Hutch Volleyball

It’s been a long time since those days when the coach told you that drinking during workouts was for sissies. Remember how they used to chastise you if you complained of thirst after only 2 hours of practice? And, oh those salt cubes. I made a feeble attempt at wrestling during high school. All of the nutrition advice that our wrestling coach told us was wrapped up in two words, “salt cubes”. I still remember the tin coffee can – the wrapping that used to cover the can had probably been discarded many years before this rusting, filthy coffee can made it into our practice. At the bottom of the large can were these brown cubes that the coach said we were to take to replenish the salt that we sweated out of our bodies during wrestling practice. At the time, we didn’t know any better. We were too ignorant about nutrition to know any better so there we were wondering if it was better to chew the cube or just wash it down with a big gulp of water. My, how times have changed!

I do not in any way pretend to know all there is to know about nutrition nor am I a nutritionist. I am, however, a coach who has studied this topic for many years with a view towards proper nutrition for the volleyball athlete. I am a volleyball coach, not a football, tennis or other sports coach. The below nutrition recommendations are directed toward the volleyball athlete. They are only recommendations to be used as a guide for your further research. With those disclaimers and caveats, below is information that I hope you find useful during this volleyball season as to what to do on game days — before, during and after the volleyball competition. Obviously, circumstances will dictate what is available for you. If you are attending an out of state tournament, your choices may be limited.

A year ago this month, I spent four nights at the Olympic Training Center attending the High Performance Coaches Clinic and the required classes to obtain my CAP III certification. While there, I was able to learn and discuss issues with the top experts in the field of volleyball and nutrition for the volleyball athlete. This past October, 29, 2009, I attended the webinar regarding proper nutrition for the volleyball athlete. This webinar was led by Shelley Bradford, Ed. D., University South Alabama, Aaron Brock, MS, ATC, PES – Director, Sports Medicine & Performance USA National Teams and Diana Cole, Director of Training, Manager, Education and Grassroots Program Director for USA Volleyball. From these two events along with other independent studies, I have gained a greater appreciation for proper nutrition not only after competition but before and during competition.

Breakfast
Proper nutrition starts with, and this isn’t a myth, breakfast. Yes, as hard as we try to rush out the door, we are skipping the most important meal of the day. Just think about it. The word “breakfast” is comprised of the two words: “break” (verb) and “fast” (noun). Therefore, if you do not break the overnight fast, then your body will fast until the next meal which is usually lunch. That means that your body may fast for 12 – 18 hours between dinner and lunch the next day. Aaron Brock states that, “The Men’s Olympic Volleyball Team practices every morning and lifts weights in the afternoon – if they don’t eat an adequate breakfast, they will not have enough energy for a quality practice.” He suggests, “pancakes with syrup, whole grain toast with jam, and orange juice are quality breakfast choices, but add low fat yogurt, skim milk, lean sausage, eggs, or egg whites to obtain protein.”

But what if you don’t have time to fix a big breakfast? I recommend loading up with carbohydrates from a delicious fruit smoothie with low fat yogurt, whole grain cereal, or yes, even an egg (eggs get a bad rap but we won’t go into that).

As recommended by the folks at the webinar, a large meal should be eaten within four to six hours before a major competition. As the competition approaches within 2 – 3 hours, the athlete can eat a lighter meal. Within 1 hour before the competition, the player should only eat a snack. These meals should contain no more than 10 – 15% of their calories from protein. Protein is great for repairing muscles but is not considered a source of energy. The majority of the calories (70 – 90%) should be from carbohydrates.

During the Volleyball Match
The player should maintain their carbohydrate levels during the competition in order to avoid the run down, tired feeling. Good sources of carbohydrates during the match are sports drinks, energy bars and fruit. During the competition, I would like to see an increase in the amount of carbohydrates consumed and a lower amount of protein and fat. It is important to stay hydrated. As a former marathoner (10 marathons), I know from experience that an athlete should consistently hydrate and not wait until they get thirsty. Once the player is thirsty, the player is already showing signs of dehydration and it is hard to get adequately hydrated until after the match, if even then.

Avoid fried foods during the tournament. Preferably, in order of best to worst, a player should eat grilled, broiled, roasted or baked before eating anything fried. They should have fresh fruit and try to avoid canned fruit. If necessary, bring frozen fruit and let it thaw out by meal time.

