Coaching Volleyball For Dummies E-Book

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 634

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2009

Beschreibung

Your hands-on guide to coaching youth volleyball Have you been asked to coach a youth volleyball team? This friendly, practical guide helps you grasp the basics and take charge on the court. You get expert advice on teaching key skills to different age groups, running safe and effective practices, helping struggling players, encouraging good sportsmanship, and leading your team with confidence during a match. * Lay the groundwork for a great season -- develop your coaching philosophy, run an effective preseason meeting, and get up to speed on the rules and terminology of the sport * Build your team -- size up the players, find roles for everyone to succeed in, and coach all different types of kids * Teach the basics of volleyball -- from serving and passing to setting, attacking, and blocking, instruct your players successfully in all the key elements * Raise the level of play -- teach more advanced offensive and defensive skills and keep your kids' interest in volleyball going strong * Make the moms and dads happy -- work with parents to ensure a successful and fun season * Score extra points -- keep your players healthy and injury free, resolve conflicts, and coach a volleyball club team Open the book and find: * Clear explanations of the game's fundamentals * An assortment of the sport's best drills * The equipment your team needs * Player positions and their responsibilities * Tips for running fun-filled practices * Refinements for your coaching strategies * How to meet players' special needs * Ten ways to make the season memorable

Leseprobe

Coaching Volleyball For Dummies®

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

What You’re Not to Read

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Part I: Getting Started Coaching Volleyball

Part II: Building Your Team

Part III: Basic Training: Teaching Volleyball Fundamentals

Part IV: Net Gains: Zeroing In on Advanced Volleyball Skills

Part V: The Extra Points

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Getting Started Coaching Volleyball

