Coaching and the joke it's become

[Makin]

Let me start off by saying this is completely my opinion through the experiences I've seen pertaining to this topic. Also I AM NOT A COACH OR AN INSPIRING COACH, so this isn't for me or has anything to do with me, I just want people to try and see what I've seen.
If you haven't raged quit this thread yet, I have noticed several teams that have chosen coaches based on other things other than experience and sponsorships. I'm not going into detail because I'm not trying to flame anyone. But, I know it's the teams decision on who they want to coach them but these pros put an EXTREME amount of time and devote their lives to competitive gaming it seems dumb to say pick up a coach because they are friends with that person.
Or, have a coach buy their way into a coaching position, I understand they want the money but whats a couple hundred dollars compared to a national championship? Might as well pick up BossNasti I mean whats the difference. As a fan I look towards a team that makes good decision in any conflict that comes up. If you need a coach pick a coach that has worked their asses off and put the time necessary to know how to be successful in this field.
Also, I know especially in the TLN community theres a bunch of aspiring coaches, that haven't had the opportunity to coach a top 16 team. What I advise is for the pro coaches to help these aspiring coach out a little bit. Let's be frank these pro coaches are going to hit an age where competitive gaming isn't going to be the biggest part of your life, say when you start to raise a family. Wouldn't it be sweet to watch the livestream or go to an event and watch a coach that you've taught be successful?
And in doing that you open doors for the FA coaches to use your name as a way to help them land a spot. As opposed to, "Here's $600 bucks let me coach your team." When the game is tight do you want to rely on a person like this to give you the crucial information you need to win?
Every coach needs to aspire to be just like Bravo, cause he's crazy good at his job!
Or hey pull an FB and go coach-less, you put the time in to practice and get better why not make sure your coach has too?

The number of talented coaches that are FA's right now is ridiculous! Teams need to see these kids!


Don't hate me, I'm not calling any coaches out I'm just seeing if this makes sense to anyone else.

[TLN Darkside]

Nice post. I do agree with you that its annoying when good coaches out there want to get on a team but get passed up because someone just buys a spot or they have a friend that wants the spot and has little coaching experience. But ultimately its up to the team and if they want an inferior coach then that's up to them, even if it means not placing as well as they could.

I do like the idea of more seasoned and proven coaches helping out some newcomers that have the drive to coach at the highest level.

[Shelly]

Yeah, I agree with you.
It's stupid when a coach gets dropped because another coach offers the team money.
But again, not calling out anyone ;) lolol

[GrayBlue]

The one shot against Bossnasti is so ironic considering the subject matter of your post.

[Makin]

Yeah, I agree with you.
It's stupid when a coach gets dropped because another coach offers the team money.
But again, not calling out anyone ;) lolol
;) ;) Lol

[Vox]

Coaches do different things for different teams...look at Bravo...He is like a PR guru with his team...always getting the word out talking to sponsors...making videos...advertising clothing...
As far as a coach in the traditional sense of the word...look at T2 with SQ...granted it was only one event but his major experience in game IMO helped SQ...they could trust in his words and he could see things from their perspective very easily...
Having said that...I think the majority of coaches...don't do much...Mainly just friends and what not that keep you calm...callout for the quiet ones...and make sure you are ready for Rocks/Snipe/OS/etc.

[Makin]

Bravo is By far the best pro coach, and T2.....T2 brought so much experience to the table it's crazy this is what teams should aspire into finding a coach that does all that bravo does for his team and a coach that knows what they are talking about like T2 does.
100% agreed great response!

[D Moralize]

The reason you dont see t2 caliber coaches is because he makes more as a player, im not saying I support this but if it became common practice to split your prize money 5 ways with the coach getting an equal share the quality of coaching would improve 1000% right now the most a coach can hope to get is 5-10% and I doubt more than 3 coaches are getting that much, but if they could make alot of money off of it, then retired pros would probably coach alot more and bring the experience of a player that to many coaches don't have, and then slow the job would become respected, just like playing video games for your job was never taken seriously and considered a skill until they started getting paid for it, once you can make a living off of it the amount of skill it takes to be a pro coach, and the amount of respect they get will skyrocket.

[Cheeky]

I have actually been asked online by some people who want to be coaches on what makes a great coach. I actually have a word document of basics, Intermediate material, and then the advanced material on what makes a decent coach great! I definitely agree with your post about coaches getting screwed over because other coaches are able to help fund the team and frankly they might not even know anything besides weapon times.

Some Coaches get hurt in the long run, but the ones that put the time and effort in to what they do will reap the benefits in the long run.

With that being said I hope all the inspiring coaches out there the best of luck!
Its worth it once you get to the top trust me!

[Makin]

Thats a good idea D moralize

[Chopz]

Great thread. It would be sweet if Bravo did a video blog on coaching. he could do different topics from how to coach to getting sponsorships for your team.

[Spudskii]

I have coached teams, all coaches on TLN, I challenge you to a COACH OFF!!!! :eek::eek::eek:

[KRILLIN]

Well now I kinda wanna know who you are but aren't calling out and what prompted it lol. I've been at work all day!