For some of you who have heard me speak at Hutch Camp or who have been parents on some of the volleyball teams that I’ve coached, the following will not be news; to others, this may be hard for you to believe. One of the best recovery drinks is……..chocolate milk! In an article published June 2, 2009 in Medpage Today, Kristina Fiore, Staff Writer, covered a presentation made by Michael J. Saunders, Ph.D., of James Madison University, at the American College of Sports Medicine meeting in Seattle. According to Ms. Fiore, Mr. Saunders, PhD., and his colleagues stated that, “fitness experts are increasingly calling chocolate milk an effective option for post-exercise recovery as studies show it to be just as effective as some commercial sports drinks in helping athletes re-energize after a workout.” How much to drink is up to the individual through some trial and error. With my current volleyball team, I recommend about 4 – 6 ounces of the good stuff. I wondered about the credibility of these recommendations so I asked Aaron Brock about this. I asked him, “What do you think about chocolate milk as a recovery drink?” His exact words were, “I love it.”

After the Volleyball Match
In order to develop a game plan for proper post-competition nutrition, it is important to understand the role that glycogen plays. It is imperative to keep the glycogen levels consistent throughout the day of a tournament. The body is most receptive to the replenishment of carbohydrates (glycogen) within 15 – 20 minutes after physical activity. Some athletes replenish their carbohydrate levels with solids while others prefer liquid carbohydrates. There are many studies that describe the need for replenishment of glycogen levels soon after physical activity. Some studies have looked at the difference of supplying only high levels of protein to supplying a carbohydrate-protein complex and discovered the benefits of the carbohydrate-protein supplement over just a high dosage of protein. (See, Journal of Applied Physiology, K.M. Zawadzki, B.B. Yaspellkis 3rd and J.L., Ivy., Vol. 72, Issue 5, 1854 – 1859). Therefore, it is important to consume a mixture of protein (for repairing muscle fibers) and carbohydrates (to replenish energy sources) after a volleyball match. At the end of the day, a good meal should consist of 4 grams of protein for every 10 grams of carbohydrate.

Sources of Carbohydrate and Protein
Good carbohydrate sources can be divided between simple carbohydrates (quicker to be broken down by the body) and complex carbohydrates (take longer to break down). Examples of simple carbohydrates are: orange juice and other 100% fruit juices, all fruits (e.g. raisins, apples, strawberries, grapes, bananas).

Complex carbohydrates that are great to put into the body at the end of the day are: breads (whole wheat or whole grain), pasta (wheat) and rice. I know that some will ask about fiber. Fiber is great for the digestive system but, unfortunately, it isn’t a source of energy. Starches are the best source of complex carbohydrates to consume in order to replace the glycogen stores of the body.

I may add more to this blog entry but I thought that I should send this out to parents as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please feel free to post you question. If I can’t answer it, maybe one of the readers will be able to do so. Also, please share with the rest of us what you have found that works for your player during tournaments. We are always looking for new idea.

Thanks,

Hutch
Soli Deo Gloria

We are now to that part of the volleyball season when tryouts begin. In many cases, THE TRYOUT is harder on the parents than the player. If it seems that the clubs all have their tryouts at the same time, well, they do and it’s on purpose. The thinking of these clubs is to place their tryout at such a time that it requires parents to choose between clubs. I know of one club that intentionally moved its tryout to conflict with the times of other clubs after it discovered the times of other clubs’ tryouts.

It is important to know a few points that can help your daughter make a club team. These points do not guarantee that your child will make the team or club that your family wants to make but they will certainly help.

CHOOSE WISELY. This can be emotionally draining on the family. It does no one any good to attempt to make a team that normally has players far more advanced and skilled than your sweet daughter. If your daughter wants to tryout with a club that is above her talent level, please take on the role of a parent (this is not the time to be her friend) and let her know that she would not be happy on that club. It is also a time for the parents to be realistic. As previously stated, many clubs will have their tryouts at the same time, hence, make sure you choose the club which provides the best chances for your daughter to make the team. Limit your choices to two or three clubs. Hopefully, you and your daughter have attended some of the pre-tryouts and the open gyms and have a gathered enough information to be able to discern among the clubs and choose the two or three that are best suited for your daughter’s talents and capabilities.

GO TO THE FIRST TRYOUT Clubs will normally have at least two tryout sessions. Many require the players to attend both tryout sessions. With highly competitive teams, it is normal for the coaches to hand out most, if not all, of their offers at the first tryout. At the first tryout session, coaches are at their freshest and best condition (not yet numb to the hours of tryouts). If you are not able to attend the second tryout, let the coach know that so he/she has an opportunity to make an offer to your child before you leave.