Chapter 1: Teaching Volleyball to Children

Recognizing Your Behind-the-Scenes Responsibilities

Working with children and parents

Understanding rules and terms

Taking the Court

Planning and executing practices

Handling game day duties

Juggling the Dual Parent-Coach Role

Preparing for All Kinds of Obstacles

Chapter 2: Building a Strong Foundation for a Successful Season

Developing Your Volleyball Coaching Philosophy

Eyeing the importance of a philosophy

Crafting your philosophy to match your age group

Emphasizing teamwork

Motivating players

Creating a positive atmosphere

Keeping communication lines open

Making every child count

Putting fun and skill development first

Making good sportsmanship really matter

Understanding the League You’re Coaching In

Knowing the rules

Playing for fun or first place

Getting on Schedule

Scheduling team practices

Dealing with makeup matches

Dressed for Success: Volleyball Equipment

What the league provides

What players must bring

Chapter 3: The Rundown on Basic Volleyball Rules

Stepping on the Court

Examining the markings on the court

Eyeing the court and the net

Knowing the Rules of the Game

Identifying the basic rules

Considering special rules

Mastering Volleyball Lingo

Understanding the Official’s Signals

Getting Your Kids Ready to Step on the Court

Pointing out player positions and their responsibilities

Filling out a lineup card

Highlighting the basic skills your kids need to play the game

Chapter 4: Getting in Sync with Your Players’ Parents

Introducing Yourself

Explaining Your Coaching Philosophy

Verbalizing your stance on wins and losses

Emphasizing good sportsmanship for players

Maintaining model parent behavior in the stands

Determining playing time and positions

Shuffling Papers: Managing Parental Forms

League documents

Personal packets

Recruiting Parents to Help on the Sidelines

Finding assistant coaches

Filling support roles

Meeting Players’ Special Needs

Concluding Your Meeting with Q & A

Part II: Building Your Team

Chapter 5: Overseeing Your Team

Sizing Up the Players

Evaluating skills

Identifying players’ strengths and weaknesses

Choosing a Starting Lineup

Assigning positions

Finding roles for all your players

Coaching All Kinds of Kids

The average child

The inattentive child

The shy child

The child who’s afraid of getting hurt

The bully

The ball hog

The athletically gifted child

The child who doesn’t want to be there

The inexperienced child

The uncoordinated child

The child with special needs

Chapter 6: Running Fun-Filled Practices

The Opening Practice: Starting the Season on a Good Note

Making a great first impression

Coming to practice prepared

Starting and finishing with fun drills

Devising Fun Practices for the Whole Season

Setting the tone

Determining practice length and frequency

Persuading parents to take the court

Keeping practices consistent

Using practice time efficiently

Making Practice As Productive As Possible for All Players

Building basic skills

Providing help for those in need

Piling on the praise for effort

Ending on a Positive Note

Chapter 7: Making Game Day Memorable — For the Right Reasons

Tending to Pregame Matters

Arriving at the court early

Meeting with referees and opposing coaches

Submitting your lineup

Holding the Pregame Team Meeting and Warm-up

Pumping kids up

Warming up

Coaching a Great Game

Providing constant motivation

Communicating plays

Making player substitutions

Employing advanced strategy

Working with the Referees

Remembering respect

Asking about rules, not judgment

Modeling Good Sportsmanship

Winning gracefully

Losing with class

Wrapping Up the Day: Delivering the Postgame Talk

Zero in on the fun factor

Highlight the positive

Spotlight good sportsmanship

Part III: Basic Training: Teaching Volleyball Fundamentals

Chapter 8: Racking Up Points with Offensive Fundamentals

Focusing Your Approach for Newbies

Mastering the Basics

Serving

Setting

Setting strategies

Attacking

Chapter 9: Developing Defensive Fundamentals

Stressing the Importance of Defense

Mastering the Basics of Defense

Maintaining sound defensive position

Serve receive

Passing out of the net

Blocking

Digging

Chapter 10: Fundamental Drills for Beginners

Warming Up Right

Going On the Offensive

Serving smorgasbord

Setting the table with good sets

Passing

Making kill shots

Dialing Up Defensive Drills

Receiving serves

Digging

Blocking

Putting It All Together: A Sample Practice Session

Chapter 11: Refining Your Coaching Strategies

Adjusting to Changing Team Dynamics

Revising your coaching plan

Handling challenges as your team improves

Conducting the Midseason Review

Resetting your coaching goals

Helping your team reach its goals

Exploring different approaches for reaching goals

Moving kids to new positions

Helping players conquer injury fears

Meeting One-on-One with Parents

Chapter 12: Taking Your Drills to the Next Level

Upgrading the Offense

Packing more service punch

Spicing up the setting

Passing

Attacking

Strengthening the Defense

Serve receive

Digging

Blocking

Putting It All Together: A Sample Practice Session

Part IV: Net Gains: Zeroing In on Advanced Volleyball Skills

Chapter 13: Revving Up the Offense

Eyeing Advanced Offensive Techniques

Pumping up the serving

Upgrading the attack

Transitioning from Defense to Offense

Examining the setter’s responsibilities

Taking a look at the front and back rows

Covering blocked balls

Turning broken plays to your advantage

Chapter 14: Bolstering the Defense

Polishing Advanced Defensive Techniques

Multiple blocking

Pancake digs

Shoulder roll

Determining Your Defense

Player back setup

Player up alignment

Chapter 15: Stepping Up the Offense

Exploring Different Offensive Systems

Implementing the 6-2

Attacking with the 5-1

Using the 4-2

Analyzing Serve-Receive and Passing Formations

Going with the four-player formation

Dissecting the three-player formation

Using the two-player formation

Sizing Up Setting Systems

Playing with the frontcourt setter

Working with the backcourt setter

Chapter 16: Tightening the Defense

Derailing Different Attacks

Going up against the back row attack

Defeating an off-speed attack

Eyeing Special Defenses

Switching in transition

Facing a free ball

Using a rotation defense

Employing a perimeter defense

Part V: The Extra Points

Chapter 17: Keeping Your Players Healthy and Injury Free

Following a Healthy Diet

Understanding the fuels needed

Fueling up before the match

Filling up after the match and practice

Staying hydrated

Stretch It Out: Getting Your Players’ Muscles Ready for Action

Getting players’ hearts pumping

Covering the basics of stretching

Diving into more advanced stretching

Cooling down in practices and games

Pump It Up: Conditioning Your Team

Bruises to Sprains: Recognizing and Treating Injuries

Stocking your first-aid kit

Tending to common volleyball injuries

Handling an emergency situation

Chapter 18: Dealing with Common Coaching Challenges

Addressing Problem Parents

Win-at-all-cost parents

Parents who use you as a babysitter

Parents who question playing time

Disruptive parents

Perpetually late parents

Handling Problem Coaches

Opposing coaches who encourage unsafe play

Opposing coaches who display poor sportsmanship

Dissenting assistants on your team

Dealing with Discipline Problems on Your Own Team

Using the three-strike technique

Using other techniques

Dealing with the nonlistener

Addressing the nonstop talker

Snuffing Out Problem Spectators

Chapter 19: Coaching a Club Team

Getting Familiar with Club Teams

Assembling Your Club Team

Holding a tryout

Selecting players

Breaking the good and bad news to players

Handling Player Problems on the Road

Addressing safety issues

Tackling behavior issues

Enjoying the Season

Warding off burnout

Keeping everyone interested

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Chapter 20: Ten Ways to Make the Season Memorable

Encourage Laughter

Solicit Player Feedback

Make Every Child Feel Special

Share Your Own Experiences

Set Up a Coaches-Players Tournament

Run Silly Scrimmages

Present Team Awards

Involve the Parents in Practice

Present Team Photo Albums

Keep the Season in Perspective

Chapter 21: Ten Ways to Help Players Take Their Game to the Next Level

Visualize Success

Nullify the Nerves

Meet with Players to Discuss Their Goals

Give ’Em Drills to Perform at Home

Send ’Em Camping

Push the Right Buttons

Cue the Conditioning

Avoid Practice Perfection

Bring In Guest Speakers

Master the Art of Conversing — With Yourself

Coaching Volleyball For Dummies®

National Alliance for Youth Sports with Greg Bach

Coaching Volleyball For Dummies

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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About the Authors

National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) has been America’s leading advocate for positive and safe sports for chil- dren since 1981. NAYS serves volunteer coaches, parents with children involved in organized sports, game officials, youth sports administrators, league directors, and the youngsters who partici- pate in organized sports. More than 3,000 communities nationwide, including parks and recreation departments, Boys & Girls Clubs, Police Athletic Leagues, YMCAs and YWCAs, and various indepen- dent youth service groups, along with military installations worldwide, use NAYS’s programs. For more information on the alliance’s programs, which are listed below, visit http://www.nays.org National Youth Sports Coaches Association (NYSCA) — More than 2.5 million volunteer coaches have been trained through NYSCA, which provides training, support, and continuing education. Parents Association for Youth Sports — Parents gain a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities in youth sports through this sportsmanship training program, which is used in more than 500 communities nationwide. Academy for Youth Sports Administrators — More than 2,000 administrators worldwide have gone through the Academy, which is a 20-hour certification program that raises the profes- sionalism of people delivering youth sport services. A professional faculty presents the information, and participants earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs). National Youth Sports Administrators Association — This program provides training, information, and resources for volunteer administrators responsible for the planning and implementation of out-of-school sports programs. National Youth Sports Officials Association — Officials who go through this certification program gain valuable knowledge on skills, fundamentals, and the characteristics that every good official must possess. 464694-ffirs.1.indd iii 4/7/09 10:58:00 PM Start Smart Sports Development Program — This proven instruc- tional program prepares children for the world of organized sports without the threat of competition or the fear of getting hurt. The program uses an innovative approach that promotes parent-child bonding. Hook A Kid On Golf — Thousands of children of all ages and skill levels tee up every year in the nation’s most comprehensive junior golf development program, which features an array of instructional clinics and tournaments. Game On! Youth Sports — This worldwide effort introduces sports to children who otherwise would not have opportunities to participate.

