Sport creates situations in which life lessons can be taught. When those situations arise, coaches need to teach those lessons. It is ideal for a coach to think that their students should always be compliant, although those children as easy to coach, they can learn a little from a “trouble maker”.
Submissive and conforming children may need to learn how to take control and be aggressive. Spunky children that question authority may not do it because they are rude, but because they want to know why they are asked to do something, rather than just blindly following.We constantly tell our children to stand out, ask questions, think differently, forge your own path, but when they do, they get in trouble because they don’t conform.
“Wow, I am so glad you got in trouble today at gym!” said no parent or coach ever.
But the truth is, it is not an entirely bad thing when your athlete breaks a rule, cheats on a conditioning assignment or pushes a boundary.
Believe it or not, coaches, you don’t want blindly obedient gymnasts.
And parents: You don’t want kids who never push at boundaries and who don’t learn to accept the consequences of their behavior.
The media recently reported that disobedient kids are more likely to earn more as adults. Furthermore, I’ve written before on the benefits of being “bossy,” especially for our daughters. But there are even more reasons why it’s actually good if your athlete gets into trouble from time to time:
Demonstrates they think for themselves. As much as parents and coaches may think they want an athlete that is absolutely compliant, blind obedience…
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