Three to Get Ready #4: The Coaching Styles

This is the fourth in a series of posts that provides one dad's reflections on the last three months of his daughter's club volleyball career. They will appear every Friday until the JVDA Championships in Louisville, Kentucky.

What exactly is the purpose of a clipboard?

You probably have a ready answer, but let's imagine you've just arrived from another galaxy and your first experience with this object called "clipboard" is the sight of a club volleyball coach banging it against her head. Given this scenario, your first inclination might be to define clipboard as "that object which a coach abuses in order to gain the attention of her team."

Of course, Clipboard Abuser is just one of many coaching styles I've had the pleasure (and I mean that) of observing over the course of my daughter's quickly ending club volleyball career. Others include Kind Mentor, Cheerleader, Silent Observer and Ruthless Tactician. Because I believe (and have tried to convince my daughter to believe) that there are many equally valid coaching styles, I'd like to take one last look at each.

Kind Mentor
The Kind Mentor is the coach who is entirely focused on figuring out how to improve any given action on the court. What adjustment to the platform will result in a better pass? How will improved footwork lead to the perfect set? The coach who uses this style understands something too often overlooked: One of the fundamental reasons to play volleyball is to learn how to play volleyball better.

Cheerleader
This is the coach who, even at older age levels, won't hesitate to join in an orchestrated cheer with her team. Yes, it can be more than a little obnoxious to see a coach showboating with a kid after a devastating kill. On the other hand, where's the harm in letting the world know that you're excited about this club volleyball thrill ride that's unlike anything you'll experience this side of an amusement park?

Silent Observer
"Why isn't he calling a timeout?" You'll often hear parents pose this question when a Silent Observer is at the helm. Not only won't he call a timeout when we all-knowing parents want him to, but he usually doesn't even get out of his chair more than twice per match. Is this a valid coaching style? It is if I want my daughter to learn that she and her team will occasionally have to work through adversity on their own.

Ruthless Tactician
Picture a chess grandmaster concentrating on the position of each pawn on the board. You can almost hear the commotion inside her brain as she contemplates how one move will force a counter-move, which will in turn force a counter to the counter-move. On the volleyball court, Ruthless Tacticians teach us that being in the right position at the right moment is often more important than having superhuman physical skills.

Clipboard Abuser
I saved this for last because, at first glance, it's hardest to defend. What possible lesson is learned by watching a coach bounce a clipboard off the floor? Assuming the clipboard abuse is done intentionally by a coach in control of her emotions, I feel the point being made is both simple and profound: In volleyball and in life, it's all too easy to take a play or a day off—and it's important never to give yourself that luxury.

So tell me: What in the world am I going to do come July when I no longer have such a rich variety of unique coaching styles to observe on a weekly basis?

Next Week: The Endless Miles