New Coaches Need Help

[heather&rebecca 0]

My freind and i are coaching her daughters volleyball team. We've played for a number of years but neither of us have ever coached. We are just looking for some pointers on how to start out , what we need and really anything in general. We appreciate any advice. thanx

[fmfjohn 0]

Heather&Rebecca,

Welcome to the wonderful world of volleyball coaching. And thanks for stepping up, the girls, whether they say it or not, are happy you did.

I wont make this a big list; I know you will get lots of suggestions. So..

1. Tell the daughter that it may be tough on her because she is the coach's daughter. Also, tell her you both will love her no matter how the volleyball goes

2. Find an experienced coach that you can use as a reference/mentor/sounding board and ask her/him anything that comes up.

3. Make sure where and how you practice is safe for your players.

4. Start a volleyball coaching library with: "Coaching Youth Volleyball" Third Edition, by American Sport Education Program, published by Human Kinetics - and "Winning Volleyball for Girls" by Crisfield&Gola, published by Checkmark Books. (combined about $35)

5. If possible, get Tachikara Volley Lite volleyballs (or another brand like them) They are the "official" ball for 12 and under and are much easier for younger players to learn/play with.

6. As much as possible, teach them to play the game by playing it. Almost without exception, every skill can be learned by playing ( as opposed to "drilling") Just make sure you give the kids the best demonstration you can, then let them try. Also, unlike what I usually do here, talk as little as possible. Use a few cue words, and don't overload them with information.

7. Make sure both you and they have fun.

8. When you talk, they listen - when they talk, you listen.

9. Have as few "rules" as possible.

10. Read #7 daily

Thanks again

john

[RonSalazar 0]

Last year was my first year coaching volleyball. I had coached soccer and basketball so I had a little experience. Life can be rough for the coach's kid. Like all of you, I've seen my share of melt downs. I think its because our sons or daughters have to change their relationship with you as soon as they get out of the car for practice and because they feel like they have to stick up for us if another kid says something negative about you. That's not an easy situation for an adult, let alone a kid. With my own kids, I try to make sure they understand the only thing they need to be thinking about is learning, getting better, being respectful, trying hard, and having fun. I try to make a commitment never to be negative with them. As far as coaching volleyball, I'll leave that to the experts in this forum. Ron

[Connie 0]

I have coached my son a few times and it was always a challenge. You have to keep it fun and emphasize the learning and progress that every player is making and not dwell on winning or losing. Make sure that the girls are not afraid to make mistakes - that is how we all learn. Mistakes are not a bad thing you just need to figure out how to correct them.

Have fun with it!

Connie

[heather&rebecca 0]

Thanks for the advice. We had such a huge response with girls that want to play that we are having to make two teams. We ended up with 18 girls, so 9 per team. We found one other person who would asst coach, so hopefull we will do ok with it. I just thought I would note that we have 4th grade girls and most of them have never played before. I picked up a few books which were very helpful. Any advice on some good drills/games, or anything else would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Rebecca

[RonSalazar 0]

Hi there. My girls learned the proper position to bumb this way. I have a contest to see who can catch the ball between their knees. I line them up in a single file line. Then for each player I throw the ball a few feet to the left or the right. The girls have to move to the ball and naturally get into a really good position to bump the ball. When one girl wins the contest we transition into bumping the ball from that same position. It works great. I would love to hear other suggestions where they learn a skill in a fun way. Ron

[Connie 0]

For serving I play a game called dead fish. I have three players lay on the floor and they are not able to move. Then the other players have to hit them with the ball as they serve. If the "fish" is hit the server takes their place. The kids seem to like this game. It halps the players focus when they serve and they also can learn to aim their serves.

Connie