| Have Your Team Ready to Go
What is most important for high school coaches in the development and training of their teams? On this occasion I will address some issues that I feel are critical to getting the most out of your teams. I firmly believe that coaches need to keep their players motivated and then structure their player interactions to ensure that the players have a fulfilling experience. In my many years of collegiate coaching (+34 years), my rosters have never really been filled with 100 percent fully committed athletes. I have always had teams, that had a few players who are all in, but in reality in most teams there is a mixture of motivation levels among the participants. Upon further review, and lots of attempts, I know what doesn't work more than I know what does. One of the most important aspects of coaching is to really understand and embrace the importance of change – both as a coach and/or as a leader. Motivation is really just a word – but as a coach I think it is about player's actions and their effort and determination to succeed. I challenge my players at the collegiate level to always be accountable. They need to come prepared to practice and understand where they can best make a contribution. The most valuable players for me are the ones that are smart enough to build a specific niche for themselves, and then follow thru on a daily basis to perfect this niche in the practice arena. The most effective methods of motivation that I have found have focused on the process of communicating to the players what is expected of them in various areas – from skill development and team cohesion, to developing both a team and individual fighting spirit. I want the players to understand that in the end, it is their team and they are ones responsible for the team's performance. It is my job to try and keep to them on task and provide feedback. I think in a lot of cases players really do want to hear what they need to do to be better and that coaches put themselves in a tough situation by the way they provide feedback. In my opinion, the least effective method would be to yell and risk embarrassing the players either with their peers in practice or in the competitive arena itself. It is critical that we spend our time to show our players where they came up short, as opposed to expressing our thoughts/feelings to others or the media. Skill development is most certainly a critical area. Coaches need to come up with what will be their team's specific style of play and instruct the players accordingly. There are a lot of factions around the country that feel that their way is the only way to teach the game. This same faction firmly believes that there are very specific techniques associated with player development. I have tried to stay out of this point of view. My main belief is that the present rally score game is about limiting one's errors. Coaches need to have their principles and philosophies of coaching in place before they focus on breaking down each specific skill. The most important thing that I tell my players is–"play hard and play together," and I am willing to be somewhat flexible with some of their individual techniques. Team cohesion is an important area that deals with the commitment of the players to develop a team attitude and how to respond to every situation as a united group. I always go back to the principle of personal, as well as, group accountability. I believe that a coach's role is to communicate with all the players on a variety of issues that affect their pursuit of excellence and more importantly their happiness. It is always my intent for the players to recognize that our team is their team and they will get results that correlate with their levels of commitment and dedication. Every sport has drills that push its players to the maximum physically, mentally or socially. Coaches need to ask themselves – do I prefer performance on the field versus harmony in the locker room? I have both witnessed and experienced a number of teams that cared so much about winning, that they didn't care to address the issues that may have been causing team issues. There are coaches who are fired (even at the high school levels) for losing, as opposed to how well the team harmonizes or socializes on the bus. Team chemistry in and of itself is great, but many players and coaches look at the end results of competition as their "holy grail", and forget they have a responsibility to develop the group for the future, as well as, teach some very important life skills. Coaches at the various levels have to make up their own minds as to what is important for their teams to have success at their respective levels of play. Discipline involves an individual's commitment to do everything possible to enhance both their individual and team's chances for success. I prefer team goals to specific needs and rules, because I don't want to have to make critical decisions on hearsay or punish the team because a specific athlete has made an inappropriate decision. In many cases, I allow the team to decide on the values and behaviors they feel are important and give them a small taste of democracy in college athletics. I have found this to be the most effective method of keeping the players on task and not worrying about dealing with the "letter of the law." I'm sure that this can be a problem if and when the school has a specific policy that is established for all of the teams at the school. At Penn State, we have some specific behaviors that I cultivate, because I feel they contribute to success. These are:
My experience in both witnessing and failing to maintain team discipline covers a full spectrum. I see a number of methods that work for others, but may not provide the same results for me. The least effective methods are the ones with which you have just experienced failure. Winning and losing is many times decided by a very slim margin, thus it is critical to dedicate yourself to your team's mental preparation. My goal is to prepare the players in practice and to relay specific match material that will allow total focus on game performance. I would assume that most teams practice for a similar amount of time, although the teaching of the techniques may differ, however the same skills are probably emphasized, Therefore, the outcome will often rests on the mindset of the athletes. I think you establish your team's culture from the first meeting you have with the team and then build upon it throughout the entire season. Pre-season is tough and it affords a staff the time to ascertain the physical level of the players, as well as, refine their technical skills. At the same time we identify and try to hone the dynamics of the group. We always review the necessary skills while focusing on the keys that may separate us from our peers. It could be a team's pursuit of every ball or the verbal and non-verbal communication that enhances a team's chance for success. Pre-season isn't supposed to be fun, but it needs to be informative. However, the games can and should be fun! We prepare for all opponents the same and afford them the respect they deserve. Most of the time the result is based on how you play so you must be prepared. The only factor a coach can't really duplicate in a training session (practice) is the emotion and adrenaline that accompanies a big match. Therefore, preparation should enable a player and team to enjoy the event and not crash and burn as a result of the pressure attached to it! I like to make practices hard and challenging so the players can have experience dealing with some of the factors that might cause a player or team to crack. I would prefer to have a player lose their composure in practice than in a competitive event – that way we can try to prevent a match occurrence by monitoring the players and keeping an eye on any preliminary signs of crisis. I think a player becomes mentally tough by how they handle the various setbacks that occur in their career. It could be injuries, or bad personal decisions that affect a player's psyche or readiness. These force players to learn a lesson the hard way. It isn't information gathered in a book or class – it is athlete specific and some players learn and have the ability to learn from others. Some players just never get it. You can hopefully hide the players that don't possess the mental toughness you desire and depend on the few that do. I look at mental toughness as a trait that develops when players and teams prevail and keep pursuing their goal in the face of various obstacles. As coaches, we all fail a number of times and we may fail in a number of different areas as well – especially if your goal is player development, not just team performance. Late game strategy is sport specific, but I would hope that the players could learn to push to the end and not worry about who is winning or losing. Let the crowd and the emotion of the event bring you to the finish line -- not the fear of losing it at the end. It is my thought that the more chances you get to win and finish, the better your chances are of finishing on top. Winning is a habit and, unfortunately for some, so is losing. A player or team that has the ability to face adversity whether it be in an opponent, a hostile crowd, a tough call by an official, or a poor performance by oneself or a teammate has the chance to display a collective toughness. Match preparation is a key area for coaches and their teams. Coaching well and winning comes with a responsibility for making sure your team is ready to go. I have found that every player and every team is different. The optimal methods of communication need to reflect these differences. My staff and I recognize that some players have their own method of match preparation - - some may be very independent & individual, others may be totally dependent on the staff. Teams and players very rarely perform their best when they have lost their composure and I have never felt my team would benefit from me losing mine. You as a coach have to have a good awareness of your team, the impact that you have on them and how best to enhance your chances for success. As we tell our players-do your best and good luck. |
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About the Author... |
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| Russ Rose Head Coach – Women's Volleyball Penn State University Five Time NCAA Division I National Champion Look for me at the following coaching clinics in 2011 and beyond: May 14-15, 2011 at Aurora College – Aurora, Illinois www.jimcolemanclinic.com May 21-22, 2011 at Portland State University, Portland, Oregon www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com July 29-31, 2011 at Penn State Coaches Clinic PLAYER AND TEAM CAMPS ARE LISTED BELOW: JUNE 27-30 PENN STATE INSTRUCTIONAL CAMP |