Email Campaign Archive

The Pro-Active Approach to a Great Season

-By Tom Houser

Readers:

I wanted to share a portion of an email with you.
I received this yesterday from a reader who wanted
to know my opinion: 

"Dear parents and players: I'm sorry that our team
didn't win the Bid Tournament this past weekend.
It's been rough thinking of things that we
possibly could have/should have done differently.
We didn't play as a team, and I'm disappointed in
my own coaching that I couldn't help the girls
overcome that. The team that won the bid was good,
but I think we were much better physically.
Several other teams at the tournament played well
as a team no matter what the circumstances and
used their abilities together to overcome
adversity. Unfortunately, our team didn't.
Hopefully something has been learned thru all of
this."

Wow. This coach is so disappointed with his team;
yet, is trying to be careful what he says. He
knows what happened, and he wants to share his
thoughts; yet, he doesn't want to further hurt
people who are already hurting.

The last time I sent an email like this was after
my 2004 club season. Yeah, I had a great group of
players, but all the parents saw themselves as
"volleyball pros" and saw their child as the best
player on the team. A division I coach's daughter
was on the team and he and I had a few
knock-down-drag-outs over the phone regarding the
coaching errors he thought I was making. My
assistant coach betrayed me, the club director
interfered, a college coach who the director
invited to help me interfered, the club director
told me in front of my players on the practice
court, "When will you get this through your
head?"

After that season, we had no end-of-season get
together. Through my best efforts, I couldn't make
them a team. 

That was a hard one, and I'm sure I said several
times, "I can't do this again." But, after a few
weeks, I remember thinking, "What could I have
done to avoid this? Where did I make my wrong
turns?" Now I try to ensure that I never have
another season like that. So far I haven't. So
far. Haha What are my strategies? 

Avoiding The Horrible Season #1: Pay Attention To
The Differences In Teams And Then Be The Coach
That That Team Needs!

Normally a coach has a team with a few great
players, a few OK players and a few weak players.
So, how can the coach's judgment be questioned?
The great kids will naturally play all the time,
the OK ones will play some of the time, and the
others will only play when there's a blow out
situation. 

But on a team full of outstanding players, the
coach will need to have more backbone, more "We're
doing this my way". 

Looking back at my 2004 season, I now realize that
I talked, discussed and reasoned too much with the
parents. Before that year, it was my habit to talk
over any disagreements until they were resolved.
No, I didn't say compromise; but throughout my
career, I had always tried to have parents and
players see the reason behind what I did. But, in
2004, with 7 of the 10 girls being future Division
1 players, and their parents expecting each girl
to be a starter, I probably spent three times the
normal hours reasoning and explaining. Thus, that
took time away from family, work and hobbies. This
made coaching the team that much more stressful! 

And, looking back, I realize that each time I
spent 45 minutes with one parent, other parents
would say, "John Jones isn't the only one who can
suck up to Coach Houser. Coach is going to hear my
two cents also!"

What I should have been was typically, yet not
ridiculously, cooperative. I wasn't authoritarian
enough with a group of parents who were selfish.

In the email that prompted this article, I believe
the girls needed a stricter hand. They needed to
be on time, hustling, etc. or face the
consequences. Unpleasant consequences. They also
needed more bonding activities. It's obvious in
the email that the girls weren't playing for each
other, but were either playing for themselves; or,
just maybe playing out the season. Like I've said
in other articles, coaches cannot just hope for
responsible behavior and bonding. These behaviors
must be nurtured! 

When a coach sees the rolling snowball getting
bigger and bigger, talking to it and reasoning
with it won't make it stop. A different approach
must be found! 

Avoiding The Horrible Season #2: I Am The Captain
Of My Ship, And I Set It's Course.

Some cows will never stray far from home. Does
that mean you shouldn't build a fence around them
anyway? Of course not.

So regardless of the team, the coach is the boss.
The coach sets the expectations. The coach
dictates how the players meets those expectations.

The coach will decide who comes to practice, who
helps with the team, who visits practice and who
"meddles" with the team. If the coach disagrees
with the club director on those issues, he has to
tell her. Personally, I have been ready for the
past 4 years to say, "I can't coach this team
under these conditions. I will not. If you want me
to coach for this program, I have to be able to do
x, y and z." So far, I haven't had to say it. I
hope that I don't have to. 

I don't show the parents or the players any
attitude during the season, unless it's necessary.
So far in 2008, none has been necessary. But, I
won't have a repeat of 2004. I will not. I refuse.
I am in charge. 

Avoiding The Horrible Season #3: The Pre-Emptive Strike!

That season also made me tough. So tough that I'm
almost like, "Come on. Try it. You'll regret it!"

