Email Campaign Archive

The Key to Keeping Players Focused on the Team:
Communication

-By Tom Houser

Coaches:

When I get a chance, I like to instant message my
players. It's a chance for me to talk with them in
"their" world and help them with some issues that
I, as an adult, have a different perspective on.

So why am I sending you this? Why should you read
this? As coaches, we need to remember that
there's more to coaching than showing up for
practice and deciding on the starters. There's
also an opportunity to make a big difference in a
kid's life! A coach can often help "sooth the
savage beast," or a coach can create a beast
where there wasn't one.

As I may have told you, my club team has been
chosen for 2008. There are eleven eighth and ninth
graders on the team. Most are JV's, a few are
still on middle school teams. One, however, was
chosen for her school's varsity team back in
August. The team is entering their final week of
the season, they have a maximum of 4 matches left,
all the other area teams have been eliminated, and
today they play for the region championship. While
both teams in today's match have qualified for the
state playoffs, this match is incredibly important
because the winner plays a quarterfinal state
playoff match Tuesday night at home, while the
winner must travel for their first round match.
And that travel could be from one side of Virginia
to the other. Nasty!!

I'll call my player FreshOnBench. At the beginning
of the year, the coach tried her out as a
libero/DS, but eventually Fresh lost all her
playing time. I know that sitting there night
after night is rough, even on a freshman. So I
thought I would help her see the bright side of
being on this special team, and try to help her
enjoy these last few days of her freshman season
-- one she'll never forget!

CoachHouser: This is Coach Houser

CoachHouser: CONGRATS last night!!!!!!!! ON TO
STATES!!!!

CoachHouser: Good luck tomorrow vs. Coastal in the
region finals.

FreshOnBench: aww thanks yeah i am really
excited!! and it should be a good game tomorrow
haha but thanks!!

CoachHouser: I'm going to try to come

CoachHouser: but I have to be in Lynchburg by
around 6pm to see Radford play Liberty. 

FreshOnBench: o well i hope you can make it

FreshOnBench: o thats awesome well i hope it's a
good match. its better to watch if it is lol

CoachHouser: You guys will be playing another
exciting match!!

FreshOnBench: haha

CoachHouser: are you getting to play any at all?

FreshOnBench: noo

CoachHouser: Maybe that situation will change when
you're on our club team...........can't
promise........but for the next few high school
matches, keep on peppering, hustling, digging with
those older girls.

CoachHouser: keep busting your butt on every touch
you get this final week of your season

FreshOnBench: yeah stuff like that can go a long
way, my parents keep telling me

CoachHouser: And they're right!! I'm sure that all
the other 10 girls who will on our club team wish
they were in your position right now, still
playing. It's exciting!

CoachHouser: all your other future teammates were
JV players at their schools, you know. 

CoachHouser: they haven't touched a ball now in 2
weeks. I know sometimes that not getting to play
is frustrating and tiring, but I'm sure your
future club teammates are all jealous! Haha

FreshOnBench: yeah i remembered what you said last
summer that if you had the opportunity you should
be on varsity, then go for it, because there's a
huge advantage After i made the team i was glad
but then i wondered if id done the right thing now
im glad! 

CoachHouser: keep warming up with all you have.
Keep passing, sprawling, watching and cheering

CoachHouser: Yep, every day you've gotten to play
against Tori, Jessica, Eva, Sam. You didn't have
to spend a season practicing with greenie rookies,
or maybe with kids who are going to stop playing
after 1 year. 

CoachHouser: and you're STILL practicing against
those girls every day, while all your club
teammates are just waiting and waiting for the
next season to begin

CoachHouser: so tomorrow when you warmup, be
serious, every touch will make you a little
better!

FreshOnBench: yeah playing against the older girls
is really helping me improve and i havent been
taking my peppering and warming up seriously
enough because i didnt think I was going to play.
but I will from now on. i see your point.

CoachHouser: and you'll continue to improve every day

FreshOnBench: ok gotcha

CoachHouser: You think Jocelyn got better as a 9th
grader on the Western bench? SURE she did!!!

CoachHouser: because she had to play every day vs.
Maggie and Jennifer

CoachHouser: She only had to sit 25 days haha

FreshOnBench: o yeah dang that is a good point

CoachHouser: She got to play the other 70 days at
practice. She became a state champ last year
without getting much playing time at all, and is
now the starting libero on that team as a
sophomore!!! Now she's a BEAST!!!!

