College coaches watch a lot of Juniors club volleyball while out recruiting. That means they see a lot of different teams and a lot of different coaches.There are things club coaches and/or club directors might want to think about when they make certain decisions or choose to act in certain ways. Here are some of the ones that occurred to me in that position during tournaments.
Warm-up tops: Please, please, please put names or numbers on any kind of player warm-up tops. College coaches actually watch players then. Sometimes that’s their best opportunity to get a good look at what a player can do. That doesn’t work if they can’t figure out who’s who.
Attire: Coaches, keep in mind that you are being observed basically all the time. I have no problem with coaches wearing athletic attire while on the sideline, especially if they do stuff in warm-ups. I don’t mind coaches wearing playful stuff. After all, this is a game being played by kids. What I do have a problem with is coaches who look like slobs. When you coach you represent your club and are a role model to your players. Think about what your appearance says from that perspective. Also think about what impression you may make on future employers. I know some of you are thinking about future college coaching careers.
Behavior: Along the same lines, think about how you act while you’re coaching. What do you want to project, not just to your players and to match officials, but also to all the other people who see how you behave on the sidelines. From my own perspective, it leaves an impression of what sort of person you are and whether I might want to work with you in some fashion, recommend your coaching to potential players for you, and judge your input in my recruiting process, etc. It also influences what I think your players might be like when I get them after they’ve worked with you. Are you projecting what you want people to think?
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