Korean Job Discussion Forums

[okokok]

I guess this is the week I just gotta get some things off my chest. I had to go ice skating with some students today. I've been to the hockey rink quite a bit during my time in Korea, and as a result I have seen alot of Koreans practicing short-track speed skating.
So today we are going during the public skating hours and there are about 50 children and a dozen coaches using the rink as a short-track practice. (This of course is extremely dangerous, since the speed skaters all have helmets and travel 100 mph, but the public skaters of whom many can't skate don't- but that's not the point of this post)

The thing I witnessed today, and I've witnessed it a thousand times, is the terrible behavior shown by the Korean coaches. Screaming... and I mean SCREAMING at children anywhere from 5 to 10 years old (with their nose only an inch away from the kid's nose) making them cry. But the kid isn't allowed to take their eye off of him. They are ridiculously strict like they are producing Olympic Champions and constantly hit the kids if they are not happy with the skater's form.
I've seen this in a swimming pool too, where the coach/father has snapped on the kid because they aren't happy with their performance and they go psycho on the kid and hit, and scream, etc..
I've seen it in hockey where a coach makes a player lie down on the ice and then he dishes out a dozen or so lashes with a hockey stick to the players back.
The attitude of the coaches really bothers me. The arrogance and co-cki-ness of these pathetic men who struggle to measure up to 5'6". They love the power of pushing these kids around and the ego boost it gives them. And what is really funny is that in terms of physical anything, Koreans are far behind the western world. They need to lose the attitude.
For those of you familiar with it, Korea needs the 'Speak Out' program.

[ajgeddes]

I have seen quite a few things during hockey practices as well. One time I was watching the coach throw huge cross checks onto 8-10 year old kids and every time he did he they fell over and just stayed down because they were hurt. The big thing is that the parents have no problem with this. However, I have never seen anything like this with the school baseball team.

[vox]

[okokok]

[Hosub]

Because these men are short asian men, they feel the need to do this to children. They just have to, because they're pathetic koreans. That's what you're saying.

[ThePoet]

I don't usually Korea-bash, and I also don't defend Korean customs when I don't agree with them..but I have to say this...

I've been a coach in Canada for 21 years (Football, basketball) and in the U.S. for 2. I will relate 2 stories here:

Re: U.S. coaching..I coached a little league baseball team when I was there and twice I had to ask a coach on the opposing teams to take it easy as they were screaming so hard at the kids their faces were the color of beets and the kids were crying. One time because the kid didn't bunt right, and the second time because the kid fell running to third base, and ended the inning on outs. I also coached a footbal team 9again, little league) where I took a group of kids who had never scored a touchdown and hadn't won a game in 3 years together...By mid season the kids loved playing, we were scoring and even won a couple games. I was threatened by a parent for "showing up" the american coaches.

Re: Canada...I have been a member of sport councils where we discussed numerous penalties/censureships for coaches and parents of hockey, football, and soccer. Offenses ranged from cursing out referees and physical contact of referees, to berating children/athletes/opposing teams etc. It has gotten so bad that the Canadian Hockey Association have developed zero tolerance policies for parents or coaches who step out of line too much.

My point here is that YES it is horrible that the coaches here do that sort of thing, but it shouldn't be a thread just about Korean faux pas in sports. It is horrible everywhere it happens, and it happens everywhere. Competition brings out the best and the worst in everyone, and some coaches are frustrated failed athletes that have to push others to succeed where they failed. However, some coaches are wonderful role models who are remembered for life as giving a little extra to enrich someones life.

Poet

[friendofIgnatius J.]

Yeah, despite nationalities, a lot of coaches can be overally intense. In the west or Korea, coaches can go overboard. Sometimes, it is beneficial but most of the times it is the result of their frustrated aspirations.

However, in defense of the OP, I think the difference is the physical element that is included in Korea. I personally have seen grown men (coaches) dunking kids as they were swimming. Also, a soccer coach hitting his players as they did weighed squats. I mean grown men should not be knocking on kids. I think that this is a uniquely Korean aspect, which the OP was trying to bring out.


Peace

[whatever]

I too have witnessed unwarranted abuse on the part of both coaches and parents in our intra-hogwan baseball games, including simple practice sessions. It makes me sick and makes me increasingly horrified with every subsequent experience. It ranges from verbal abuse to the worst of psychological and physical abuse. It's dispicable.

Give the kids a ____ing break, man. They are...KIDS.

It's shameful.

[djsmnc]

I think it's good to knock some sense into the heads of children. They don't need to pu*syfoot around, they need to learn how to progress with the rest of the team. I'm short because I believe that, too.

[seoulsucker]

[ThePoet]

OK, but physical abuses happen in the west too...

I did not witness this so you can take it with a grain of salt, but I heard from a coach about when he was a player on a Texas University football team - the coach regularly had all the players lie down and then the player at the end would get up and run stepping on each players stomach until he got to the end of the line and so on until all the players had "run the gauntlet" -- not too bad if the wide receiver is running, but how about them offensive linemen?

There was a news article about 12 years ago where the head coach de-balled a bull in front of his students to show them aggression (He was a nutter and went was fired afterward I believe)

Then lets not forget the antics of people like Woody Hayes (who got in his players faces and cuffed them around) , Bear Bryant (who consistently had practices designed to make his players puke), and Bobby Knight.

Shameful..but again, it does happen everywhere and should be stopped everywhere.

Poet

[ajgeddes]

When it happens to older people, say high school or college age, I don't feel as bad. Those people have a choice (I know they don't always), and they chose to play for the team. Little kids are often forced to play by their parents and are just learning a sport. I know both are bad, but I also think they are quite different.

[okokok]

I really didn't mean to imply that it was a Korean problem. I've seen it other places as well, but not quite the same. After my skate, I said to a Korean teacher 'wow, those coaches.... they're rough!' or something to that effect and she answered, 'Yes, that's the Korean way'. So there is a difference between here and where I come from because it is accepted here and all of the parents are watching it happen and don't think twice about it. If a Canadian coach had acted the way those guys did on that day, he would be in serious trouble. That's the only thing I can compare it to just to give you an idea of how vicious it was.
The difference I can see is that in Korea it is the actual training that is abusive. In Canada it is usually the actual game or performance where the ugliness comes out. Maybe that's just a difference in the sport though, I don't know.
And my final point.... guys, alot of these kids were 5 years old. Yes they were good little skaters and they could rip around the ice... but they were 5.