I found this site while surfing the net trying to find out how in the heck to coach volleyball. I graduated from college in May and will be a first year teacher in the fall. I found out through the grapevine that I will be expected to coach middle school volleyball in the fall which is fine but I am clueless. My daughter played in middle school but I don't know the rules, techniques, drills, etc. I believe in being as prepared as I can be for my students...this includes the volleyball team. The team has already been chosen, the schedule is set to start on August 21. What do you suggest I do? Honestly, a feel completely blindsided now that school will be starting back on August 1st. Our school has a volleyball period scheduled and no after school practices. I was given a roster with 14 seventh graders and 10 8th graders. I have the schedule printed and I have phone numbers and addresses but do not want to contact anyone until I have everything in order...which needs to be sooner than later! Thanks for your help!
Help..first Time Coach
Started by tmmangia, Jun 30 2008 11:56 AM
3 replies to this topic
#2
fmfjohn
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Posted 30 June 2008 - 06:27 PM
tmmangia,
First of all, Welcome to Coaching!! On the plus side, you are already way ahead of the game due to your teacher's degree. John Wooden, one of the greatest basketball coaches who ever coached - anything - said that being a teacher was the best preparation for coaching. You already know how to help students learn, and that is exactly what a good coach does, helps players learn their game. If you need some help transferring your teaching skills to coaching, get "Science of Coaching Volleyball" by Carl McGown Phd. - Human Kinetics Publishing.
Rules: Lots of help here. Check with your AD and see if you are playing in a league or conference that already has accepted a specific set of rules. If not, next check with your area high schools to see what rule set your players will be moving up to when they leave your program, and use that set. If you aren't satisfied with that, call or email your local USAVolleyball regional office and get a copy of "USA Volleyball Domestic Competition Regulations" and go with those. If you have an area referee coodinator that your school uses, contact them to see if you can attend one or more of their training/refresher courses.
School athletic philosophy: What is it? How does your school expect you to treat winning and losing? Better check and make sure you and your AD are on the same track. Also, with 24 players, what are the expectations regarding playing time?
Speaking of which, since your team and schedule are already set, are there provisions for matches for your "first team" and another set for your "JV"? If not, could they be arranged? Or, might there be matches for the 7th grade and matches for the 8th? When my middle school program started getting 16-18 players a season, getting additional games was the only solution, unless you are willing/able to play completely different teams for each game of a match. (which experience tells me will satisfy no one)
Questions: Is your team boys, girls, or coed? Are you coming to a well established program or is it a year to year thing for the school? What is the current skill level of your players? - if you have had a chance to see. What about practice facilities? And, maybe most importantly, how will your "one period" practice session(s) work? For that one period a day, can you get all 24 players together, or are they split through-out the day. (I sure hope not!)
Lastly, what are you going to do at practice? Again, Carl McGown can help you with that. Or, if you need some suggestions or copies of practice schedules, I would be happy to send you copies of practice schedules I've used over the last 9-10 years.
Although this site has been "resting" for awhile, I feel sure that you will get a lot of additional help because there have been many, many great responces over that last few years.
Let us know how we can help, and how your program is going.
Good luck!
john
First of all, Welcome to Coaching!! On the plus side, you are already way ahead of the game due to your teacher's degree. John Wooden, one of the greatest basketball coaches who ever coached - anything - said that being a teacher was the best preparation for coaching. You already know how to help students learn, and that is exactly what a good coach does, helps players learn their game. If you need some help transferring your teaching skills to coaching, get "Science of Coaching Volleyball" by Carl McGown Phd. - Human Kinetics Publishing.
Rules: Lots of help here. Check with your AD and see if you are playing in a league or conference that already has accepted a specific set of rules. If not, next check with your area high schools to see what rule set your players will be moving up to when they leave your program, and use that set. If you aren't satisfied with that, call or email your local USAVolleyball regional office and get a copy of "USA Volleyball Domestic Competition Regulations" and go with those. If you have an area referee coodinator that your school uses, contact them to see if you can attend one or more of their training/refresher courses.
School athletic philosophy: What is it? How does your school expect you to treat winning and losing? Better check and make sure you and your AD are on the same track. Also, with 24 players, what are the expectations regarding playing time?
