33 Things Volleyball Coaches Wish They Knew Before Their First Season
Last week I asked Get The Pancake’s Instagram followers the following question:
Coaches: What’s one thing you wish you knew in your first season?
And boy, did you guys deliver!
Something important to point out before we get to the feedback (which is all-inclusive of the responses I received!) is this…
No one responded with, “nothing, I knew everything.” Haha.
So if you are new to coaching, it’s important to be aware that no matter how much you prepare or how experienced you are as a player, there are going to be some lessons learned the hard way. However, this list certainly gives you a few areas to focus on!
Thank you to all of the coaches who contributed to this list, your guidance is sure to help others as they head into their first season!
I Wish I Knew…
That teamwork is CRUCIAL.
The importance of clear feedback.
Running laps around the gym or repetitive suicides won’t improve my players’ skills!
The ball won’t hurt you.
Year 2 will be way easier than year 1. Stick with it!
Give feedback by asking questions, even though it’s very tempting to give the players an answer.
How to read the NCVA website.
Drama will happen. I can’t fix it all. I just have to keep them a team that can play together.
The “extra” things that go along with managing a program! It’s more than volleyball!
The motto “you play as you practice.” 😅
It’s ok to be demanding, in order for them to grow.
Being a good player does not equate to being a good coach… prep work matters! (Editor’s note: this is why I wrote my survival guide for your first season!)
Set the groundwork for a positive team culture early! It’s hard to backtrack mid-season.
More about learning theory: block training versus random training.
More about mindset training to use during the season.
How the libero position worked. (30+ club over here 🙋🏼♀️)
I haven’t had my first season as head coach, I’m about to. I’ve been told to stick with what you believe. (Editor’s note: this is true… follow that advice!)
The more you study the game, the more confident you feel.
Always teach them via the following method: read, plan, do.
Athletes don’t magically improve or retain skills with age (high school).
That it is important to set expectations and your playing time philosophy before the season starts in order to avoid conflicts as well as confused players and parents.
How to analyze players’ skills so I can give them specific feedback (still working on this!).
How to structure a practice and game warmup.
You can’t please everybody! It’s okay to be wrong, trying another way is okay.
That you need to coach each athlete differently! One-size fits all approach doesn’t work!
Practice plans.
How to handle parents.
Both parents and players like the athletes to be pushed hard no matter the age!!!
That you don’t have to know all the answers all the time. You learn as you grow as a coach! :)
Always stay yourself, never stop learning.
Work with duo tasks, every action your players execute should have at least 2 actions (example: hitting lines in practice with a line of persons waiting in line).
Always work with angles, in combination with the net. With always, I mean ALWAYS. So the classic warm-up in duos, with throwing and pepper doesn’t make sense as there are no angles.
Focus on the positive. It’s too easy to feel bad about the few things that might go wrong!
There you have it, folks! Advice from experienced coaches to help you on your own coaching career path.
Have anything to add? Write it in the comments below!
