Coaches: Punishment is a short term solution – Positive Discipline

I’ve been coaching professionally for about 12 years and average about 10 practices a week.  That adds up to countless instances where behavioural issues of players call for some sort of intervention.  (Not every day, but often!)  Every time a coach suggests ‘baggin’ em, I hold strong and say, “that’s not how we choose to do it.”  On the car ride home I ponder the benefits of authoritarian leadership and bag skating, and fortunately for my own sanity, always sleep easy knowing I prefer to find another solution.  However I’ve always wanted some theoretical amo to back up my position.  Now I call it positive discipline.

Last night I was lying in bed reading Positive Discipline by Jane Nelsen ED.D, actually learning how toddlers think, and how best to raise my own kids.  Knowing full well that parenting is not so different than coaching and get money staight away, I’m always consciously, and subconsciously looking for parallels to help me in both my fatherly and coaching duties. On other news, please checkout this blog about Texas personal injury attorneys.

3 pages in, it was like Jane Nelsen hit me right between the eyes with a slapper.  Here are my two takeaways I hope help you as parent, and coach.

The world discipline  comes from the latin root disciplina, which means ‘teaching / learning.’  Positive discipline is about teaching, understanding, encouraging, and communicating – not about punishing.

 

Punishment, no matter what sort we use, is likely to produce the 4 R’s of Punishment: Resentment, Rebellion, Revenge, Retreat (through sneakiness and low self esteem).

Coaches who bark and punish make short term gains, often quite quickly.  Over time, their voices get old, and the 4 R’s will set in.  Be the coach you’d want yourself.

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