FreshOnBench: haha

FreshOnBench: yeah she is really good at back row
maybe one day i'll be that good

CoachHouser: You've now practiced more on your
varsity team than the JV's at your school played
AND practiced combined!!

FreshOnBench: haha

FreshOnBench: yeah

FreshOnBench: wow ive never thought of it that way
but its true

CoachHouser: You're much better off

FreshOnBench: i agree. you really make me see
things clearer! keep typing lol

CoachHouser: and you may get a state champ ring
also!!

FreshOnBench: omg yeah i am so excited for that,
but i cant look too far ahead

CoachHouser: I will keep typing. It's hard to get
me to stop! lol

CoachHouser: Regardless of how the season ends,
the JV's will envy you big time!!!!!!

CoachHouser: And when it's over, you'll say,
"Sitting the bench was fine."

CoachHouser: agree?

FreshOnBench: hahahah

FreshOnBench: yeah. at first I was upset, but then
I started thinking would I have rather have been
on jv? no!!!!

CoachHouser: it's all in how you look at things

CoachHouser: I can say, "Gosh, I'm 49 years old.
So sad. Jeeeze, my knees hurt. I hate it!"

CoachHouser: Or I can say, "Hey, it's cool to be
49!! I can't wait to get on my bicycle and go 30
more miles!!"

CoachHouser: haha

FreshOnBench: haha

FreshOnBench: alright!

CoachHouser: "I'm 49 and I'm getting ready to
coach an awesome travel team!!! I can't
wait!!!!"

FreshOnBench: yeah just be positive you're crazy!
lol

FreshOnBench: im working on being more positive
also

CoachHouser: as humans, we often just want what's
best for us, and we want it 24/7

CoachHouser: being positive isn't easy to do. You
have to be abnormal. It's hard! But a person who
considers herself a teamplayer MUST do it!!

FreshOnBench: yeah i expect to much out of myself
a lot. When i dont play, it makes me think i suck
but im probably better than anyone on jv, i know
that im the luckiest freshman around to be on a
varsity team that's this good. whoa that's
positive haha see what you've done to me?

CoachHouser: but things are going so well in our
lives

CoachHouser: we're very lucky

CoachHouser: have a great time tomorrow..........
pepper hard, warm up hard, cheer like it's your last
game.........

FreshOnBench: i sure will i'm ready now i can't
wait!!!!!

CoachHouser: Hope to see you tomorrow

FreshOnBench: haha but i am ganna go now cause i
was just at a football game and it was freezing so
i am ganna go get warm and get prepared for the
game tomorrow

CoachHouser: then we're only a few weeks from a
brand new season

FreshOnBench: yeah i am really looking forward to
it. your awesome. we're going to have a great
season!

CoachHouser: where you'll be with playing with
14's and 15's for a change and (maybe) you'll be
the beast

CoachHouser: instead of the lil freshman beastlet

FreshOnBench: i know i feel like moving up
improves me every year but I like playing with
girls my own age sometimes too

CoachHouser: sure does!!

CoachHouser: That's why my stepdaughter Lauren is
playing college sports on a scholarship! she
played up and worked hard year after year

CoachHouser: well, partial scholarship! Well, a
little scholarship. haha 

FreshOnBench: lol

CoachHouser: ok, go get warm, congrats on the
fball win

FreshOnBench: haha thanks hope you make it to the
game tomorrow. It'll be great to see you......coach! J
i like saying that! 

CoachHouser: I like hearing it.

FreshOnBench: thankkss!!

FreshOnBench: ttyl

FreshOnBench: byee

Fresh's team won that match, after being down 0-2.
They entered the state playoffs with a home match!
Then lost that match 1-3. L Fresh never made it
off the bench in either match. However, I watched
her cheer and touch and jump off the bench! She's
a real team player, and I think I'm going to like
having her on my team this winter and spring!! 

-Tom Houser
Head Coach, 2007 and 2008 Roanoke Juniors 15's Open
Director, STAR Volleyball Camps
Author, "I Can't Wait" Drill Collection and Ebooks
www.coachhouser.com