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INTERACTIVE EPISODE! Get a few tips on how to prepare for an interview to coach volleyball, PLUS hear almost 20 sample interview questions. Take your preparations up a notch and pause the episode to practice answering each question!

Coaching volleyball is an amazing experience that many players look forward to having once they leave school. Whether you played high school volleyball, college volleyball, or maybe you only played in PE, you CAN get a job coaching volleyball if you prepare well enough. 

My first year of coaching volleyball had its fair share of ups and downs, and despite my years of playing both club and high school volleyball, coaching my first team required an entirely different thought process.

No matter how strategically you were thinking as a player, different components enter the picture as a coach (think motivation, organization, playing moderator, etc.). One major area I overlooked was goal setting.

In your first year of coaching, it's easy to get caught up in game tactics, practice plans, and teaching the physical skills. But it's the mental skills which will make all the difference, not only to your potential as a coach, but to your players' potential.

If a player knows you will support them through the learning process and their failures, they will reward your trust by exceeding expectations. All volleyball coaches should listen to this! It will help you develop your coaching philosophy.

Original article from Get The Pancake: 3 Reasons to Encourage Failure

Picking an assistant deserves a LOT of attention. Head coaches get the glory, but assistants are the ones who keep the show running. Skipping over this critical step could mean a tough season even for experienced coaches. Let me share four important factors I've found in picking the ideal assistant coach for you.

Let’s face it…. Playing poorly all day, whether it’s an important match or a big tournament weekend, takes its toll on even the most confident coaches and players.

It’s no fun to watch a meltdown happen right in front of your eyes.

Although you may not be happy with how your team performed, there are a couple of things you can do to get your team back on track.

When you are training a group of players to be elite athletes it can seem like spending time playing games at practice is a waste of time. What we sometimes forget as coaches is that fun is a major component of the learning process.

Thinking back on my time as a player I first remember running around laughing with my teammates and playing fun games. Yes, I remember playing hard, training, and running through drills, but the most vivid memories are from when I was playing "deadfish," "the downball game," and more.

Before your first tournament of the season, you’ll need to identify leaders on your team.

This can be a challenge because in the beginning of the season, EVERYONE is on their best behavior! Everyone hustles to shag, they’re all clapping for each other, and when you ask them to come in… they run.

But in order to find one or two players who will own the role of leader, there are a few things we as coaches can keep an eye on at practice. Noticing these characteristics early on will help you in more ways than you can count, as you’ll be able to focus attention towards guiding these players, who in turn will help steer the rest of the team for you.

No matter what our team’s normal skill level is, sometimes there are just games (or even full days!) where our athletes are just…. off.

It is probably worthwhile for you to dig into those reasons in an attempt to stop this situation from happening in the future. However, since it is usually a large, variable combination of things that may or may not have a possible solution, today I want to talk about what to do after you recognize this in your team!

How many times have you heard these instructions at a volleyball match or tournament… “Talk!” “Call the ball!” “Communicate!”

You get the idea.

I’ll admit, I have given these exact directions approximately… every day of coaching. And I think that’s alright! Constant communication is a habit that all players on the court need to develop.

But when communication seems to be an issue, there’s likely a root cause that you need to address.