DO NOT SUCCUMB TO THE PRESSURE. There is a very familiar scenario that I’ve heard about over the years. Invariably, a parent will tell me that a certain club told them, “If you walk out of this tryout and you don’t accept our offer now, then your daughter will not play for us.” This is undue pressure and is against the rules. You are allowed until midnight of the Wednesday following the tryout to accept an offer. If these people act this way during the tryout, what does that tell you regarding how they will act when they are under pressure? I don’t have time to spend one minute of my life with those type of people.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO BE BOLD (BUT POLITE) One of the pictures that comes up on my screen saver is a picture of the team that Meredith and I coach last year. Due to the efforts of the players, our 16U team had the highest head-to-head points of all teams from 14 through 18U. The reason I state this is because of K. Last year, my club had two tryouts. As we were well into the second tryout session, a Dennis, a dad, came up to me and, in a very polite manner, informed me that he was concern that I had not noticed his daughter during the tryouts. At first, I thought, “Oh no, another one of THOSE dads!” Well, I am so thankful that Dennis brought my oversight to my attention! As it turned out, K was an excellent player and I was very surprised that not only had she not been chosen by the top team in the 16U age bracket but that I had not noticed her. You see, K became one of my captains, a leader by example and my No. 1 outside hitter. If Dennis, K’s dad, had not come up to me, and in a polite way advised me of his daughter, our club would not have done as well as it did. Don’t be afraid to point out your daughter to the coaches, if you think they have not seen her. During the tryouts, watch the coaches, see what they are doing. Are they looking at all the girls? Have they watched your daughter? There are usually 60 — 100 girls trying out for 10 — 20 spots. In a majority of the time, coaches are doing their best to watch every girl during the tryout. Don’t worry if all the coaches don’t watch your daughter. Sometimes, the coaches split up so they can examine more players.

HOLD THAT POSE! As stated above, there are 60 — 100 girls if not more, competing for 10 – 20 spots. A player needs to do something to get noticed. Usually that means making a big impression on the coaches with big hits, big serves, perfect setting form, and/or perfect passing form. When it comes to setting and passing, the player should hold the form for a split second after making contact with the ball. This allows the coach to turn their head to see who made that pass or set. When they turn their head to the player, if the player has held their position for a fraction of a second, the coach will be able to see their form. This makes an impact in the coach’s brain.

PLAY WITHIN YOURSELF To play within yourself means that the player should try to do something that they are not used to doing. Don’t reach to pass a ball that is out of your range. Instead open up for the other player. This shows the coach that the player knows their area of responsibility and that they will not be a player that gets in everyone’s way while running all over the court.

BE VOCAL This past Sunday during a pre-tryout, we stopped the drill we were doing and told the girls to be intense and to communicate. We asked them to be vocal and talk about what is happening on the court. On the very next free ball tossed in by one of the coaches, I saw two girls who had their mouths shut. Not a word. When I say to be “vocal”, I mean that I want a player to tell her teammates about the position of the ball, will the hit be a tip, will it be cross or a line hit. When the ball comes to the back row, who is going to get it. If a player is not going to get it, then yell, “GO” and turn in the direction of the person who is setting up to pass the ball. It isn’t just being vocal that coaches want; it is being vocal about the right things. When a player is vocal about the right things, that player is letting a coach know that she has “volleyball smarts” — this person has played before and has experience picking up the ball on the court. Another name for this is “court awareness”.

Club tryouts are just around the corner. It is amazing how the preseason events are mushrooming in number. In the old days (e.g. 2000) and before, clubs didn’t have pre-tryouts or even open gyms. Though some parents would say that this is too much….well, whether or not this is too much, it is what it is. This blog entry will hopefully answer some questions about these preseason events and the “Big Show” aka The Tryout.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF GOING TO A PRE-TRYOUT? There are several benefits of going to a club’s pre-tryout.

1. The player can compare their talents to other players. This may be an eye-opening experience for both the player and the parent. If the junior or senior high school has a highly competitive team then the pre-tryout for a highly competitive club team will not be daunting. However, if the player comes from a less competitive school, then seeing and experiencing them play with high caliber players will help to gauge the development of the player. Sometimes this is a taste of reality which some parents have a hard time swallowing. It is not fun to see your daughter compete at a higher level than her own talent level. You want to protect them from disappointment and hurt feelings. The benefit is that this can help determine if this particular club is the one for your daughter.