Greg Bach is the vice president of communications for the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS), where he has worked since 1993. Before joining NAYS, he worked as the sports editor of the Huron Daily Tribune in Bad Axe, Michigan, where he captured numerous writing awards from the Associated Press, Michigan Press Association, and Hearst Corporation. In 1989, he earned a journalism degree from Michigan State University. He’s an avid sports fan and has coached a variety of youth sports. He is also the author of Coaching Soccer For Dummies, Coaching Football For Dummies, Coaching Baseball For Dummies, Coaching Basketball For Dummies, and Coaching Lacrosse For Dummies.

Dedication

National Alliance for Youth SportsThis book is dedicated to all the volunteer volleyball coaches who give up countless hours of their free time to work with children and to ensure that they have positive, safe, and rewarding experiences in the sport. We applaud their efforts and commend them for making a difference in the lives of youngsters everywhere.

Greg Bach: For Boomer, Rocky, and Benny and all the good times we had.

Author’s Acknowledgments

A lot goes into making a youth volleyball program a truly success- ful one that meets every child’s needs. It takes a real commitment from dedicated volunteer coaches who understand the game and love teaching it to kids; it requires parents to clearly understand their roles and responsibilities; and it calls for league directors and administrators who know what it takes to ensure that every child who steps on the volleyball court in their community has a safe, fun, and rewarding experience. The exciting, action-packed sport of volleyball plays an important role in the lives of millions of children — it provides them with the opportunity to learn the skills of the game and gives them the chance to develop both emotionally and physically as individuals. The National Alliance for Youth Sports extends a heartfelt thank you to every person who makes a positive difference in the life of a child through volleyball. This book is the result of countless hours of hard work from a tremendous group of people, and we can’t thank all the wonder- ful people at Wiley enough for making it all happen. For starters, there’s Stacy Kennedy, the acquisitions editor, whose efforts have led to this being the sixth book in a series for youth coaches; Chad Sievers, the project editor, whose passion for the sport, as both a fan and a longtime official, significantly upgraded the quality of every chapter; Amanda Gillum, the copy editor, whose ideas and great eye for detail made a tremendous difference in the quality of the material presented; the fabulous talents of the illustrators — Rashell Smith, Mark Pinto, Brooke Graczyk — whose work will be great references as you teach your team all the various skills and strategies of the game; and Michelle York, the former all-SEC setter from the University of Mississippi, whose wealth of volleyball knowledge and experience with the sport was a huge asset every step of the way.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development

Project Editor: Chad R. Sievers

Acquisitions Editor: Stacy Kennedy

Copy Editor: Amanda M. Gillum

Assistant Editor: Erin Calligan Mooney

Editorial Program Coordinator: Joe Niesen

Technical Editor: Michelle York

Editorial Manager: Michelle Hacker

Editorial Assistant: Jennette ElNaggar

Art Coordinator: Alicia B. South

Cover Photos: © Thomas Northcut

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Patrick Redmond

Layout and Graphics: Reuben W. Davis, Brooke Graczyk, Melissa K. Jester, Mark Pinto, Rashell Smith, Christine Williams

Proofreaders: Jessica Kramer, Toni Settle

Indexer: Broccoli Information Management

Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies

Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies

Ensley Eikenburg, Associate Publisher, Travel

Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel

Publishing for Technology Dummies

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Introduction

Welcome to Coaching Volleyball For Dummies, a book dedicated to all the wonderful volunteer coaches who commit their time and energy to helping children learn about this amazing sport and giving them a fun-filled and stress-free atmosphere to play in. We hope you find the material informative, entertaining, and — most importantly — useful in helping guide all your players to a fun and safe experience, an experience that’s so rewarding they can’t wait to return to the court next season!

About This Book

We wrote this book to lend a hand to first-time volleyball coaches searching for guidance before they step on the court with their new team. After all, having some preseason jitters is perfectly understandable if you’re new to the sport or simply new to coaching it to a group of kids. Not to worry, the book you hold in your hands can put your mind at ease by revealing everything you need to know to help you have a positive impact on the kids and provide them with wonderful memories all season long.

We also wrote this book for those coaches who have been involved with the sport for a few seasons and who are looking for additional insight into different aspects of the game, such as how to upgrade their offensive attack, strengthen their defense, or incorporate more challenging drills into their practice sessions to help keep pace with their players’ ever-changing needs. Whether you’re searching for how to use quick sets or run a 5-1 formation on offense or how to use multiple blocking schemes or defend a left-side attack with a player up alignment on defense, you can find help here.

One of the neat features of this book is that you can dig in anywhere. If you’re a rookie volleyball coach, you may have questions about how to talk to the parents before the season begins or what skills you need to focus on teaching first. If you’re a veteran, you may just want to know how to bolster your defense or improve your offense. Just head to the table of contents or index for the topic you’re most interested in, and then read on to get the scoop on the best approaches. Each chapter is divided into sections, and each section contains information on a specific topic concerning coaching youth volleyball.

