like structure and consistency. Once they figure out I’m not a pushover and that I will consistently reward good behavior and punish bad, I get along great with the players. I’m sure there have been a few that haven’t liked me, but truth be told I am there to be liked. I want them to enjoy soccer and enjoy playing. As I said, this isn’t club. This is about having fun and learning to work hard to win. But winning isn’t the main focus.
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In this case, telling the kid to go grab a knee on the sideline is just as effective (if not moreso) than telling him/her to go grab a post on the other end of the field.
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I agree with this, but the reason why I use the goalpost technique is that it is self timed. If I tell them to grab a knee, I’m then responsible for figuring out how long they need to be out. If they are the ones controlling how long they are out, so much the better for me. I don’t know need to do anything beyond just saying, “go touch a goalpost”.
Then I think you have been hamstrung. You essentially have no sanctions, which means you can’t do anything to control those children when asking nicely for them to behave doesn’t work. You need to sit down with whomever is ‘in charge’ and find out exactly what the policies are because as it stands you got nothing to go for when Jason pokes Eric in the eye and Jackie pushes Jessica into the bushes.
But you’re the adult. You are responsible for the children and their safety, which means that you have to maintain behaviour, poor behaviour management makes for an unsafe environment. If you cannot keep order, then the children are unsafe, it doesn’t matter if they all love you or hate you, you’re supposed to be in charge. Children, especially below 11, actually expect to be told off when they do something wrong, they value structure and rules, and as long as you are fair, they won’t hate you.
While I agree what you’re doing seems pretty innocent, please bear in mind the league probably didn’t invent the rule to catch you. They invented the rule to stop the asshole who actually makes a nine year old run a few laps for some imagined offense. And such assholes do exist. But they must enforce the rule as it is written, so you’re being caught up in a rule that was meant to catch someone else. But the rule has real value.
I just finished by first year coaching 6-7 year-olds and, to be honest, I don’t remember ever having to punish a child beyond using my Dad Is Serious Voice.
I understand why the rule is there. And I never should have asked for permission for what I’m doing. The league official has no choice but to go lock-step with the rules. He didn’t make the rules, they were handed down to him and he cannot give a wink and a nod and say that rule doesn’t apply. I actually admire the fact that they are willing to not selectively interpret the rules.
I’ve coached every age level in this league. The young ones don’t need the discipline, to be sure. The older ones.. well.. sometimes they lose focus and need a quick break. I honestly don’t care if they are picking at the grass or watching the clouds or zoning out, but if they are talking over me or distracting other players, I need to find a way to make it so those that want to listen can do so.