Most coaches have pre-season meetings where forms
are passed out, parents meet the coach, coach
meets the parents, etc. My meetings now include
these words: "These are the expectations. There
won't be any change. The director has hired me to
do this job, and I know how to do it. This is how
we're handling hotels and travel. This is how
we're handling playing time and practice
attendance. The following behaviors won't be
allowed. Are there any questions?" After about 30
minutes, we're done.

When my 15's team was picked last year, I was told
that several girls had caused the previous coach
fits! (They're doing it again this year as 16's!)
I investigated, asked and called until I found out
what had happened. Yes, I spoke to their 14's
coach, who still hasn't coached club ball since
that experience. When the season started, I was
ready for their tardiness, their back-talking and
their unannounced vacations during our season. I
addressed all the issues they had as 14's at our
opening 15's meeting. The parents and kids who
caused no trouble were overjoyed, yet skeptical.
"Can he do it? No one else has been able to." The
other parents were like, "Oh, oh." Then I say what
I say every year: "If the girls can't live by
these rules, then they're free to call the
director. I'm sure he'll let you quit the team,
and we'll pick up someone who was cut." 

By the way, each and every thing that the girls
did as 14's, they tried with me at 15's. I was
surprised that the families actually had that much
courage (or attitude?), but I was ready! "This is
the consequence for that. Remember? We said it at
the opening meeting. I have a copy of it here. And
I have the copy that you signed. So if you have to
miss the tournament, I'll just enforce what we all
agreed to." After two starters sat out an entire
pool at a tournament, there were no more problems
with anyone. 

But the pre-emptive strikes were the key to a
great season! 

Avoiding The Horrible Season #4: Deal With
Problems Quickly!

The players know your rules. The parents have a
copy of them. The first person who breaks them
gets the consequences immediately. Last year, as
soon as "Cindy" came in late, I looked at my watch
and said, "x laps". She said, "But.....," and I
said, "If you keep talking, another minute will
pass and you'll owe me more." She started running.
Later I whispered to her, "The next time you're
late, I'll give you double laps. Am I clear?" 

It's OK to make an example of the players. It's OK
to scare your players into being team players. No,
I didn't say abuse them, or embarrass them, or
holler or curse at them. I hope that we have the
judgment to know the difference between enforcing
and belittling. 

And I mean give no breaks, not even for the
starters. I'm serious! When I benched those two
girls, the rest of the team was like, "Whoa!" And
their parents couldn't squawk because they knew
the rules. Yet, even with that knowledge and my
pre-emptive strike, they still withheld from me
that they were going on an in-season vacation
until 1 week before they left town. And it wasn't
the vacation that was the problem. We were left
without two starters at a tournament. They had it
all justified in their heads. I wanted none of it.
"Fine, miss that single day tournament with one
week's notice and you'll sit the first day of the
next tournament. Your choice. You heard the rules
at the beginning. If you had told me of this
vacation back in November, we wouldn't have
scheduled that tournament for that weekend." 

Back to the tardy girl above. The next time she
was late was the final practice of the year! She
walked in, dropped her bag, and started running. I
counted her laps. After she ran the normal laps,
she started the double. I told the team what she
was doing. They were amazed and impressed. I was
too. One lap after starting her double, I said,
"Cindy, come here. What are you doing?" "I'm
running double." "No, you're not. Not after being
on time for 4 straight months. Let's start
practicing." I got goose bumps when the team broke
out in a loud cheer. They couldn't believe Cindy
could be on time for that period of time. That
just wasn't Cindy. I cheered with them! Cindy had
accepted that the team was more important than
herself. I don't care how she came to that! Haha
But she did, and her teammates appreciated it! 

Conclusion:

I don't believe I've spend enough time on this
topic. But, like most of my topics (and most
things I talk about in general haha), I have to
stop eventually. 

I asked my wife recently if she ever questioned
herself. She said, "What do you mean?" I said, "Do
you ever analyze your own statements, your own
behaviors, your own actions?" She said, "No." I
said, "I do all the time. And I think it makes me
a better teacher and a better coach. Maybe even a
better husband!" She just stared at me like, "What
are you talking about?" haha 

But I do. I don't like making a mistake once, but
to make it twice is unacceptable. So I plan what
I'm going to say, I fuss at myself for doing
something stupid, I try to plan ahead and consider
all the contingencies. 

If you've had a rough season, you don't have to
have it again! What could you have done
differently? When you discover what you should
have done and should have avoided, then make a
note of them and fix them! If not, you'll be
waiting year after year for the perfect team. And
before you give up coaching, that team may never
come.  I do just the opposite. I expect EVERY
team to be perfect, and am disappointed when
they're not. Right now, I'm working on four teams
that have been so close to perfect, it's just not
normal! Next season, I'm expecting #5! 

-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