CAP II CLIPBOARD
Do you L-I-K-E your team? Leadership, integrity, kindness and enthusiasm are keys to coaching success
by Angelia L. Stewart • North Richmond Hills, Texas W
hat is L-I-K-E? Leadership – Do you put your best foot forward? Do you convince your team that the decisions you are making are right for the team? Do you demonstrate what you expect to see? Exhibiting confi dence in yourself, your program and your athlete is important and vital to your success as a coach. Show every team member that the rules are for everyone, including the coach. Be knowledgeable in the techniques and tactics that you teach, and strive to be better, just as you demand it from your players. Integrity – We can-
not afford to lack luster or character in our programs. We must understand that we must be trustworthy, loyal and dedicated in our teaching for everyone to see. We must demonstrate that we care and have concern for the full unit, not just our part or the outcome. Being honest, truthful and reliable with your athletes will teach them more than you would ever imagine. Kindness – Without the compassion to mentor and
mold with an empathetic understanding, we are left with nothing to teach. Be consider- ate and know that players will have different beliefs and understandings than you. They will interpret things differently based on their mindset. Be caring and supportive for their interest, and support each of them equally. But remember you must always to be realistic. Never forget that you are a part of the team, or at least you want to be, but you are not a peer or a pal.
Enthusiasm (and Energy) – As coaches, we must be equally excited to teach and to learn. Captivate your athletes from the begin- ning; draw them in with your mind and spirit. Support them, encourage them and show them that focus need not be boring. Come to practice with a devoted energy repeatedly, and wait until the light bulbs go off with your team. Wait and watch for those moments when you get to see that your team really gets everything you have been saying. How wonderful is that moment? Recently, I attended the AVCA Convention in San Antonio. For a new coach of only six
the large room of attendees to be honest and answer two questions. “Why are you coach- ing?” and “What do you expect to bring back to your teams?” Instantly, around me, there was a lot of chatter. One coach sitting rela- tively close shouted, “I coach for the money, and even the little amount I make helps me pay my bills,” and another whispered, “My club is lucky to have me, I played in college.” However, no one addressed what he or she would bring back to his or her team. Looking around, I sat quietly pondering the question, and I found myself a little startled when my nearby peer asked me the question and then stared at me in disbelief. My answer, “I do it for the athletes, and my only hope is that they L-I-K-E me as much as I L-I-K-E them”. Following the session, a group of at- tendees sat down to discuss a series of topics including: how to motivate the players, drills to incorporate team bonding, how to teach competitiveness and qualities of picking team captains. At one point of the conversation, one young woman exclaimed how ridiculous the woman in the clinic was when she responded
48 | VOLLEYBALLUSA • Digital Issue at
usavolleyball.org/mag
years, I found every aspect of the convention to be educational and informative, but what really stood out for me was one particular ses- sion. The topic circled around coaching tactics and ideas. The course itself was extremely informative, but what I will never forget is how the session allowed me to question my own coaching style, ethics and philosophy, and more importantly allowed me to grow as a coach. During the course, the instructor asked
it was all about the athletes. Cringing just a bit, and shrinking down into my large over- sized chair, I raised my hand and said, “Yikes that was me.” It did not take long for the coach to ask me to explain my response. I replied that, over the years, I have experi- enced too many coaches where it is all about them. They come to the gym, throw some balls, yell a lot and go home. At the end of the day, the players leave the gym unfulfi lled and wanting something more. I have experienced coaches who give mixed messages to athletes by telling them they are “really good,” but then tell them that they will never play in advanced levels of the game, including college. I have experienced coaches that suck the love and enjoyment right out of the game for young athletes that might have evolved into better (if not great athletes) by giving consequence after consequence, all the while, professing they have a fun, exciting program which teaches life skills. I have even experienced coaches who tell young athletes
(ages 12-16) that their bodies will never be fi t enough to play the sport of volleyball and oth- ers who only care about their money and repu- tation. However, what I seldom fi nd or hear is the coach who is willing to give their all for the benefi t of the athlete or team. A coach that has L-I-K-E in their programs. What confuses me is that as coaches we ask for nothing, if not demand, nothing less from our athletes. We expect them and require them to L-I-K-E. If you have ever sat in on one of Greg
Dale’s seminar session’s you have undoubt- edly heard him talk about the various phases of coaching. Recently, I heard of Dale’s stages simplifi ed into “Me, We and They.” It is my belief that many coaches stall in the “me” phase. For instance, when most coaches form a team, they look for athletes who bring something special to their court, and the ones that they think they are able to train and make better. However, once the teams are formed, I wonder if these coaches remember to practice an art of inspiring, energizing or facilitating the performance of the individuals solicited to make the team.
PHOTO: USA VOLLEYBALL / BILL KAUFFMAN
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