PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: Is Using Humor And Sarcasm Appropriate While Coaching?
A great way to have fun and bring a team together is by using humor. However, some coaches may think that they are using humor when in fact they are using sarcasm. Sarcasm can be hurtful to players and destructive to the team, so it is important to be aware of the difference.
Humor vs Sarcasm
Humor, the quality of being amusing or comical, can keep athletes laughing and help them enjoy a sport that at times might be difficult and intense. It can give players a break and make things lighter. When a coach uses positive humor, it is a great thing. Sarcasm on the other hand is the use of irony to mock or convey contempt and is often used to cut or give pain. Sarcasm is hard on players and teams. And unfortunately many coaches don’t understand the difference.
How many times have you heard a coach make fun of a player? They might say, “Nice pass,” when a player made a terrible pass. The coach thinks they are making light of the situation, but instead it only brings resentment and pain for that player. If the player acts hurt, a coach may even respond with, “I was just kidding or it was a joke.” which doesn’t help. The damage has been done.
A Fine Line
There can be a fine line between humor and sarcasm. If a coach has a close connection to a player and they understand the humor of that player, they might joke in a way that is close to sarcasm. The player may also think it is funny and the comment does the trick of lightening up the mood at practice. But it’s best to proceed with caution and truly understand the difference. Be aware of your intent with a comment, but more important consider how a […]
4 Must Watch Basketball Movies
I’m a sucker for a great basketball movie. As a high school coach, I had “movie night” each season so that the team could bond over an inspiring sports story. Here are four oldies but goodies that are inspired by true stories. Powerful movies that you’ve got to watch.
In 1965, Texas Western Coach Don Haskins recruits a team based on talent rather than race, and even though the team is winning, the conservative community is upset about it. Learn more about Texas Western’s challenges on the way to the NCAA Tournament in this powerful movie based on a true story.
Believe in Me is the story of a girl’s basketball team in a small Oklahoma community during the mid-1960’s who want to play basketball just as much as the boys do. The movie, based on the book, Brief Garland: The True Story of coach Jim Keith, delves into the inequalities in girls sports pre-Title IX and tells the story of the coach, and the young women, who work for the chance to play the game they love. (BTW: In the movie the girl’s play five-on-five, but during that time in history girl’s played a six-on-six half-court game, some states still played the half-court game up until the early 1990’s. Learn more about the history of women’s basketball HERE)
In 1972, Coach Cathy Rush wanted to make a difference at Immaculata College but she ended up making history. Starting with no budget, no uniforms and no gym, she and eleven young women worked to dominate bigger and better-funded schools on their way to compete in the first-ever national women’s college basketball championship. Watch the movie and cheer for the legendary Mighty Macs on their road to the championship.
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: How To Motivate Your Team
Motivating your team starts before the season even begins. It starts by figuring out how you can create a team-focused, positive environment where the players will thrive. Setting expectations and goals for practice and games is part of that process, but remember just that, it is a process. Though I will touch on some game-day ideas to help motivate your team, truly motivating your team happens throughout the year.
Create A Positive Environment
Creating a positive environment starts with the way that you talk to your players. Be positive and encourage players while you coach them. When a player makes a mistake remind yourself that they are trying to do it right. Don’t get angry, figure out how you can do your job better and keep teaching them until they improve. Another good reminder to help you be positive and patient is, that even the best players make mistakes.
Spread positive energy wherever you can. Clean up the locker room if you have one and post inspirational quotes. Give your players journals and have them right down personal and team goals. Share inspiring stories or quotes before or after practice. Bring in motivational speakers. Use your imagination and find ways to encourage your team and create a positive environment.
Encourage Team Mentality
Teach your team the importance of treating one another with respect. Help the players understand what it means to be a team player. When a team cares about one another, they will work to motivate one another. By teaching the importance of teamwork you are helping to motivate your team.
Set Goals
Having something to strive for helps give a team motivation. And getting the players involved in the goal setting is even better. You can have a big reach goal; something grand, larger than life. But also have smaller more reachable goals that help […]
Yes, You Can Play: The Evolution of Women’s Basketball
“Mom, I want to play basketball,” I said as I watched the boys move up and down the court, dribbling around each other in an effort to get to the hoop. It was 1973 and I was seven.
