Preparing for your first volleyball tournament (even as a coach) can be scary! Practically all coaches feel uneasy, nervous, anxious, underprepared, overwhelmed, stressed… you get the point! 

But there’s hope!

You can calm your nerves (and help your players and their families feel better, too)! All you need to do is use these 8 easy tips to help you calm your nerves before your first volleyball tournament.

#1: Practice your warm-ups

Depending on whether you are playing in a school volleyball tournament, a club tournament, or even a youth league, how much time you get to warm-up differs. You may have as little as 4 minutes, but you may get up to 10-15. You might have the court to yourself, but you might also have to share. Clarify this information ahead of time so you know what type of warm-up you can do!

When in doubt, hitting lines followed by serving is a safe warm-up used by many teams. However, you may want to incorporate serve receive into your warm-ups if possible, as this is where many points are won (and lost).

If you forget to plan a warm-up, you’ll look disorganized and your team will lose their composure. Give them a fighting chance by practicing your warm-up on a few occasions so they step on the court with confidence. Bonus points if you practice dynamic stretching that can be done in a small corner of the gym before you get court time.

#2: Run at least two full scrimmages at practice a week or two ahead of time

I’m talking referees, whistles blowing, warm-ups, handshaking, substitutions… I’m not kidding, this is the stuff that will trip up your team!

No matter how many seasons I’ve coached, I literally always forget to tell my team how to do high-fives at the beginning of the match. And even though it’s funny as they try to figure out how to give high-fives and say good luck, it sows inexperience and rattles them. Whatever focus and confidence they had prior to the handshakes will be gone before you know it.

Besides handshakes, it’s almost humorous to watch players in their first tournaments try to run onto the court instead of performing a proper substitution while the coach yells and confuses them only further. But if you don’t practice it, how can they be expected to know this stuff?

While I could spend this entire article sharing hilarious story after story about all the mistakes I have seen made at first tournaments (particularly during the first match of the day), just trust me. Run a full scrimmage at least one week before your first tournament. After you realize how much your team doesn’t know, correct all the issues you saw at your next practice and then run another scrimmage! Your players will see improvement from one scrimmage to the next, and they’ll feel more confident on game day.

#3: Send out information to parents in advance

You’ll know you’ve waited too long to send out information if you start getting emails about your tournament.

Families need to know the location/address, arrival time, approximate playing/reffing times, policies on outside food/chairs/coolers, parking information, entry fees and any downtime rules/dismissal rules you may have. Tournament Directors may also send additional facility rules, so if you get any other important details be sure to pass that along.

Volleyball is fairly unique in how tournaments are run, so many families may not understand how pool play and bracket play work, and may be confused by the need to referee. Simplify the information as much as possible in a brief email (shorter is always better), and send this out as soon as possible. 

#4: Use the GTP Reffing Assignments Tracker

You’ve planned so much leading up to your first tournament, it’s easy to forget that there are more things going on than just volleyball.

Your team will most likely have to work too! You’re more than welcome to assign players on the fly and let them pick what they want to do, but if I’ve learned anything over the past decade, it’s that some players will rarely ever work, and others will volunteer to work every match, and then get extra salty mid-season.

Using our Reffing Assignment Tracker (Found in the ”Files” tab in the Volleyball Coaches Corner Facebook group) makes sure that everyone does their fair share, and there are no surprises about who’s doing lines in the 3rd set. You’re welcome :)

#5: Have a binder with all important information

Not only do you need your coaching printouts like goal setting worksheets, lineups, plenty of blank stat sheets, spare papers for notes, and your Reffing Assignments Tracker.

You also need your official roster and mandatory emergency information. This is easy to forget if you don’t know you need it! Your club director should have already provided you with these printouts. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, reach out to your director asap!

#6: Pack your things the night before (and set them in front of your door)

This is my little hack for making sure everything is ready to go in the morning and letting myself get some shut-eye. Once I started putting all my things in front of the doorway, my sleep improved 100%. I was no longer making mental lists in my head of everything I needed to remember the next day, and therefore was able to get at least a little bit of sleep (waking up at 5:30am to shower, make coffee, and drive to a far tournament means you don’t usually get your full 8 hours haha).

I also have a note on my phone with the essentials that I check one last time before I lock the door, making sure that I don’t forget that cup of hot coffee on the counter or my phone charger in my bedroom.

#7: Arrive early

It’s showtime! Well, almost, anyway. Give yourself plenty of time to get to the location, factor in 10-15 minutes to figure out parking (getting lost in an industrial area happens to the best of us), and make sure to check the weather the night before.

Your car might need to warm-up, you might need to de-ice the windows, and there might be bad weather slowing you down.

You do NOT want to feel rushed in these instances, and giving yourself that extra time will really help you arrive calm and ready to go.

#8: Bring snacks and don’t drink too much coffee

Alright, these might seem like little things (there are usually food options available at tournaments, after all). But waiting in line for a stale blueberry muffin is the last thing you’ll want to do during your downtime (if you are lucky enough to get any).

Depending on your playing and reffing schedule, you might not be able to step away from the court even for a bathroom break for 3-4 hours. Having a small snack like a granola bar, fruit leather, or even a baggie of carrots or almonds will give you the energy to continue on.

I avoid coffee after we get started, and although I make sure to drink water, I do so sparingly. Again, the lack of appropriate bathroom breaks (and typical long lines at some facilities) isn’t worth it to me.

Still, water is important, and having a large bottle or two is critical when you’re yelling/coaching/talking all day in a loud gym. Bonus tip: Bring chapstick, too.