Conventions Used in This Book

To help guide you through this book, we use the following conventions:

Italic text emphasizes certain words and highlights new words or phrases that we define in the text.

Boldface text indicates key words in bulleted lists and the action parts of numbered steps.

Monofont sets apart Web addresses.

Mixed genders — he and she — are interchanged throughout this book because all the material we present here works for coaches of both girls’ and boys’ volleyball teams. Also, the we you find throughout the book refers to the National Alliance for Youth Sports, which is America’s leading advocate for positive and safe sports for kids.

What You’re Not to Read

If you ask us, every single page of this book is overflowing with valuable information, and you don’t want to skip over any of it. But we’re realistic and understand that you’re a busy person, so you really don’t have to read every single word. For example, the sidebars — the shaded gray boxes that you see in some of the chapters — feature interesting information that you can skip over when you’re pressed for time or are in a rush because you have a volleyball practice to get to.

Foolish Assumptions

The following are some assumptions we make about you, our reader. All or just some of these may apply to you. No matter what, we had you in mind as we wrote this book:

You know that the game is played on a court with a net; that teams send the ball back and forth across the net; and that the ball hitting the court is only good when it occurs on the opposing team’s side.

You have a son or daughter who wants to play volleyball this season, but you’re not sure how to teach him or her — as well as his or her teammates — the game.

You’re a first-time volleyball coach, or someone who’s relatively new to coaching young volleyball players, and you’re looking for information on how to oversee a youth team.

You’ve been coaching volleyball for a few years for a club program and want to take your practices to the next level so your team can be more competitive.

You don’t have your sights set on coaching a high school or college volleyball team anytime soon.

If any of these descriptions are on target, you’ve come to the right place.

How This Book Is Organized

This book is divided into parts, and each part pertains to a specific aspect of coaching a youth volleyball team. The following sections give you a quick rundown.

Part I: Getting Started Coaching Volleyball

Coaching a youth volleyball team — regardless of whether it’s a group of 8-year-olds who have no clue how to put on their knee pads or a 14-and-under team that has a lot of tournament experience — is a real challenge. Often, the difference between a season that surpasses the kids’ expectations and one that has you reaching for the antacid tablets is the work you do before you ever step onto the court with your team. This part addresses all those areas that often get overlooked but that are crucial for starting the season off on a positive note: creating a coaching philosophy that meets the players’ needs, running an effective preseason parents meeting to get everyone focused on what’s truly best for the kids, and getting a handle on all the rules and terminology of the sport so you can teach them to your players.

Part II: Building Your Team

You volunteered this season to teach your players all sorts of offensive and defensive skills. This section addresses all those questions that are stockpiling in the back of your mind early in the season, such as how to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your players, how to find roles for all the kids to succeed in, and how to coach all different types of kids, ranging from the shy and inattentive to the athletically gifted. This part also answers all your practice and game day questions, including the following:

How do I plan practices that the kids can’t wait to be a part of?

How do I make sure that I’m maximizing my time with the kids during practice?

What do I say to my team before a match to help put them in the proper mindset to play their best at the same time that they enjoy the sport?

What is the best approach for motivating kids during matches, especially when they’re really struggling?

What aspects of the match should I be monitoring closely to ensure that every player has a rewarding experience?

Part III: Basic Training: Teaching Volleyball Fundamentals

Teaching kids the basic elements of volleyball — serving, passing, setting, attacking, and blocking, among others — is crucial for their short-term enjoyment and long-term participation. The better your players can perform these skills, the more satisfying their experience is. In this part, we cover all the basic offensive and defensive skills your players need to be successful when game day rolls around. Plus, we provide an assortment of drills designed to help both beginning level players and those who are ready to build on the basics.

Part IV: Net Gains: Zeroing In on Advanced Volleyball Skills

After your players have a handle on the basics of the game, and are proficient at performing them, you have to keep pace with their development so that their progress doesn’t stall. This part helps you do the job. Here we describe the advanced offensive and defensive techniques you can use to raise the level of the kids’ play and keep their interest in volleyball going strong.

Part V: The Extra Points

We hope that your season will be an injury-free one for your players and a problem-free one for you, but injuries and behaviors are often out of your control. So, the better prepared you are to deal with unexpected injuries or behavior problems, the greater the chance is that your season will continue to run smoothly even if they do arise. In this part, we cover how to help protect your players from injuries; how to treat the minor ones if they do occur; and how to respond to the major ones. We also provide an array of information on resolving conflicts with players, parents, opposing coaches, and even your assistant coaches who may veer away from your coaching philosophy. Also, if you harbor any aspirations to coach at a more advanced volleyball level, such as a club team, we provide everything you need to know to help make your transition to this more elite level a smooth one.

Part VI: The Part of Tens

A feature of all For Dummies books, the Part of Tens has some great information that can help propel your team to a fun-filled season on the volleyball court. We present information on making the season memorable for every player and helping each youngster take her skills to the next level.

Icons Used in This Book

Every For Dummies book includes cute little pictures in the margins to help you navigate important information. Here are the icons we use in this book:

This icon signals valuable tips that can save you time, erase frustration, and upgrade your coaching skills. If you only have time to scan a chapter, you should take a moment to read these tips when you come across them. You — and your players — will be glad you did.

Coaching a youth volleyball team requires a large time commitment on your part, and having the most important facts and reminders in easy-to-find places is helpful. This icon alerts you to key information that’s worth revisiting after you close this book and take the court with your team.

Pay close attention anytime you come across this icon, which highlights dangerous situations that you have to be aware of to help protect your players.

