Coach grabbed and yanked 7 yr old

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So the coach grabs your kid’s arm, gives him a yank and then PUNCHES him? That’s abusive and I would be having a talk with that jerk tomorrow.

Even OP knows this isn’t exactly so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This doesn’t sound overly concerning to me, TBH, particularly if there have been no concerns up until now. Coach’s explanation makes general sense.

I might go and watch a few practices to get a general sense of the coach’s style. May also help your DS feel more comfortable. If I had a parent friend who was present at practice, I might ask if they saw what happened- but I imagine you’d have done that already if so.

I am very surprised by the responses saying things like “a coach should never physically touch your child for any reason” etc. In most youth sports that is not at all realistic and definitely would not be my expectation.

Agree

[Anonymous]

Are you from the US? Have you heard or seen a fist bump before? Has your son? Please take him out of basketball club before you ruin someone's life with false accusations.

[Anonymous]

The coach should cut him from team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So the coach grabs your kid’s arm, gives him a yank and then PUNCHES him? That’s abusive and I would be having a talk with that jerk tomorrow.

You don’t seriously think that’s what happened do you?

He might feel embarrassed that he fell or was falling and the instructor helping him became instructor grabbed him and punched him.

[Anonymous]

My kids have told me about hitting at school where it turned out to be as bad or worse than they said.

They have told me about hitting at school that turned out to be far less serious than what they said. It wasn't intentional lying, my kid very clearly totally misread a situation.

I found neutral observers to help me figure that out. Do you know a different parent on the team who was there and might have seen it? That's where I'd go next to try and figure out what really happened - in addition to trying to make sure I could be at practice.

Even if this coach didn't mean anything harmful, sounds like your kid is a bad match for the coach. It happens with good coaches and good players. The good news is that your kid is 7 and you can find either a different team or a different sport easily.

[Anonymous]

Hands off coaches? That's not realistic or prefered for most sports. I want my kids to feel comfortable having hands on corrections from coaches as needed. Go watch so you can pick up on the vibe. I think this sounds pretty normal.

[Anonymous]

I coach DS' soccer team. I once grabbed him as he started falling (by the sidelines) as his falling would have led to other kids tripping over him. Instinct took over and I just went to grab him. In general, I think its a bad ides to touch other kids. But if that had been another player on the team, I feel like instinct would have taken over to prevent them from falling/kids falling on them.

The punching I don't get unless it was a fist bump or a light punch on the shoulder like "hey! Good job!".

I'd attend a few practices before deciding if you want to escalate. I've certainly witnessed enough bad couches and they all acted up, even when parents were there

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I coach DS' soccer team. I once grabbed him as he started falling (by the sidelines) as his falling would have led to other kids tripping over him. Instinct took over and I just went to grab him. In general, I think its a bad ides to touch other kids. But if that had been another player on the team, I feel like instinct would have taken over to prevent them from falling/kids falling on them.

The punching I don't get unless it was a fist bump or a light punch on the shoulder like "hey! Good job!".

I'd attend a few practices before deciding if you want to escalate. I've certainly witnessed enough bad couches and they all acted up, even when parents were there

Geez sorry. I'm sick and apparently my grammar and spelling is atrocious when my brain is clouded

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a situation I’m not yet decided on how to handle.

My second grader is in an after school basketball club. Today he came home crying, saying that his basketball coach grabbed him by the arm and yanked him, then punched him. I think the punch was a male way of expressing positive emotions. Like a high five.

My husband, who picked up my son, asked the coach about the grab. The coach said he thought my son was falling. Isn’t it normal for kids to fall down in basketball? I see it a lot in soccer and baseball for the same age group (7 yr olds).

I don’t like that an adult grabbed my son. He’s a big guy and probably in his 30s. It just doesn’t feel right to me, and I thought about emailing the person in charge to see if they could remind adults to not touch kids. I’m not sure.

Then take your little cry-baby out of contact sports or you volunteer to coach. If your precious snowflake had fallen and broken his arm you would be yelling about this big man letting your baby fall and now his arm is broken.

Well, aren't you a total a##hole! OP pay no attention to this dimwit. Just feel sorry for his/her kids.

It was worded harshly but it’s true. Op should stay and observe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t send my kid to these practices and games unless DH and I could attend.

This.

- MS Coach, Lifelong athlete, and parent of K-12 athletes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a situation I’m not yet decided on how to handle.

My second grader is in an after school basketball club. Today he came home crying, saying that his basketball coach grabbed him by the arm and yanked him, then punched him. I think the punch was a male way of expressing positive emotions. Like a high five.

My husband, who picked up my son, asked the coach about the grab. The coach said he thought my son was falling. Isn’t it normal for kids to fall down in basketball? I see it a lot in soccer and baseball for the same age group (7 yr olds).

I don’t like that an adult grabbed my son. He’s a big guy and probably in his 30s. It just doesn’t feel right to me, and I thought about emailing the person in charge to see if they could remind adults to not touch kids. I’m not sure.

Then take your little cry-baby out of contact sports or you volunteer to coach. If your precious snowflake had fallen and broken his arm you would be yelling about this big man letting your baby fall and now his arm is broken.

Basketball isn't a contact sport, troll.

OP go watch practices until you're comfortable that this coach isn't out of line. My kid is super sensitive and as a result not a very reliable narrator, but better safe than sorry.

[Anonymous]

7 year olds are not reliable narrators. Were any parents at the practice? Can you attend practices going forward?

[Anonymous]

Question for you OP. If you were next to a kid who was falling and you could catch them, would you let them fall or grab their arm to stop them?

Did you ask your kid if he was falling when the coach grabbed him?

[Anonymous]

None of us have any idea what actually happened, OP.. everyone is imagining their own narrative. You need to observe the interactions and get multiple witness reports to understand what happened.