If you are at Sturt and play in Div 1/2 you are considered elite or elite in waiting, and will be worthy of good coaches, especially if you are in junior boys. But as I understand it, Div 3 and below ( particularly the younger girls division), you are not entitled to mentoring or junior development, even if displaying potential and with little regard for their welfare. Do all clubs have difficulty in securing coaches, or is it just too easy to rely on inexperienced fee paying parents to coach the kids in lower divisions? This is,I am sure, not just a Sturt issue but one facing all clubs.

You are pathetic hoopla

If it is an issue facing all clubs then why just choose sturt.

Guess what would happen if, as you called them, those inexperienced parent coaches did not help out. Your team would be cut all together. Coaches are volunteers. Finding experiences volunteers that wish to give up two trainings (2 1/2 hours each including travel) and a game (2 hours including travel) is not an easy job.

Once again you are pathetic

Hoopla shouldn't be bashed for stating what he thinks. Everyone is entitle to their opinion. I agree with what he says about coaches in lower division clubs usually being below par. Yes clubs do have difficulty in finding/providing decent coaches. Hahahaha is right as well, without the parent/coaches some teams wouldn't get on the court. In our club we would probably field another team in some age groups, if we had the coaches and resources. It's sad that some decent talent is missing out because of this resourcing issue. Okay, back to the main point with best coaching behaviour. Part of the problem is that the parent/coach typically doesn't have any coaching experience so learns all the bad behaviours. It's really hard as a parent watching a game, to see the coach lose it at the ref or player, yelling out and getting aggressive. Especially when it's your teams coach. It's also really hard to voice your concern to anyone in this situation. In my case, most of the parents agree that it's not right, but just accept it and probably all joke about it with their sons. They understand and say he is a good coach but you can tell it affects them on the court and has a negative impact on the game. The worst thing about the parent/coach is that you know that they are not getting the best coaching available to them at the junior level to improve their game.

To answer the other thread about what clubs are the best. It is the one's that have a depth of coaches and they all adhere to high standards of behaviour and encourage and develop players. There really isn't many clubs that have this high level. I can think of one in particular that always seem to field more teams than any other and they all seem to do well not because they necessarily have more talent but are well coached.

One point I think that you're all missing is the goals of the coaches themselves. I can't see many quality coaches wanting to be aligned with Div3,4,5 teams. If they have aspirations to coach SASI/State level, I'm quite sure they have to be involved with a Div 1 team.

My son plays both district basketball and baseball. He's recently joined a winter development squad for baseball.

At the parents meeting before the squad first met, the head coach outlined that they were going to take a new approach with their coaching. They realised that the coaches using the 'abusive' method did nothing to improve the kids' skills in the game. In fact it often did the reverse whereby the kid would not 'have a go' just in case he did something wrong and copped the wrath of the coach. They will now make a concerted effort to praise the kid who tries his best using the techniques they have been shown even if he doesn't always succeed each time. They believe this is the best way to develop the players' skills.

I believe too many junior basketball coaches think the game is about them and that is why they take the abusive path - to win at all costs is very important to them. It is mentioned in this forum many times about parents living their own sporting lives through their kids. I think, in this regard, there are a several coaches who should take a close look at themselves in the mirror.

I will follow the new approach in baseball with great interest.

On the other subject raised in posts above. I think the fact that clubs are unable to find good coaches for the lower grade teams (i.e. div 3 and below) is a good indication that the district competition should only be for divs 1 and 2. For players below that level they should be involved in a domestic competition either in their own club or in a combined one along the lines of City South. I think the lower grades are only there to keep district basketball 'financially viable' - if that's what you would call the current state of affairs!

Slugger, take a drive to SASI HQ's and listen.

IamIsaid, you mean me take a drive or div 1 and 2 coaches take a drive?

I disagree somewhat with only having division 1 and 2 teams. The division 3 and 4 are good for developing the younger age players and for district rep teams that maybe have weaker squads that would get thrashed every game in a higher division. The problem is when you have a division 3 team with all younger age players and then they get a bad coach and don't get the coaching they need for the next year when they are top age and playing in division 1 or 2. Smythe has a point about coaching ambition and i agree, but clubs should be doing more to get good coaches throughout the grades.

bizzare thing here is my neice plays div3 at sturt and she has a div 1 level of coach - she gets this coach on saturday mornings cause due to that coaches avaiability - so it works both ways - have to take the good with the bad - as long as it balances.

so all is not as rosy at sturt as they make out - every club struggles to get enough coaches - more coached means more teams means more players and so on - get off your back side and coach a team do a couple of coaches courses read / hit the net - what a decent div or below coach - maybe its you - get involved but dont knock those who have a go

YEAH!!

RIGHT ON!