Where to Go from Here

If this season marks your first experience as a youth volleyball coach on the sidelines, you may be most comfortable diving into Chapter 1 and moving through the book from there. Please note, though, that we structured this book so that you can jump around with ease from chapter to chapter at your convenience. So, if you’re searching for answers to specific questions — perhaps how to teach blocking to your players or which type of serve-receive formation to use — you can scan the table of contents or index for those topics and head right to those chapters. Otherwise, start from the beginning and use the information you gather along the way to help ensure that your youth volleyball team has a fun, safe, and memorable season for all the right reasons.

Part I

Getting Started Coaching Volleyball

In this part . . .

Before stepping onto the court with your team, you need to do a little preparation to get your season off to a great start. Crafting your coaching philosophy, understanding the basic rules of volleyball, knowing whether your league has modified any of those rules, and planning and conducting a preseason parents meeting are all important items on your preseason agenda. Each task plays a big role in what type of experience both you and your players have during the season. You can find valuable information on how to execute these tasks and much more in this part.

Chapter 1

Teaching Volleyball to Children

In This Chapter

Preparing for the volleyball season

Stepping on the court with your players

Coaching your own child

Dealing with problems on and off the court

Congratulations on making the decision to coach a youth volleyball team this season. Regardless of whether you stepped forward because of your love for the game and kids, or because the friendly woman at the registration desk persuaded you when you went to sign your child up for the program, you’re about to begin something truly special. Few experiences are more rewarding than coaching a group of children in the exciting and action-packed sport of volleyball. You’ll see what I mean as you help them not only learn and develop skills but also grow as individuals.

Before you take the court with your team, please be aware of the important role you’ve assumed. How you approach your position and how you interact with your players during practices and matches will have life-shaping implications for all your players. How you choose to address the lengthy list of responsibilities that come with your job as coach can help your players become passionate about the sport and also ignite their interest in playing it for years to come, or it can push them away from ever participating again.

We know you’re capable of doing an outstanding job — all you need is some quality information to help you get started. In this chapter, we give you a quick overview of what you need to do to navigate your team to a safe, fun, and memorable season that your players will remember for the right reasons. Use this chapter as a jumping-off point to the world of coaching youth volleyball.

Recognizing Your Behind-the-Scenes Responsibilities

Before you drape that whistle around your neck and your players slide on their knee pads to take the court, you need to tend to several behind-the-scenes tasks to get the season headed in the right direction. Whether you volunteered to coach because your son or daughter is playing on the team or you simply love the game and want to share that passion with others doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you’re fully aware of the huge responsibility you’ve accepted — a responsibility you can’t afford to take lightly. This section delves into two important aspects of coaching youth volleyball that you need to grasp before stepping on the court.

Working with children and parents

Whenever you volunteer to coach a youth volleyball team, or any organized children’s sport for that matter, not only do you have to work closely with all different types of children, but you have to communicate effectively with their parents, too. Most of the parents you come in contact with are wonderful, supportive, caring people who naturally want the best for their kids; they may even turn out to be great assets to you as assistant coaches. (Check out Chapter 4 for details on how to choose assistant coaches.) However, some of the parents you meet may not be as pleasant to work with. For example, they may demand that their children deserve more playing time, or they may disrupt matches with their inappropriate behaviors.

Anytime you bring a group of parents together in an organized sports setting, some may become sources of aggravation for you and the kids when they misbehave during matches or cause other distractions throughout the season. If you’re not prepared to handle these situations quickly and efficiently, they can take away from the kids’ enjoyment. Plus, if you don’t address the problems at the outset, they can snowball into something much more serious and maybe even ruin the season for everyone. For tips on dealing with problem parents, head to Chapter 18.

You can avoid a lot of problems — and save yourself a lot of grief — by meeting with all the parents before you take the floor with their kids. This initial parents meeting is crucial for laying the ground rules on what you expect in terms of behavior during matches, as well as outlining what the parents’ responsibilities are to their children and their children’s teammates. Check out Chapter 4 for all the details on how to conduct a preseason parents meeting.

Parents play important roles in youth volleyball programs, and they can be real assets to providing a fun-filled season when everyone — the parents, the players, and you — works together. Keep the following tips in mind to help make the season go smoothly for both you and the parents:

Explain expectations. Prior to your first practice session, let parents know what you expect — of both them and their kids. Go over your coaching methods and your plans for handling those all-important issues of distributing playing time and positioning players. Chapter 2 helps you craft your coaching philosophy and develop an understanding of your league’s policies and rules so that you can clearly communicate this information to parents. Providing a clear picture of what’s in store for everyone leaves little room for those dreaded misunderstandings that can derail a season and squash the fun.

Involve parents. Parents invest a lot of time in your season by getting their kids to practice on time (hopefully), spending money on league registration fees, and often even springing for postmatch treats and drinks for all the players. They will find the season much more satisfying if you find ways to include them in the team’s season-long journey. Get parents involved at practices, for example, and recruit the right ones to assist with your matches. See Chapter 6 for some fun ways to get your parents involved.

Communicate constantly. Although conducting a preseason parents meeting is the first step toward establishing a strong foundation with your players’ parents, you have to make sure you keep those communication lines open all season long. Find time at different junctures during the season to talk to the parents about their children’s progress. Parents enjoy hearing about the areas of the game in which their children are really excelling and appreciate your efforts to keep them fully informed.

You should make a habit of checking in with parents from time to time by having a quick casual chat before or after practice just to make sure that everything is going well and that their children are having fun playing for you. Including parents in all facets of the season is one of the smartest coaching moves you can make, and doing so can also be one of the most effective tools for ensuring that children have a positive experience playing for you. If the parent has an important issue to discuss with you, make arrangements to speak in private — perhaps over the phone later that day or in private prior to your next practice.