2. Meet the coaches. This is a great time to see how the coaches interact with the players. There are many different styles of coaches and each coach has their own way of doing things. Use this time to determine if the coach is the right fit for your daughter. No matter how great the Club is, if the coach isn’t the right fit for your daughter, then find another club. Otherwise, your family will dread the entire season. Remember, you are making an investment in your child’s future. Club volleyball can last for more than 6 months so take a careful look at the coach and make sure that he or she is who you want as someone who will have an influence (good or bad) on your daughter’s life. Is he or she a screamer? Is the coach the type who is a a commander of an army or the type who demands the best from their players and shows them how to do it.

I believe that the pre-tryouts are of great benefit to the families and highly encourage you to go to as many as you can attend.

WHAT HAPPENS AT THE PARENT INFORMATION MEETING?

This is the most important meeting for the parent. At this meeting, you will hear a presentation by the directors of the club. They will go over fees, introduce coaches and talk about the over all schedule of events for the club, including the tournament schedule. These meetings give the club the opportunity to present themselves in the most favorable light. Therefore, watch to see how the directors set the tone of the meeting. Are they telling the parents that your family is lucky to be associated with this club and that there are plenty of other families that want your spot in case you don’t take it? Or, are they welcoming you to their family. Are they appreciative of your coming to their meeting? This overtone can speak a lot about the entire personality of the club.

Use the Parent Information Meeting to find out about when fees are to be paid. How much travel will there be? Find out the club rules on the players traveling as a team. Does the team require the players to stay together in the hotel rooms or do they stay with their parents? Will the club reserve a block of rooms for the parents? Are the costs of travel and hotel rooms included in the club fees? Will the club be paying for shoes or will each family pay for the player’s volleyball shoes? Will the club negotiate a discounted air fare for parents? Will the club enter a tournament that requires the team to play on Easter weekend? These are questions that you should ask someone if you believe that they were not adequately addressed by one of the directors.

The Parent Information Meeting is also the time to meet the coaches for the age group for which your daughter is trying out. Listen to the coach. Do they come across even tempered? Do they appear to be bored with being at the meeting (aka “I’m too good to be here” attitude)? Are they a screamer? Have they coached before? If so, where? What accreditations do they have? Does the coach make you feel as though you are important (because you are!!!). Is the coach immature in his or her actions? Does the coach communicate well? This is important. If a coach can’t communicate with you, how will she/he be able to communicate with your daughter? Find out if anyone has heard of this coach before. Check out her/his demeanor. Do they believe in winning at all costs?

These are important questions to ask the coach. Remember, the person who will be coaching your daughter will have a great deal of influence on her life.

I realize that you have a hectic schedule and all these meeting take up a lot of time. I believe it is well worth it to you and your family to take the time to attend as many of the pre-season events as you can in order for you to feel that you have done all that you can to put your daughter in the best position possible to succeed, not only at volleyball, but in this particular phase of her life.

In my next blog, I will discuss The Tryout. In future blogs I will discuss, the rules of the game, nutrition, ankle braces, stretching and some of my favorite tournaments (based upon the city’s environment, things to do between matches, snacks at the tournaments and eating establishments).

Soli Deo Gloria,

Hutch

MY CHILD WILL BE FOREVER SCARRED IF SHE DOESN’T MAKE THE “A” TEAM!!!!!!

I know that this time of the season is very disconcerting to parents who are new to the tryout process. Most all the schools have had their tryouts and are now into their volleyball seasons. I find that junior high parents seem to have the toughest time with tryouts and the results of those tryouts. This is probably the first time that their “Suzie” has had to compete with peers to make a team. Suzie (used here as a generic name for a female player. No…I don’t know any girl named Suzie who plays volleyball but I’m sure there are many but I don’t know them so the use of the name Suzie is purely a reflection of the use of my freewill to pull a name out of the air and not directed at any individual)…now back to the point…goes to the tryout and is put in a situation she has never faced before: the public display of her ability to pass, set, hit and maybe block a volleyball. This is a stressful time for not only Suzie, but for the parents! Think about it, the quality of their ancestral lineage is being put out there for display; the entire future of their clan is being determined by their 12 year old daughter’s ability to make contact with a sphere that weighs about half a pound.

