The hardest part about volleyball coaching is knowing when to push and when to back off. You want to make your players the best they can be and to do that you need to challenge them. Many coaches walk a fine line between motivation and badgering. If you take all of the fun out of the game for a player, they may burn out.
Complicating matters even more is that every player on a team has a different personality, a different breaking point and a different coping mechanism. It is increasingly more important that coaches know their players.
Find Out Who’s Who
Some players need someone on their back all practice to keep them focused and motivated. Other players are self-motivated and while they need occasional advice, there is no need to ride them. Between the extremes are many variations. Pay attention. When you screamed at your middle to close the block better, how did she respond? Did her play improve or did she crack? When your best passer hit a rough patch, can she get it back together on her own or do you have to step in?
Use What Works
When you take the time to find out what makes each of your players tick, you’ll know who you can ride and who you need to coddle.
Keep in mind though that by always providing the motivation, the discipline and the hand-holding for your players, you may not be preparing them to to do these things for themselves and that does them a disservice in the long run. When they get to their college team, will their new coach fill the void you've left? Remember, fire a player up and she plays well for a day. Teach a player how to fire herself up and she plays well for a lifetime.
Push don’t Break
Challenge them to play better and to be better, but stay away from their breaking point. Don’t get so caught up in the details that you miss the big picture. This is a game and it is supposed to be fun. Lighten up sometimes and let the players relax and play.
Sports=Life
Don’t forget that your job is not just about coaching volleyball. If you are dealing with young players, there are many correlations between sport and life and many lessons you can teach that will help them out later. Teach them how to push themselves beyond where they thought they could go, teach them to overcome adversity, teach them to trust and depend on each other and teach them how to succeed. Every day on a volleyball court is another lesson to be learned for players and coaches alike. Cultivate that learning process.
