Ever since I was young, I wondered why my father, Bill Tierney, was so intense on the fields. He was always yelling at players during practice, either scolding them for mistakes or praising them for good plays. That’s what a coach is supposed to do right? But, why do they have to yell? I used to wonder the same things and sometimes I still do.

But, now that I coach a lot myself, both for the Outlaws and for our ICON teams, I realize why it is not just yelling. It’s not like I am angry when I yell as a coach. I don’t get “mad” at a player when he makes a bad play. But, as a coach, there has to be some level of intensity. The day I stop yelling during practice, is the day that I no longer care about my players.

There are also the practical aspects. A lot of time players are spread all over the field, so you have to yell as a coach so everyone can hear you. Also, lacrosse players do not typically have the longest attention span in the world, so it also helps to keep their attention. A lot of times, it just makes sense.

There are certain considerations that a coach must be aware of when bringing a high level of intensity on to the field. There are personality differences between players. As a coach, you have to know which players respond well to that type of intensity and those whom it simply frustrates. Furthermore, yelling should never be a personal thing ever and a coach has to be very considerate of what he actually says when he yells. I believe that it is very important to yell at the play and not the player. A lot of times, I will call out a player on my team for making a bad play, but he knows it is nothing personal and that it is for everyone to learn from. I like to remind my players that it is never personal when they get made as an example for the team. They made a bad play, it is being displayed to the whole team as an example, and we move on and learn from it.

So, even after all these explanations, is yelling really necessary on the field? I guess not. I would much rather prefer not having a sore throat after practice. However, there are some things in life that take a certain level of high intensity. There are a select group of athletes who are better off going into a game or practice laughing, joking around and being extremely relaxed. But, for the majority of players, the level of focus that it takes to compete in a fast game like lacrosse, takes a high level of intensity.

However, the greatest lesson that I learned from my father when it came to intensity and all his yelling and carrying on, was that it prepared us for the big game. The pressure of constantly having a coach in your face throughout practice made it easy for us to deal with 30,000 fans in championship games. Developing some thick skin, being able to perform under pressure, and being able to stay focus amidst chaos are all huge lessons for athletes to take on the field and into the real world after lacrosse is all over.

And that is what lacrosse and other athletics is all about...giving young men and women opportunities to develop as people and provide them with the confidence and ability to handle whatever life throws at them.