Tryouts ultimately result in happiness and sadness, depending upon your perspective and the emotional state of your child. Even if the child makes the team, parents find out that things are not always equal – there are A teams and B teams; there are game players and there are practice players. These differences provide fodder for the discussions that take place amongst the parents as they sit in the stands while little Suzie is out on the court playing a game and trying to figure out who won the point just then when the ball hit the ground. Parents seem to attain a certain status in the stands when their child has made the volleyball team or has even made the “A” team. These parents feel sorry for all those parents whose daughters didn’t quite measure up. Well, there is always basketball……

The problem with those types of attitudes is that they are visited upon the child. The young volleyball players start to create these invisible barriers between their classmates just because someone can hit a volleyball. How sad is that! Why do we have to put others down in order to make ourselves feel better? I find this same attitude among players of all ages and this attitude can also be found within the ranks of the teammates on the volleyball team. The hitters think they are the most important, the back row passers think that are always saving the day for their teammates and the setters feel that they are the most skilled on the team and that they control who gets a good set or even gets any set during a game.

At the first of every season, I remind the players that there is no position that is more important than another. Also, whether you are a game player or a practice player, whether you start on the court or start on the bench, we are in this together. No person has a greater value as a person than anyone else. As the Apostle Paul said,

¹²The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. ¹³For we were all baptized by^[c] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

¹⁴Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. ¹⁵If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁶And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

²¹The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²²On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

²⁷Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. I Corinthians 12: 12 – 27 (New International Version).

I relate to them the story of B (I’ll only use the first initial of her name), who is a ray of bright sunshine in the morning during practices. B isn’t the greatest of volleyball players but she constantly is upbeat and willing to do anything for the team. I’ve used B for the past two years as a life example of I Cor. 12. After introducing the B to the team and discussing the above passage, I then tell them a little bit about B. You see, B is currently ranked 3^rd in the state in her age bracket in gymnastics. I then ask B to do a tumbling exercise in front of the team. Once she is through I ask them if they can do what B did. Obviously, no one says yes. The point of the story is that B doesn’t look down on them because they can’t tumble as well as she can so why should they ever look down on someone else who can’t play volleyball as well as they.

So parents, ease up, this is 7^th grade volleyball! The season will last only a couple of months then there will be the opportunity for your child to go to another tryout…..club volleyball or even basketball!

This past Friday night, we had our first “Team Get Together” (“TGT”) at our house. It was a lot of fun and everyone seemed to enjoy the food and the company.

Toward the end of our meeting, I asked the players to write down what their goals were for the team and/or themselves. We had a tournament this past weekend so I did not have an opportunity to read them until today. I was surprised at their answers.

We hear a lot of negative comments about the youth of today. The descriptions of being self centered, unmotivated, lazy, selfish, rude always thinking, “Me, me”, the “Me First Generation”, and so on. I am involved in volleyball approximately 47 weeks out of the year. I am delighted to state that though I have found some young people who fit the above descriptions, I believe that they are less than 1% of the youth that I deal with in volleyball.
On television and in the movies, the young people are many times shown to be in control of the families and the parents are shown to be out of date (this is a topic for another blog entry), however, that is not what I have experienced. Especially on my current team.

Eight out of ten players said they wanted out team to learn to play as a team and not as individuals. The other two wanted to be better at their positions (e.g. improving passing the ball to the setter) which in turn, help the team. Yes, I asked them to put individual goals, which they did, but I was surprised at the consistency at which they put as one of their goals to play as a TEAM.

I’m sure that many of you have seen teams, in a variety of sports, that had great players but they didn’t play as a team (the 2008 version of the Dallas Cowboys comes to mind). Many times the cause of the problem was that many of the players were more concerned about their individual needs, their need to be noticed by others. They were too concerned about making a mistake — not because it would hurt the team, but so they wouldn’t look bad. These players start accusing others for their own mistakes. These types can be divisive and ruin a good team. I am thankful that our team is free of those types of people.

I am so proud of these girls. They have already shown themselves to be mature young women. It is going to be a fantastic season, whether or not we win a tournament, because of the great character of each of these players! Their focus is on what’s best for the whole and not putting their own needs first. This is unselfishness in action. Serving others. Sounds like Luke 6:31.

You can see how I’ve been blessed with a wonderful team.

Hutch

p.s. Some of the players put that they wanted us to be a loud team. I better wear ear plugs.

Two weeks ago, my wife and I had the pleasure to travel to the beautiful campus of Berry College located in Rome, Georgia to watch one of our daughters play in the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament.  It was the first time that we had attended the end-of-the-season tournament but we wanted to watch her finish her collegiate career.