My mom peered at me through the bottom of her glasses and explained, “They don’t have basketball for girls your age, Sonya.” I narrowed my eyes and huffed. She gave me an exaggerated wink and said, “That doesn’t mean you can’t play.”
Not long after, my dad installed a basketball hoop in our driveway so that my brother and I could toss a basketball around with the kids in the neighborhood, and that was the beginning of my love affair with the game.
Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972
Little did I know that just one year earlier, in 1972, Congress had enacted Title IX and gave me, and young women before me, more opportunities to play. Since Title IX, which bans sex discrimination and sexual harassment in federally subsidized educational programs, including athletics, opportunities in sports for girls have skyrocketed. In fact in 1972, when I was six, just one in twenty-seven girls participated in high school sports; today, about two in five participate and the number of women playing in college continues to increase.
1976 Ann Meyer Received The First Woman’s College Basketball Scholarship
Though women had been playing basketball for eight-four years, it wasn’t until 1976 that Ann Meyer received the first woman’s college basketball scholarship, leading the way for many other women like me. And because of Title IX there are now more athletic scholarships and opportunities for women to participate in sports and to learn from the game than ever before.
Meet Sonya
Meet Sonya
Sonya Elliott’s memoir, Back on the Court: A Young Woman’s Triumphant Return to Life, Love & Basketball, is her story of finding hope in the wake of tragedy after she and her fiancé were hit by a train. She blogs about writing, basketball, and life and is currently working on a Young Adult Novel and a Non-Fiction Coaching book. Stories of her career as a fashion model are woven through her memoir, as both the Soloflex and Easy Spirit Shoes commercials were filmed during that time period, and this unique and intriguing business continues to be a part of her life.
Sonya played basketball at Eastern Washington University and was a starter for the Big Sky Champion team that went to the 1987 NCAA tournament. She coached for almost 25 years and was voted Seattle Times Coach of the Year, Seattle Officials Women’s Basketball Association Coach of the Year, and twice voted Metro League Coach of the Year. She loves the game of basketball and is thankful, not only for her husband and kids but for her ability to continue to get back on the court.
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PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: Is Using Humor And Sarcasm Appropriate While Coaching?
A great way to have fun and bring a team together is by using humor. However, some coaches may think that they are using humor when in fact they are using sarcasm. Sarcasm can be hurtful to players and destructive to the team, so it is important to be aware of the difference.
Humor vs Sarcasm
Humor, the quality of being amusing or comical, can keep athletes laughing and help them enjoy a sport that at times might be difficult and intense. It can give players a break and make things lighter. When a coach uses positive humor, it is a great thing. Sarcasm on the other hand is the use of irony to mock or convey contempt and is often used to cut or give pain. Sarcasm is hard on players and teams. And unfortunately many coaches don’t understand the difference.
How many times have you heard a coach make fun of […]
4 Must Watch Basketball Movies
I’m a sucker for a great basketball movie. As a high school coach, I had “movie night” each season so that the team could bond over an inspiring sports story. Here are four oldies but goodies that are inspired by true stories. Powerful movies that you’ve got to watch.
In 1965, Texas Western Coach Don Haskins recruits a team based on talent rather than race, and even though the team is winning, the conservative community is upset about it. Learn more about Texas Western’s challenges on the way to the NCAA Tournament in this powerful movie based on a true story.
Believe in Me is the story of a girl’s basketball team in a small Oklahoma community during the mid-1960’s who want to play basketball just as much as the boys do. The movie, based on the book, Brief Garland: The True Story of coach […]
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: How To Motivate Your Team
Motivating your team starts before the season even begins. It starts by figuring out how you can create a team-focused, positive environment where the players will thrive. Setting expectations and goals for practice and games is part of that process, but remember just that, it is a process. Though I will touch on some game-day ideas to help motivate your team, truly motivating your team happens throughout the year.
Create A Positive Environment
Creating a positive environment starts with the way that you talk to your players. Be positive and encourage players while you coach them. When a player makes a mistake remind yourself that they are trying to do it right. Don’t get angry, figure out how you can do your job better and keep teaching them until they improve. Another good reminder to help you be positive and patient is, that even the best players make mistakes.
Spread positive energy wherever […]
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