Rather than interrupt a future post, I decided to post this rant on its own. It’s time to scream! What I just watched makes my stomach churn.
I had a meeting at a local high school this evening. I got there a bit early ... I thought. It turns out I wasn't early or late because the meeting was cancelled. Guess who they didn't bother to call?
I decided to see if anyone was in the gym. Indeed, the varsity volleyball team was “practicing.” I’m thinking, ”This will be fun.“ I heard the coach was new – a young woman who coached with a local club. As it turns out, she also played college volleyball.
This program has been down for some time. I’m not sure I was even married the last time they were competitive, and my 30th anniversary is just days away. The school has been through several coaches and needed stability and success. I wanted to see if a 180 degree turn-around had begun.
When I walked in, I assumed the practice had just begun. I hoped it hadn’t, but that would make things only slightly better. I thought I missed some developmental skill work, but that was a big negatory.
The first thing I questioned was that the coach had one net up. There were nearly 25 girls. One net is not sufficient. I know they have another net system because it was sitting on the cart. What are 25 players going to do on one net!? If your guess is stand and sit around a lot, you would be correct.
After talking to the group for five minutes, the coach started practice. She had the players form into two hitting lines with managers tossing balls to the setters. Do the math. About 11 girls were in each hitting line. Eleven. In each line.
What a monumental waste of time and resources.
The players didn't gain much. No, I’ll go out on a limb and say those players didn't gain anything in those 20 minutes. Yes, you heard that right. Twenty minutes. Twenty wasted minutes.
What really made my teeth grind was the lack of instruction. None. Oh, I’m sorry, the coach did demonstrate for the setter how to place her hands. And she was correct. Which makes this an even bigger travesty. From that demonstration, I think she knows some stuff. I think she could make a difference. But two hitting lines of 11 each is not a step toward making a difference.
In 20 minutes, not one kid did the skills correctly, unless you count the managers tossing. They did a nice job. The coach stood back and let them go. Said nothing. Absolutely nothing. She even had a left-handed kid approaching like a righty. Still, she didn't say anything.
Maybe it was the first night of practice, and the coach wanted to see what she had to work with. Understandable. After five minutes, she could have assessed, stopped the nonsense and put them through basic skill work to address the deficiencies she observed. And there were plenty to observe. But nothing.
I have a hard time believing it was the first night though. They play in a week. From my observation, that is a plane wreck scheduled to happen.
After watching for a bit, I realized that some of these kids could be competitive. They were raw but athletic. One kid put her head above the net when she jumped but cut every ball she hit. Not intentionally – her body was out of position. One of the setters had good hands but she jumped back when she set. Little things with both, easy to correct. But nothing from the coach.
Ok, some say I’m a bit overly corrective. Some parents complained I was too negative back in the day. But, my opinion here, the coach's job is to help the players get better. Ignoring the creation of bad habits works in direct opposition to that.
My objective is to make each player her own coach. When a player knows what she has done incorrectly, she is on the way to being successful. Don’t get me wrong, every positive that can be relayed needs to be. But players need to know why they are not successful.
"Maybe things got better after the first wasted 20 minutes," you might hope. Wrong. Believe it or not, it got worse. The coach put 6 girls per side, and they played. But wait! You are probably saying to yourself, "that is 12 girls with only one net. What, pray tell, did the other 13 girls do?"
They sat and watched. WTF?
Put another net up and everyone participates. Everyone gets more touches. Everyone can get better, faster.
During the five minutes I watched them play, not once did the coach stop the chaos and do any teaching. Not once did she pull a kid aside and talk to her.
Not once.
There was plenty to discuss with individuals as well as the group as a whole.
I forced myself to not offer help and leave. It’s not my garden. It may be weedy and dry, but it’s someone else’s plants to attend to.
I was so upset. I tried calling two of my coaching buddies. Neither answered. I had to boil alone for awhile. When one finally returned my call, it took me an hour to cool down.
I'm assuming the coach knows how to perform the skills. I also saw raw talent in her girls. They aren’t going to win their conference by any means, but they could take a few steps out of the basement.
She needs to marry her knowledge with their athleticism. Again, I’m assuming her knowledge, but I did see little signs.
She needs to set up a system, constantly develop that system, and teach those kids the skills needed to be competitive.
These kids are not a lost cause. Yes, they are untrained. But they can be better than I’m afraid they will end up being. When you take over a program like this, you need to start instituting your system of teaching and practicing the basic skills. Worrying about winning and competing comes down the road. Getting better and doing stuff correctly is your focus. From the youngest to the oldest players in your program, everyone does the same thing. The expectations are the same.
I will explain more about the system down the road. Be assured, hitting lines are not part of one.
Until then: Utilize your assets. Expect perfection.
If the coach expects perfection and avails her players the knowledge needed, they too will expect perfection from themselves.
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