This brief handout will significantly help new coaches AND players of volleyball start off
successfully. For this is the level where kids decide –
Practice or Match Volleyball
“Am I falling in love with this challenging game, or will the coaches and parents drum out my
passion for the sport?”
The best coaches guide their young players through the long adventure to learn volleyball
How you react to the many, many errors found in learning how to rebound a ball off one’s
body will largely influence how kids feel about their volleyball skills.
What you do not have to decide, but what you must, no matter what your coaching style,
make happen every day, practice or match – is to HAVE FUN. Elementary-age kids want to
PLAY sports, volleyball included, not DRILL them, or condition for them. With as short as
most seasons are – eight weeks or less, practice time included – you can only teach them so
many volleyball skills. What you do not need to teach them, but rather foster and enhance,
is their fun in playing and practicing.
In this process, one key coaching “style” wins out – asking them questions every time,
rather than telling them what to do. Most coaches like to bark commands, and teach the
players to look at them for all the answers. The best coaches guide their young players
through the long adventure of learning volleyball, by asking questions and helping the
players problem solve. The BEST players are the best problem solvers in the action of the
game. Teach them how to teach themselves, and they will learn the sport by solving the
problem and then performing the correct action on the court. You only have one set of eyes,
and way more players than that – so stop telling them what to do – and having them stand
around as well -, and instead let them play the game and guide them to solutions and
answers.
HAVE FUN VOLLEYBALL