[Joe Fries]

I have coached teams, all coaches on TLN, I challenge you to a COACH OFF!!!! :eek::eek::eek:

Don't make me come out of retirement to Ivan Drago you.

[DaMuSiCFiEnD]

Well if they want to be the best coach's they have to put up with this in my opinion. Just like a player being dropped for another, if they put it past them and continue. They will only get better as a person/player/coach.

[Mintari]

Yeah, I agree with you.
It's stupid when a coach gets dropped because another coach offers the team money.
But again, not calling out anyone ;) lolol

Love you Shel<3 :)

[Shelly]

Love you Shel<3 :)

I gotchuu ;)

[MLGAlbatross]

I think part of it is, coaches arent able to get nearly as much practice as players. I go between coaching and playing, depending on the situation, and i feel thats its 1000 times easier to practice as a player then a coach, the main reason being, that there isnt much a coach can do online then call out weapon times and study film.

When my full team is searching in playlist I usually lobby warrior while looking at their party details and calling out weapon times and repeating call-outs in party chat(is that enough devotion for ya?). I also spend a good hour a day in theater studying my teams film from the previous night but theres only so much that can do. Learning how the other team plays(If its an AM or Pro team), and spawns is about all i can get from it.

The only time a coach can truly practice is at LANs or events, and in my case, with team members living in different time zones (let alone states) its really only events that I can really practice with my team.

This isnt adressing the other part of a coaches job however. As team manager. Bravo really sets the bar with this one, and I believe thats part of the reason that he makes such a good coach. But it isnt all about promotion and sponsors. No, as manager you have to make sure that your players are in top performance on gameday. This means watching the numbers of drinks the night before (Thursday, Party night) and making sure they have a glass of water and advil in the morning if they had a high count.

This is very long-winded and my eyes are starting to twitch from staring at the letters on the screen for so long, so i think ill end it with this:

A good coach is a good coach, reguardless of whether he has a sponsor or not. And a good coach can be the difference between making a team good, or making a team great.

[mrkillboy]

Bravo is By far the best pro coach, and T2.....T2 brought so much experience to the table it's crazy this is what teams should aspire into finding a coach that does all that bravo does for his team and a coach that knows what they are talking about like T2 does.
100% agreed great response!

I'm coaching now.

[Makin]

Or Coaches who get help from other coaches and then steal their jobs from them, after being in the same position where another coach bought their spot from them. Like how could you lose a job position then turn around a POACH another coaches spot? HYPOCRITE!!!!!

[phreekopath]

I think part of it is, coaches arent able to get nearly as much practice as players. I go between coaching and playing, depending on the situation, and i feel thats its 1000 times easier to practice as a player then a coach, the main reason being, that there isnt much a coach can do online then call out weapon times and study film.

When my full team is searching in playlist I usually lobby warrior while looking at their party details and calling out weapon times and repeating call-outs in party chat(is that enough devotion for ya?). I also spend a good hour a day in theater studying my teams film from the previous night but theres only so much that can do. Learning how the other team plays(If its an AM or Pro team), and spawns is about all i can get from it.

The only time a coach can truly practice is at LANs or events, and in my case, with team members living in different time zones (let alone states) its really only events that I can really practice with my team.



I just want to use this particular post (and the part in bold, mostly) to point out the usefulness of something like Justin.tv, uStream, livestream, etc as a useful tool for such things. Pair it with something like Vent, TeamSpeak, Skype, or just xbl party chat, and you're in the same situation, minus about 4-5 seconds of delay. I think it would be a wonderful use of it, even if your callouts may be a little behind, you could still accurately time weapons, powerups, and give real-time encouragement. Most of the streaming sites also allow you to save your video AND audio so the couch could go back and watch the VOD with the team audio.

It would help bridge the gap between playing online with your to4, and playing LAN with your coach yelling in your ear, and may help in teambuilding, by having the coach "there" while your players are putting in 6-8 hours of hard gaming a night, while it will also make them accustomed to having a coach, which many players may not be used to.

Many players already stream their gameplay as it is, and it's not that expensive to do, but having a sponsor would certainly help with costs.

[mrkillboy]

Coaching isn't a joke. Most people who claim to be coaches are jokes.

Some teams don't really need a coach to do anything for them, except time power weapons. I've talked to teams who have been to events, and they say it's harder to concentrate on the game with crazy amounts of people screaming. So they have their coach call the power weapons out to them, so they can concentrate on calling out, and playing.

Before I became a player. (Now a coach again) I used to coach my brothers on multiple games.

When my brother was playing Halo 3, and I didn't have an xbox I coached him everyday. It was easier for him to put up better numbers and win, when I was coaching. After looking at his films for him, I noticed how much he improved. When I coached, I taught him some stuff, but mainly I went over film, helped him callout, timed weapons. This helped his team play on a different level than before.

Being able to do this things your a player or players helps more than most people realize. A lot of coaches I have seen, are coaches, because they are friends of players, related, partners, or they just don't enjoy playing. And they never do much. They stand behind the team and time weapons, but if that is all you want your coach to do, that's fine.

I know there is a hand full of coaches on the circuit that go far beyond what is excepted of them. Such as, Mintari. Great kid, and possible one of the best coaches in the league. Alongside of Mech Warrior, Bravo, and Triple X.