Understanding rules and terms

The more you know and understand about the sport of volleyball, including all the rules, terms, and — at the advanced levels — strategies, and the better you can explain these concepts to your team, the more enjoyable the experience will be for everyone involved. Although getting a firm grasp on everything isn’t too difficult, it does require some time and effort on your part. So be ready to put some energy into learning all the rules of the game and then teaching them to your players. In Chapter 3, we dive into the rule book and describe everything from common volleyball terms to what officials whistle as violations during matches.

Many programs adjust the rules based on the age and experience levels of the kids, so make sure you check out your league’s rule book and alert your players to any differences between your league’s rules and general volleyball rules. Everything from the size of the court to which rules the officials enforce changes from league to league. Knowing these rules — and sharing them with your team — makes a tremendous difference in whether you and your players enjoy the season.

Taking the Court

Being on the court with the kids during practices and watching them have fun and excel during matches make all the time and energy you put into coaching worthwhile. To make everyone’s experience an enjoyable one, spend some time before practices and matches preparing for them. Be aware that everything you say to your players — and how you say it — significantly impacts their experience. How much thought you put into your practice planning and how prepared you are for juggling all your responsibilities during matches set the tone for your season. This section gives you some pointers on how to start off on the right foot.

Planning and executing practices

One of the qualities that all good volleyball coaches possess is the ability to help kids grasp and develop skills in a way that lets them have fun at the same time. Of course, kids naturally look forward to participating in matches more than participating in weekly practices. But you want to strive to generate similar game day excitement toward attending your practices. To do so, you want to put together a practice plan that pays big dividends in your players’ development while also being enjoyable. (Check out Chapter 6 for how to set a practice plan.)

To maximize your time with the kids during each of your practice sessions, keep the following tips in mind when establishing and carrying out your practice plan:

Count on creativity. Put some real thought into interesting ways you can enhance the fun during your practices. You want the kids to be smiling as they learn. Put yourself in their shoes, and ask yourself what can make a particular drill more interesting. If you can conduct practices that the kids can’t wait to get to, their skill development will skyrocket. Practices that you throw together minutes before the team takes the court aren’t likely to be very effective. Plus, they’re unfair to your players, who came to develop their skills and have fun.

When designing your practices, go with the drills that keep the kids on the move and that match their skill levels. Drills that force kids to stand in line or spend more time watching their teammates than actually participating kill energy levels and bring learning, development, and that all-important fun factor to a grinding halt. We provide an array of high-energy drills that cover all areas of the game for beginning level players in Chapter 10 and advanced level players in Chapter 12.

Focus on fun. The most effective practices are the ones that you conduct in an enjoyable atmosphere in which you emphasize fun and deemphasize mistakes. Before the season gets underway, kids need to know that making mistakes is all part of learning to play volleyball. So, be sure to point out that players at all levels miss serves, get whistled for violations, and misplay balls. As long as kids are listening to your instructions, hustling on the court, and giving their best effort, you can’t ask anything else of them. After players know that they can make mistakes on the court without hearing you yell at them or seeing you take them out of the game, they can relax and have a much more enjoyable time.

Be a positive influence. Although your main role is to teach your players volleyball skills, you’re also in a great position to impact the kids’ lives in many other areas, and you should take full advantage of this opportunity. During practices, devote some time to discussing the importance of staying away from tobacco, alcohol, and drugs and the ways these substances can harm the body. Stress the importance of working hard in school and how their hard work can lead to success in adulthood. You can also talk about the importance of getting exercise and eating healthy food to help prevent future health issues or physical injuries. (Chapter 17 discusses proper nutrition and stretching techniques.) Be sure to include the importance of playing hard and showing good sportsmanship no matter the outcome of the match.

While the kids are stretching at the beginning of practice is a great time to interact with them on a more personal level. Show them that you’re interested in their lives outside of volleyball by discussing how they’re enjoying school.

Handling game day duties

Being a good volleyball coach during matches has nothing to do with what the scoreboard reads after the final point has been played. Rather, being a good volleyball coach depends on how you handle your different game day duties, such as encouraging and motivating the kids and — at the more advanced levels of play — adjusting your strategy to account for how the opposition is attacking and defending. Just as your players have to make quick decisions during the course of the action, you also have to make important decisions at crunch time. You have pregame and postgame talks to deliver; playing time to monitor; substitutions to make; and strategies to employ. Yes, when your matches roll around, a lengthy list of responsibilities accompanies them, but don’t worry because you’re fully capable of handling all of them. In Chapter 7, you find all the information you need to help your matches go smoothly so that you don’t have to reach for the aspirin bottle.

Your team’s matches give your players the chance to put everything they’ve learned from you to use. Hopefully, what they’ve learned includes more than simply how to hit a particular type of serve or how to dig an attack. You also want teamwork, good sportsmanship, and adherence to the rules to be on full display.

Juggling the Dual Parent-Coach Role

Running a marathon, climbing a mountain, and winning a Nobel Prize are all goals that are difficult to achieve, and managing the role of both parent and coach of your child’s team can rank right up there with them — if you aren’t prepared. Handling this dual role can present some pretty unique challenges, some of which may not have even crossed your mind. When you and your child step onto the court together, all sorts of new issues have the potential to pop up. The key to handling these issues effectively is to prepare yourself beforehand, because if you’re ready to handle them, you and your child are on your way to an enormously rewarding and memorable season.

