I’ve been watching a lot of youth sports this fall. Our 11-year old son is playing tackle football and our 7-year old just finished up with fall baseball. There are a lot of committed, wonderful, generous people coaching in these youth leagues. I also see a good bit of animated gesturing from these coaches, as coaches do what the man in this picture is doing. It’s directed at kids who make a mistake. It’s directed at officials. I’ve even seen coaches on the same staff direct it at each other when they disagree. And what I’ve observed in youth coaches is clearly not unique to youth sports. Coaches at all levels are guilty here.

Unfortunately, putting one’s arms out like this for all to see pretty clearly communicates “What do you think you’re doing and why aren’t you as smart as I am?” And no matter how hard I try, I can’t figure out how that helps anybody get better or fix a mistake.

I’m certainly not perfect, and I’ve done my share of regrettable things as a coach, but this type of gesturing is one part of the coaching culture that needs to go away. We can handle difficult situations and fix mistakes without putting on a show for others, and lamely trying to absolve ourselves of responsibility. Coaches, let’s be aware of and in control of our body language.