More of this Feature • Part 1: Hey Coaches! • Part 2: Pregame • Part 3: During Warm-ups • Part 4: During Intros • Part 5: During the Match • Part 6: After the Match • Part 7: Final Thoughts

Join the Discussion "I'm curious on whether volleyball coaches and players are really interested in the Mental Aspect of volleyball." EDOKEEFE

Related Resources • Book Review - Volleyball Cybernetics

From Other Guides • Overcoming Intimidation • How to Intimidate

If you can get your opponents, their parents, their coaches, ... anyone related to the opponents ... to intently watch anything your team is doing, then the intimidation process has begun.  If a parent, booster, or player from the other team can be made to say, "Isn't that neat!!" or "Why don't we do that?," then you have made your team more difficult to defeat.  This is on-court intimidation and there are dozens of things, from how your gym is decorated to the ritual your team goes through after a match to bring it about.  The only kind of investment you and your team will need to make is time.  You must make your team believe that all these little things will have an cumulative impact--believe me, they will. 

But first, a few words of wisdom:

Everyone has heard the expression, "Let a sleeping dog lie."  Constantly tell the people in your program, "How ever you try to make our gym intimidating, never do anything to motivate our opponents."  Wars of words only inspire your opponents to make greater efforts.  So as coaches, we must squash taunts and insults that will make our opponents take the upcoming match personally.  Keep the match at the level of "It's the Tidal Tigers vs. Lakeshore Lions," and do not let it escalate to "Terri and her Tiger teammates are going to give Lakeshore just what they need: a good whuppin'."   In addition, I encourage you to avoid negative, put-down or badgering banners and chants.  Examples of banners that you cannot
allow:
 

Stop! Once again, 
You're Shooting Yourself in the Foot!! Promote positive signs:
 

I agree that negative banners are more irritating to your opponents.  But there are so many ways that you can help your team win without firing up your opponents. Here's how!

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