If you and your child agree that becoming the team’s coach is a good idea, keep the following tips in mind to help you maximize the fun and minimize the problems:

Remember that your number one job is parenting. Regardless of how great a volleyball coach you are, you’re a parent first and foremost. After the practice or game is over, you must transition out of coaching mode and into parenting mode, which means that you need to leave your negative thoughts on the court if your child didn’t play as well as you had hoped or if the team didn’t perform like you expected. Don’t use the ride home to dissect every detail of the match. Instead, concentrate on being a supportive, caring parent.

Open the lines of communication. Making sure that your child understands that he can come to you with a problem at anytime is extremely important. You want all your other players to understand that you’re there to help, and your child is no different. Just because you’ve taken on the coaching role doesn’t mean that you can’t help your own child deal with problems or concerns, whether they involve volleyball or not.

Refrain from extra repetitions. Sometimes during the season, your child may encounter some difficulty getting a handle on a particular skill. Your natural tendency is to push extra practice time on him at home. However, giving any kid extra practice plans is dangerous territory to navigate, so always proceed cautiously. Casually asking whether your child would like to spend a little extra time working on a particular skill at home is the best approach. If he wants to, great; if not, let it go. You run the risk of making him feel inferior to some of his teammates if you push him too hard.

Silence sibling comparisons. One of the worst moves you can make — as parent or coach — is comparing a child’s skills to those of a brother or sister who plays volleyball or making the child feel unwanted pressure to perform to his sibling’s level. When you bring unfair comparisons into the picture, you just suffocate the fun the child can have, and you may even chase the youngster away from participating in the future. Allow all your players, including your child, to develop at their own rates without placing performance demands on their young shoulders. Anytime you start comparing kids, you create problems, such as crushed confidence, low self-esteem, and lack of interest in future participation, all of which can be mighty difficult to repair.

Master the balancing act. Arguably your biggest challenge is making sure that your behavior falls somewhere in between providing preferential treatment to your child and overcompensating to avert the perception that you’re giving your child special treatment. Of course, all eyes are on you to see whether you give your child extra playing time during matches, so you want to be sure that you’re treating everyone equally in terms of playing time and positions. But, at the same time, you want to make sure you don’t go to unfair lengths to reduce your child’s playing time or give him less attention or instruction during practices because you don’t want other parents to think you’re favoring him.

For a lot of kids, having to share their moms or dads with a group of other kids can be quite an adjustment, so be sure to let your child know how proud you are of him for understanding that coaching requires that you distribute your attention to everyone during practices and games. When children understand that you’re aware of the situation and that you’re doing your best to meet everyone’s needs, fewer misunderstandings are likely to occur.

Like all parents, of course you want to see your child play well and enjoy a lot of success during matches. But, don’t allow yourself to use your coaching position to control your child’s destiny. For starters, erase any thoughts of using coaching as a way to help him secure a college scholarship. Entering the season with those types of thoughts can lead you to put unwanted pressure on the child and push him harder than you do the other kids. If you allow yourself to lose sight of what youth volleyball is all about — having fun and developing skills — chances are good that you’ll create an avalanche of problems that you’ll have a hard time fixing.

Preparing for All Kinds of Obstacles

As a volleyball coach, you may face many types of obstacles during the season, ranging from frustrated players to injuries. Yet, you don’t need to worry about these potential issues. Preparation is the key to disarming problems before they sweep over the entire team. Two of the greatest coaching challenges you need to be aware of before the start of the season are

Making a positive impact on every child: As a youth volleyball coach, you most likely have a diverse cast of kids to oversee. You likely have kids who have a lot of athletic talent and those who are just plain clumsy; you probably have kids who are nonstop talkers and those who are super shy. Your job as coach is to connect with each child, regardless of whether he’s the team’s best attacker or weakest defender. Sure, this job is a big undertaking, but it’s one you’re equipped to handle. Check out Chapter 5 for details on the different types of kids who are likely to show up on the court and Chapter 11 for info on how to make adjustments to your coaching strategy midway through the season after you get to know the kids better.

Keeping everyone safe: Regardless of which skill you’re teaching or which drill you’re running, you never want to lose sight of the importance of maintaining a safe playing environment at all times. Although you can’t throw a suit of armor on the kids to eliminate the chances that injuries will occur, you can take some steps to significantly reduce the risk. For example, you need to teach only proper and safe techniques, make sure your players stretch adequately before each practice and match, and know how to handle any emergencies that may take place. Chapter 17 provides tips and advice for keeping kids safe. Note: Anytime you take the court for a practice or game, make sure you have a properly stocked first-aid kit on hand (check out Chapter 17 for what you need to have in your first-aid kit).

Chapter 2

Building a Strong Foundation for a Successful Season

In This Chapter

Putting together a coaching philosophy

Finding out about league specifics

Understanding the scheduling process

Equipping kids to take the court

If you want to be a volleyball coach whom kids look up to and love playing for — and we know you do — you have to complete several behind-the-scenes tasks before you roll the balls out for your first practice of the season. Of course, planning practices and teaching basic skills are certainly top priorities on your radar, but you can’t afford to overlook other responsibilities that often get bumped to the side amid the excitement of an approaching season.

This chapter covers what you can do before and during the season to help you prepare yourself and your team for a fun-filled experience. Here you can find out how to motivate your players and help them reach their goals, create a positive, team-oriented atmosphere, and make displays of good sportsmanship a team staple. Plus, we talk about knowing the rules of your league and getting the equipment your team needs to take the court.

Developing Your Volleyball Coaching Philosophy

Your coaching checklist heading into the season is pretty extensive, listing everything from devising an opening practice plan to coordinating a preseason parents meeting. But despite that lengthy list of responsibilities, make sure you find time to craft your own coaching philosophy. After all, your coaching philosophy plays a significant role in how you approach the season and interact with the kids during it.