Speaking of which, since your team and schedule are already set, are there provisions for matches for your "first team" and another set for your "JV"? If not, could they be arranged? Or, might there be matches for the 7th grade and matches for the 8th? When my middle school program started getting 16-18 players a season, getting additional games was the only solution, unless you are willing/able to play completely different teams for each game of a match. (which experience tells me will satisfy no one)
Questions: Is your team boys, girls, or coed? Are you coming to a well established program or is it a year to year thing for the school? What is the current skill level of your players? - if you have had a chance to see. What about practice facilities? And, maybe most importantly, how will your "one period" practice session(s) work? For that one period a day, can you get all 24 players together, or are they split through-out the day. (I sure hope not!)
Lastly, what are you going to do at practice? Again, Carl McGown can help you with that. Or, if you need some suggestions or copies of practice schedules, I would be happy to send you copies of practice schedules I've used over the last 9-10 years.
Although this site has been "resting" for awhile, I feel sure that you will get a lot of additional help because there have been many, many great responces over that last few years.
Let us know how we can help, and how your program is going.
Good luck!
john
#3
totalleague
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Posted 20 August 2008 - 12:42 PM
That's a tough position to be in!!
First thing I would do is learn the rules, then I would check out youtube.com or other video websites to learn the basics.
Just remember, you just need to stay 1 lesson ahead of your students
First thing I would do is learn the rules, then I would check out youtube.com or other video websites to learn the basics.
Just remember, you just need to stay 1 lesson ahead of your students
#4
swlundq
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Posted 08 December 2009 - 07:53 AM
Hi John,
I, too, an a first time coach. If I didn't coach then they were not going to be able to have a JO U17 team. I read your response and would be interested in seeing some of your practice plans. We are only able to get a court 1 night a week for practices, so I don't want to mess up practices.
Thanks,
Scott
I, too, an a first time coach. If I didn't coach then they were not going to be able to have a JO U17 team. I read your response and would be interested in seeing some of your practice plans. We are only able to get a court 1 night a week for practices, so I don't want to mess up practices.
Thanks,
Scott
tmmangia,
First of all, Welcome to Coaching!! On the plus side, you are already way ahead of the game due to your teacher's degree. John Wooden, one of the greatest basketball coaches who ever coached - anything - said that being a teacher was the best preparation for coaching. You already know how to help students learn, and that is exactly what a good coach does, helps players learn their game. If you need some help transferring your teaching skills to coaching, get "Science of Coaching Volleyball" by Carl McGown Phd. - Human Kinetics Publishing.
Rules: Lots of help here. Check with your AD and see if you are playing in a league or conference that already has accepted a specific set of rules. If not, next check with your area high schools to see what rule set your players will be moving up to when they leave your program, and use that set. If you aren't satisfied with that, call or email your local USAVolleyball regional office and get a copy of "USA Volleyball Domestic Competition Regulations" and go with those. If you have an area referee coodinator that your school uses, contact them to see if you can attend one or more of their training/refresher courses.
School athletic philosophy: What is it? How does your school expect you to treat winning and losing? Better check and make sure you and your AD are on the same track. Also, with 24 players, what are the expectations regarding playing time?
Speaking of which, since your team and schedule are already set, are there provisions for matches for your "first team" and another set for your "JV"? If not, could they be arranged? Or, might there be matches for the 7th grade and matches for the 8th? When my middle school program started getting 16-18 players a season, getting additional games was the only solution, unless you are willing/able to play completely different teams for each game of a match. (which experience tells me will satisfy no one)
Questions: Is your team boys, girls, or coed? Are you coming to a well established program or is it a year to year thing for the school? What is the current skill level of your players? - if you have had a chance to see. What about practice facilities? And, maybe most importantly, how will your "one period" practice session(s) work? For that one period a day, can you get all 24 players together, or are they split through-out the day. (I sure hope not!)
Lastly, what are you going to do at practice? Again, Carl McGown can help you with that. Or, if you need some suggestions or copies of practice schedules, I would be happy to send you copies of practice schedules I've used over the last 9-10 years.
Although this site has been "resting" for awhile, I feel sure that you will get a lot of additional help because there have been many, many great responces over that last few years.
Let us know how we can help, and how your program is going.
Good luck!
john
