Remember your outrage over Armando Galarraga being denied his perfect game due to an admitted wrong call by the first-base umpire? Or has that memory faded a bit?
Are you a little less incensed than you were about World Cup referees denying the U.S. team an apparent game-winning goal against Slovenia? Have you stopped losing sleep over the call that deprived England of its apparent goal against Germany and the goal Argentina scored against Mexico despite appearing to be offside?
Exactly.
Time heals all wounds. And if you can maintain your poise as a Responsible Coach when you are frustrated with officials, there are many benefits for you, your players, the fans, the officials, the opponents , and yes, even the sport as a whole.
Coaches who find a way to get over their objections about officiating can focus on the game at hand, model behavior that will help their players prepare for the next play (rather than worrying about the what-might-have-beens from the last play), and ensure that they don’t fan the flames that a questionable call can ignite among spectators.
One thing you might consider to help you maintain poise is to develop a self-control routine that you practice before games and use during games. For example:
- Take a deep breath
- Remind yourself of the discipline required NOT to react
- Engage in self-talk ("I need to be a role model. I can rise above this!")
- Turn away from the action
- Count to 20 (or 50!)
- Quickly refocus on the next play.
Later, you can use the experience as a teachable moment in conversation with your players: "I was pretty upset with that call in the second inning, but I used my self-control routine so I wouldn't do anything to dishonor the game. And that's an important lesson I want you to learn from sports -- how to develop your own self-control so you will always Honor the Game no matter what."
In addition to setting an example for your players, as a coach, you can take a few other proactive steps to set players up for success in respecting officials. One way is by encouraging players to develop their own self-control routines. For example, PCA National Advisory Board Member and former U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team Captain Julie Foudy used to wear a hairband around her wrist during games and snap the band to remind herself to “snap back” to avoid losing control.
Listen to the full podcast.
Coaches who have a self-control routine in common with their players have ground for further bonding, and seeing players practice their own self-control routines can help you remember to use yours!
Another way to help players before they encounter questionable officiating is to highlight examples of athletes who Honor the Game so that your players have yet one more model.
For example: Instead of losing his cool and flipping out on the umpire, Armando Galarraga smiled and went about his business. Instead of focusing on what he could no longer control, he just prepared for the next play. And he executed it flawlessly, retiring the next batter for a complete game, one-hitter. If he can keep his cool and show class even when the stakes are so high, so can we.
Finally, so that your players can empathize with officials and understand how difficult a job officiating is, consider letting your players referee during your team’s practices.
One of the latest videos within the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports program features former Stanford University basketball player and current high school coach Kris Weems showing you exactly how it’s done.
In an effort to benefit millions of youth athletes, parents and coaches, this article is among a series created exclusively for partners in the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports Program
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ResponsibleSports.com) powered by Positive Coaching Alliance (
http://www.positivecoach.org).
