Cotton Wool in Sports Development

It's been a long topic now for quite a few years and also a uneasy one for coaches, management and parents to come to terms with and even extended family who believe they need to have an input as well, as they can sometimes truly think that they know best and what is right for that particular player.This happens from ages 5 all the way till some are 17 years of age.The problem is that there's no right answer to the Cotton Wool issue that engulfs teams of various age groups and abilities, from Grassroots up to National Playing Level across several team sporting codes.I believe this as many do that this can be the case as we have become increasingly more politically correct in the means of;

"I really have to be careful in what I say and do cause little Johnny might have an emotional breakdown here then I will have to deal with his/her parents, then that will stop me from pushing Harry even though his/her parents have told me that they need to be pushed and then poor Angie who just thrives and feeds on fast paced, high discipline development and is self-driven for determination to succeed and can’t handle team players that just don’t want to try and perform." what a challenge, this can be and mostly is a constant time consuming problem.
By over reading everything, trying to keep these kids wrapped and protected from almost every aspect of negativity that can also keep them sheltered from what society on a whole could turn out for them as they continue their journey is now being considered as not the way to do it. Instead suggestions of speaking the cards that are laid in that moment as that is the process of thought that comes to mind and needs to be said maybe in their best interest within reason.
I believe Coaches do not deliberately go to training and game days with a conjecture of labeling and demeaning a player to remove them or put them in a position of intimidation for them to leave on their own accord. Parents may hear things and may take it in the wrong context, which can make it even harder for the coach to coach. The coaches that do have a thing to label and demean a player to get rid of them should be discussed with the team manager and the coach to see if this is the case and why in the early stages of the season.For a coach to do this I just don’t get it, I don’t see the point of beating around the bush.It is also important for coaches to recieve the feedback with an open mind and not be detered by what is said, but work with it and better yourself becase of it and the reason being is that we all care about our players and their dreams. Sometimes we may take it a little to far or over step the mark with younger players without even noticing and it doesnt hurt to be checked in from time to time.
This topic is really starting to stand out now with more research being done and more dialogue between various sporting groups pointing to the direction that we have become an over protected society which is leading to more harm than good as a player progresses to higher levels.I know of a lot of coaches and parents across quite a few codes of sports that have been caught up in this from both sides of the fence, myself included. You try and be careful and then you have to push and bingo next minute you've gone from being fantastic coach or parent to cruel coach or parent. It’s a tough gig whether your on the coaching side or the parental side.
As the season develops so does the training, as the competition intensifies, so does the training, as the fitness levels increase, so does the training, as the skill level increases, so does the training, as the team hungers for more, so does the training, as the concentration level needs to be increased, so does the training.

Coaching is not for everyone but someone has to do it, and if you choose not to do it then don’t be harsh about it, because it is most likely that your coach is someone that is sacrificing their time and their family time to coach your child and this can place an enormous strain on their family environment as almost all coaches are volunteers, or they are well and truly underpaid for their time. Their coaching does not stop when training or the games are over, as they go back to the books and start working on the next plan to work on what may have not worked or how they can improve an individual or team on the building blocks of what they were trying to achieve in that game or training session. An average volunteer coaching hours can exceed 16+ hours per week, which is a casual based paying job.

High or Elite Competitive physical team sports is also not for everyone and community or grassroots is, sometimes even that isn't for everyone as well.The more we are learning about the way in which the powers to be want us to coach can be confusing at times for us coaches as it can differ from year to year depending who is in charge of development for that particular sport and the politics that comes with it, let alone parents to try and grasp it.
The role as a coach is to develop players and this does involve being honest and sometimes frank with the players to help them succeed and understand where and how to use their abilities and how to increase their abilities, strength and performance as well. Their role also is to incorperate all players to bond as a team and for those that are stronger to also encourage and challange the lesser strengthed players.
It certainly is not an easy role and we just can’t please everyone, but we do our very best to try and tick every single box because it’s our nature, its what we are asked to do. Sometimes we get it right sometimes we get it wrong, we are human as well and for a vast majority of us, it is all about the development of the players for their love of whichever sport they cherish and what could be in their best interest in moving forward to succeed at any level that works for them.

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