The "Bully" Coach

The other day I was speaking with a parent whose son runs track. She was telling me about his ankle injury and how he had gone to see the doctor, who said it was just a sprain and that he should just take it easy. This doctor visit was back in January. Doc said he didn't see anything, however swelling was obvious along with some discoloration. A true sign of a ligament sprain.

So this kid finishes soccer season, ankle still causing pain, and starts running track. He's pretty fast so the coach puts him on a relay team. This poor kid wants to run, likes to run, but has an ENORMOUS amount of pain in his ankle following any prolonged running.

The parent calls and says that they finally got the doctor to prescribe physical therapy with us. The parent calls to schedule the initial evaluation and I tell them that the best time is going to be in the early afternoon, between 3-5pm. What does this parent say?

My son is afraid to miss practice because his coach said if he can't practice then he might as well not show up for the meet this weekend. So what happens?

This young athlete has to make a choice between his own health or submitting to the will of his coach. This parent tells me that every time this young athlete runs, his ankle is absolutely killing him after practice, to the point to where he can't walk.

Three things that should be blatantly obvious here:

1. This kid is hurt. Why the heck is he STILL participating?? Not only should he not practice, despite his coach's threats, but he shouldn't run the coming weekend!!!! Common sense would tell you this kid should not be running if he is hurt!! 
2. Why has this parent taken so long to finally "force" their child into rehabilitating this injury? They are the parent, not the kid!! They should not be caving to the wishes of the coach either! Take care of your kid. 
3. This coach has done an excellent job of demonstrating that his own desire to win is more important than the health of his athletes. Great job man, way to keep your priorities straight. Any parent who has their child playing for a coach like this should immediately pull their child off that team. That is no way to treat a 7th grade athlete.

Contrary to popular belief, playing through an injury is not manly, masculine or heroic. It's foolish. This isn't war where if you lose you die. This is youth sports, where if you lose you still get a sno-cone.

Coaches, DON'T BE THAT COACH. Don't be the coach who places winning above the well-being of your athletes.

Parents: DON'T BE THAT PARENT. Don't be the parent who caves to the demands of overbearing coaches.

Do you want your child to play well? Make sure they are healthy. Don't let them try to play through an injury. If something is obviously wrong with the way they throw, run, jump or swing, get them out of the game and get them to a physical therapist or athletic trainer to evaluate the injury.


The ultimate way to decrease the chances of an injury is to prepare your child for the sport. Enroll them in our Summer Peak Performance Camp. The camp is 4 days per week, and is 6 weeks long. Enroll before the end of May and get a free T-shirt as well as a free Peak Preparation warm up manual. Give them every chance to succeed. 


Because the best athlete is a healthy athlete.