Previously, I wrote on the subject of whether great players make great coaches. Here I want to talk about the sort of talents or skills required to be a great coach. This is something asked in the Volleyball Coaching Wizards interviews. Here are a few thoughts of my own, mixed in with a few from the Wizards.
So where to start…?
Playing experience
Well, let me first address the playing experience question. I do think having played the sport is beneficial. In particular, playing at the level you’re coaching (or at least a reasonable facsimile) is useful. It provides you with a perspective that can sometimes help understanding what the players are going through and how to communicate with them. Having this experience isn’t necessary, however. You can overcome the lack of it. It just tends to make things easier – especially early in one’s career.
Playing position
Here’s something else that falls in the “useful, but not required” category. In baseball, you often see catchers become managers. It’s a position with a lot of leadership requirements as well as one which includes a broad perspective on the game. To my mind, setter is similar in volleyball. Because the setter is at the heart of most of what’s going on for a team, they inherently develop an understanding for tactics and strategy, plus have considerable work as leaders. Again, this doesn’t mean that non-setters can’t coach, or couldn’t be good coaches, just as not every manager in baseball used to be a catcher. It’s just that being a setter gives one a leg up in many ways.
Communication skills
This is where coaches can really separate themsevles. If you want to be a great coach you need to be a good communicator. Technical knowledge is pretty easy to gain. Read a few books. Attend some clinics and seminars. Watch a bunch of matches. The key is being able to communicate that to your players. Doesn’t matter how much you know if you can’t pass that on effectively. Think about the example of a professor who is a true expert in their field but can’t teach their way out of a paper bag. You don’t want to be that type of coach.
Organizational skills
You may be wondering at this point, feeling like organizational skills aren’t really coaching. If you are then you need to adjust your thinking. They may not have much to do with what you’re doing on the court with your players, but they have a lot to do with how you structure things – including stuff as basic as practice sessions. Strong organizational skills help you develop good, effective practice plans. And that’s just the beginning. There are so many parts of coaching which take place off the court where your skills in administration and management are put to the test. And they matter.
Put players first
At its core, coaching is an exercise in service to others. We are guiding and teaching and motivating others, but it’s those others that actually do all the real work. As such, we must be prepared to put the welfare of those we coach ahead of our own (though not to the point of harming ourselves). This isn’t to say there isn’t any ego in coaching. It takes some just to believe that you can do the job. Rather, it’s a question of whether you’re coaching for you or for those on the team.
Coaching experience
This one seems pretty obvious, but let me provide a bit of detail. A couple of the Wizards specifically talked about the need for developing coaches to get as much head coaching experience as they can because of the things you learn when you’re the one making the decisions. I would extend that by suggesting that you get as broad an experience base as you can because the more different types of situations you face the better you’ll be equipped to take on the variety of challenges you’ll face along the way.
I’m not sure I’d call this a comprehensive list of desirable skills or traits. I think it’s a reasonable starting point, though. Definitely feel free to share your own thoughts through the comment section below.
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One Response
have found at HS/U17 level at least that coaches are not as hard on they position they played. The coach who was a setter can’t criticize the setter. The coach who was a middle, the team qualifies for nationals because they could teach setters how to set middles!