In this section, we introduce the importance of having a philosophy and point out the various components to consider in developing a philosophy that stresses respect, sportsmanship, skill development, and, of course, fun. After you have incorporated these elements into your philosophy, you and your players can set your sights on a memorable season.

Eyeing the importance of a philosophy

A coaching philosophy is an important tool because it reflects the standards you set for yourself and your team. It represents the foundation you build for your values and beliefs as a coach, a foundation you can rely on to start off on the right foot and then to move smoothly through the rest of the season. Spending some time creating your own coaching philosophy can help make your season a great one for both you and your team — win or lose.

You may be wondering what philosophy has to do with setting up a potent attack on offense or creating an intimidating front line on defense. Don’t worry, putting together a coaching philosophy that meets the kids’ needs — and has their best interests at heart — isn’t as difficult or time consuming as you may think. Heading into the season with a good coaching philosophy in place is as important to achieving a winning season as showing your players how to hit strong and accurate serves.

Your coaching philosophy speaks volumes about you — not just as a volleyball coach, but also as a person — so take the time to really think about it. You’ll be glad you did. Your players will benefit if you clearly define your approach from the start and enter the season with the full intention of sticking to it. Lead your players in the direction you know is right, the direction you would want your own kids to go. If you accomplish this goal, you and your team will be winners in the truest sense — regardless of how many games you win.

Putting together your coaching philosophy and determining what is important to you and your players are the easy parts. The tricky part comes with sticking to it on game day. Your philosophy (and how strongly you really feel about it) will be put to the test in the middle of the season when Susie’s mom asks why your team hasn’t won more matches or when Kayla’s dad complains that his daughter should receive more time on the court. (Explaining your coaching philosophy to parents before the season gets under way helps you steer clear of many of these potential headaches. See Chapter 4 for details.)

Crafting your philosophy to match your age group

The kids you meet while coaching volleyball will be different in many ways — physically, emotionally, and athletically, just to name a few. During that first practice of the season, some kids will stand out for their ability to pass or set the ball, yet others will draw your attention because they lack coordination or familiarity with the game. Regardless of the specific strengths and weaknesses they have, kids possess general characteristics that are influenced by age. Children are continually growing and evolving, and part of your coaching responsibility is to know and understand what to expect from them — both physically and emotionally — depending on their ages.

Being fully aware of the general age-related differences we cover in the following sections can enhance both your coaching skills and your effectiveness in relating to your team. Understanding these differences can also ensure that you don’t favor the players who are more mature and better at attacking and defending than their counterparts who may be less developed at digging, blocking, and serving at this point in their volleyball careers.

No matter how old your players are or how skilled they are at helping your team score points (or prevent the opponent from scoring them), always be supportive and enthusiastic of their efforts. Pile on the praise, and never stop encouraging them. You must keep your interactions with the team positive, whether you’re talking to them during a midweek practice or in the middle of a timeout in a tied game. Staying positive is important in both your words and your body language, because doing so helps build the kids’ confidence and self-esteem. Constantly encouraging kids, regardless of their age, to work hard and keep practicing will positively affect their volleyball development, as well as how they approach different tasks in everyday life.

Ages 9 and younger

Some kids you encounter in this age range have probably participated in volleyball for at least one season. Typically, they enjoyed their first experience with the sport and chose to continue playing so that they can improve their skill level. Others, though, may be playing for the first time, so you want to keep these different experience levels in mind.

Kids ages 8 and 9 start paying closer attention to their teammates’ abilities and comparing how their own skills stack up. These kids crave feedback from coaches and parents on how they’re performing certain skills and how they’re progressing with new ones, so be prepared to meet those needs when you’re instructing them on different areas of the game. Kids at this level lack a lot of coordination, so their frustration levels may mount when they’re unable to make plays on the ball.

If you have any players on your team age 7 or younger, chances are pretty good they have never played any type of organized volleyball, or any other sport for that matter. Because kids in this age range lack coordination and strength, your job — an important one because how you interact with these children may determine whether they choose to keep playing the sport or drop it forever — is to introduce to them the most basic elements of volleyball and then to make the game so much fun during practice and on game day that they can’t wait to come back again next season. (Chapters 8 and 9 cover some of the fundamentals of offense and defense you can focus on with this age group.)

Many kids at this level are more concerned about the postgame treat than how the team fared, so many leagues don’t even keep the score during games. Even though the scoreboard may not have the kids’ attention, the same can’t be said for all the parents, some of whom get a little too emotionally invested in the final score. (For more on dealing with problem parents, check out Chapter 18.)

Because volleyball is just a small slice of the kids’ lives at this stage, don’t focus only on the sport during your conversations with them. Instead, periodically ask them about their favorite television shows, for example. Asking about other areas of their lives allows you to get to know them a little bit better and will also help them become more comfortable around you. Establishing that type of relationship will help enable them to be more relaxed, perform better, and have more fun.

Ages 10–12

Quite often, sports take on added importance at this juncture in kids’ lives. As soon as children enter this age bracket, their performance on game day and their progression in everything from serving to digging become more important than they were before. They want to do well, and for many kids, the competitive juices really start flowing in this age range. Or, unfortunately, they may be facing pressure from Mom or Dad to play well, because adults often perceive having an athletic child as a status symbol that they are great parents. If the kids are really into volleyball, many of their conversations will revolve around the sport and their team’s abilities. Kids’ bodies at this age are developing at vastly different rates, so be prepared to have some players who display excellent coordination on everything from serving to digging and others who endure many struggles when attempting to perform some of the sport’s most basic techniques.