As we watched her play, I kept remembering back to the beginning of her long athletic career.  All the T-Ball games, slow pitch and fast pitch softball, YMCA basketball, AAU basketball, Junior High basketball and volleyball, High School basketball and volleyball and ultimately, watching her play as a collegiate scholarship volleyball player.  All those miles of traveling, the money spent, the time spent, the heartaches and the joys.  Finding out that you don’t wear a white shirt to a fast-pitch softball tournament because of all the blowing dust!  There are all the people we met and with whom we have become friends.  Then there were the “Road Trips” with Scarlet and Randy during the club volleyball seasons.  I would not trade the experiences for any amount of money.  That is why I was surprised when I talked to our daughter after her team lost their elimination match in the final four of the tournament.  Her sad comments were, “What’s the point?  What’s the use?  All the money spent and all the miles you traveled.  It’s all for nothing.”  Obviously, I discounted much of that because of the emotionally charged atmosphere of her playing in her last collegiate game.  However, it did cause me to reflect on those questions and why do parents sacrifice all that time, money and voluntarily take a trip on that emotionally charged roller coaster ride?

I speak as a former player who still remembers the emotions I felt when I realized that I was lacing up my shoes for the last time and was putting on the pads for the last time.  Each movement, at the time, was etched into my mind as a “last”.  Though my team lost that last match and I don’t remember the match, the pre-match emotions are still crystal clear.  I also speak as a dad who, along with my amazing wife, has had the pleasure of watching our three wonderful daughters not only play but become very successful in their respective sports (soccer, fast-pitch softball, basketball and volleyball).

I realize that if the reason I coach volleyball is just to teach how to pass, set, hit or block, then I believe my reasons are very shallow.   If parents are pushing their children to play sports in order to get that elusive scholarship, then their missing the point of sports.

I hope that families enter into the world of sports and specifically, volleyball, to help their child grow as a person.  Through volleyball, a person learns the meaning of being a servant.  One individual can’t do it all.  There must be a person who can pass and then there must be a person who can set the ball and finally, there must be someone who has the ability to hit the ball.  Each is depending upon the other.  Therefore, each should be supportive of the other.  Putting the needs of the team above the selfish desires of the individual is critical to a team’s success.  When the team suffers a loss, players learn that, to blame others only breaks a team apart.   I have seen teams with great players but, because they were more interested in their own success and not of the team, there was bickering between the players and the parents.

All this is to say, that if the “point of all this” is to just win games and to get a scholarship, then when it is all over, what do you have?  Fortunately for our daughters, they have accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour.  Therefore, we know that there is so much more than the game of volleyball.

So, when our daughter asked me the question, I reminded her of all the fun we had and that we would not have had any of those experiences without her playing volleyball.  I also reminded her that volleyball does not define her.  This is a point that I have made with another player who was going through tough times.  Volleyball is a sport.  It will not fulfill all of a person’s needs.  I believe that comes from the Lord.

Therefore, as a parent or a player, enter into the world of volleyball, not just for the game, but for all the life experiences that the player and the parents will learn.  It is an exciting and wonderful sport.  I think it is the ultimate team sport because everyone on the court is vital.   You can’t “hide” a player.   As a parent, I can assure you that you will get almost as much out of the sport as your child.  Remember — take lots of pictures (your daughter will be totally embarrassed but will later enjoy looking at the pictures)!

These are some of my rambling thoughts that I wanted to share with you.  If you have a comment, please feel free to post a comment.

Soli Deo Gloria

Hutch

Have you ever heard a parent say that, “Coach X is a good coach. She gets in the player’s face and yells at them if they make a mistake.”? Why do people believe that yelling is the answer or that it is the trademark of a good coach? I am aware of one coach who has told parents that the best way to coach a player is to intimidate and embarrass players. This particular coach believes that is the best way to get the best results from each player.

I’m a strong believer in treating each player differently. Yelling should never be the first choice. Constructive and affirming criticism has served me well as I coach my teams and as I give private lessons.

There are four basic temperaments (Choleric, Melancholy, Sanguine and Phlegmatic) (See “Volume IV: Nature of Man“, Hippocrates, approx. 400 B.C.). Each of us usually has a mixture of two dominant temperaments and a little of the others. Players react differently to correction or instruction depending upon the player’s temperament and personality. Some players respond well to the ‘in your face’ coach while others are too scared to act and in failing to act, compound their mistakes. A player who responds well to a strong ‘in your face’ tirade by a coach may look at a coach who uses another approach as being weak, which results in the coach loosing the respect of the player.

Another risk to using intimidation or embarrassment, when coaching female players is that the player may view criticizm of the act as an attack on the person. If the player is more phlegmatic or melancholy, they will have a negative response to harsh criticism.

Please let me know what you think on this matter.

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