Well! Nobody here uses my technique with the parents.
I don't handle the problem with parent meetings, handing out my phone number, or offer explanations. I address this during "no pads" week. During those three nights:
1) Every player is shown how to get in a stance
2) Every player is shown how to play center
3) Every player is shown how to block a bag
4) Every player is shown how to throw a ball
5) Every player is shown how to catch a ball
6) Every player is shown how to punt a ball
7) Every player is shown how to kick a PAT
Every player is shown how to onside kick
9) We have three run times on every player
How well do we teach them? The last time my league ran a punt, pass, and kick contest, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place positions were all won by my players.
Every player is impartially scored at all of the above positions. At the beginning of the third "no pads" practice we announce the offensive positions. Anyone unhappy with their position can RETEST that night against our selected starter. About 10% will retest and every single one of them will get his butt whipped by our selected starter
if I did my selections right.In my last seven years, the TOTAL number of kids who beat out the selected starter was exactly ZERO.
If the player FAILS to get the spot he wants, he can RE-CHALLENGE at any time.
In my last seven years, the TOTAL number of kids who re-challenged the selected starter was exactly TWO. All the rest got their butts so thoroughly whipped the first time by the starter they did not want a second humiliation. They accepted defeat and they never once said the tests were unfair.
The two kids who did rechallenge were both proven RIGHT. That was to my benefit.
So how many parents complained during those seven years?
ONE.
His kid (a DT) had jumped offsides something like 5-7 times in a game so I pulled him, sent in another kid, and sent him to the bench. His dad cornered me after the game and - Yes - he was upset. No - he didn't complain that I pulled his kid. He understood that. What he objected to was that I didn't talk to his kid about why I pulled him.
That's it. No other parent cornered me after a game.
Because it was "no pads" week, we could not test for defense. So no starting defensive positions were given. Fortunately, all the glory positions seem to be on offense because nobody seems to care about defense. Nobody ever once challenged for a different defensive position.
Now! You may notice I keep saying "over seven years". I actually coached 17 years (plus one year of HS and one year of youth in another league.). Those first ten years I went through all the crappola the rest of you have posted. And I didn't like it. Game is over, you just won, and yet three parents are in your face about their kid. The telephone rings at home. Some idiot is rabble rousing against you in the stands. I needed to get rid of that. I came up with a seven part plan:
1) We will test honestly and fairly for every position and allow rechallenges (see above)
2) Every player has a starting position
3) No running back can be team captain
4) The DC Helmet Reward System
5) The DC Defensive Substitution System
6) Best lineman award
7) DC Wing T
I did have ONE parent meeting which was mostly about how to boil mouth pieces and who needs a ride but did include that I informed the parents of the league MPP rule (The only coach in my league to do so) so that they could monitor their kid's playing time (Because I did not.). DC Wing T would let me play any kid somewhere. So with every possession change, we changed starters on the field on offense. If you were playing in the first quarter, you were still playing in the fourth. I didn't send out kids for X plays (the required minimum) and then have some guy next to me with a clipboard counting off their plays and then YANKING THEM OFF as soon as the MPP rule was met. No MPP player EVER COST ME A GAME. But DC Wing T let me keep them out there, getting in more plays than the MPP rule required. I didn't design DC Wing T to take me to Disney World. I designed it to solve parent-player problems. DC Wing T makes your players look good. And it makes you look good. And that makes both parents and players happy. I'm not trying to convert anyone to DCWT because I make no money if you run it. The playbook is free. But, if you're tired of complaints, this offense shuts up the opposition. But, be warned, it's addictive.
Now I ultimately had a coaching failure in finding assistants but that's another subject.
