Your Yes I Can VB Gold Gift Message
November 4th, 2009 at 6:28 amA note from Dave:
I've been sitting here trying to think of a
title for today's article from Tom for about
ten minutes now-and everyone that comes to
mind is either too generic or way too politically
incorrect! LOL
Anyways, I sure hope you don't run your practices
like the coach referred to here, and if you do,
please sit down and think about if it truly is
what coaching is supposed to be.
Ok, here's Tom's article:
Coach Houser: My daughter is a freshman and was
selected for the JV team. I’ve been upset this
entire season about how she’s asked to serve to
the starters and shag balls most of every
practice, while participating in the drills
little. So I just couldn’t stand it any longer and
spoke to her coaches today. You won't believe
what they had to say. She said that my daughter
just wasn't where she needed to be. I told them
that if they didn't let her practice she never
would be. And that I know playing time has to be
earned but how can she earn that time if they
don't give her the opportunity. The coach said --
while my daughter was standing there -- that she
didn't see setting in my daughter’s future and
that it would be a waste of the coaches time to
work with her on it. I thought that was what
coaches are supposed to do with them, not a waste
of their time. They said that if she couldn't
pass or move her feet good enough in the initial
drills that they wouldn't put her into full
6-on-6 practices because those drills were
reserved for the ones that would play in the next
game. Also it didn't matter how good she served
at practice because if she couldn't transition
into passing from serving she couldn't serve
either. At least now I know where they stand. My
daughter now feels like she is the one wasting her
time but she doesn't want to give up and quit the
team. She wants to prove to them she can do it.
Dee doesn't want to stop playing volleyball
because she loves it so much, but is afraid that
next year could probably be the same or worse. I
just don't know what to do.
Coach Houser's Reply:
I have one real problem with what the coach is
doing. You’ll see it below in my response to the
mom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello Mom:
My answer to your email has inspired me to write
an article on how coaches should develop EVERYONE
on their team.
I’ve been really surprised that there are coaches
in our Roanoke area who are very highly regarded,
yet do exactly the same thing. They will work with
their starters for 20 or 30 minutes, while the
others -- without an assistant coach around -- are
peppering, shagging, helping, etc. I completely
100% disagree with that philosophy.
Sure, maybe 1% or 2% of the time, the subs should
help; but, if I want shaggers, I'll find
managers. If I want my players to shag and
"service" the starters like housemaids, then I
should have cut them. In my opinion (and the mom
of a my volleyball stepdaughter haha), the
coach's job is not to develop the "best"
players at the expense of the subs. It's to
develop the team.
What if a starter moves? gets hurt? is having a
bad night? is sick? Yes my subs are usually a
little below the starters in the area of skill
and/or athleticism. That’s why they’re subs. But
if I've ignored them, and asked them to service
the starters week after week, then what happens on
those game nights when I need them to contribute
to the team effort? They will play much worse than
they would/could have. And the team effort will
come up short. A coach may respond with, "But
Coach Houser, my starters are the ones that will
win or lose. I can't give 50% of my time to the
bench players and expect my starters to play their
best." No you’re completely wrong.
(a) If your benchees are that weak, then cut them.
"But I need them to service the starters." Then
cut them and find adults, managers, boys,
assistant coaches to service the starters. Team
members are never managers. Managers should never
be team members.
(b) If you develop your subs, then the starters
WILL improve because the subs are pushing them at
practice. You may also discover that a sub is
better than you originally believed. It happened
to me in 1995. More below.
(c) If you don't develop your subs, then do you
realize that you -- yes, YOU -- are putting a rip
in the team fabric. The starters will feel
"anointed," while the subs will feel like their
servants, their little sisters, their ugly
step-sisters, etc. This will prevent bonding, as
you will never hear a starter praising a sub for
anything; because they never see it! And, if your
“maids” are normal kids, they won’t praise the
starters much. They’re hurt. They feel left out.
They don’t feel like part of the team’s success.
They feel like servants.
(d) And if you don't develop the 2nd team
players, then what will you do when sickness,
injury, family emergency, etc. occurs on your
team? Your team will suffer and it's your own
fault.
(e) If you can’t find drills to develop your
entire team, you need to be more creative on
your own. I’ve never had service players, and I
never plan to.
Undeveloped Bench Players: In 2003, I was coaching
at a private school. The starters were so
superior, that not only could the benchees not
push them at practice, but I was never able to get
the bench players close to being able to functions
as starters. I knew one day that the team would
get bitten by this shortcoming in my coaching;
and, on the night when we were 4-4 in the
conference playing a team that was 1-7 and both of
starting OH’s were home sick, we lost 3 straight.
A few of the subs said, “I wish we would have been
better prepared.” I responded, “Me too!” But I
didn’t change anything at future practices. No,
our problem was not that I’d wasted the 2nd
teammers’ time at practice. The problem was they
were so much less skilled, I couldn’t think of
anything to make them competitive with the
starters. So what did I do? I just got very
inventive in creating drills that were handicapped
so the starters would be pushed.
The 2nd Team Girl Who Became A Starter: In 1995,
Mary was a sophomore and a good practice player.
She played on the 2nd team; yet, she received the
exact same coaching as the starters. I didn’t
foresee her getting much playing time. But one
night, when we had a big lead, I put her in back
row right. She did AMAZING! I didn’t realize that
she had so much game. (And if I hadn’t taught her
how to play that position, she would never have
showed me she could!) So the next match, I made
the sub again. She played great again! So she
became a regular right-side DS the rest of the
season and the rest of her career.
No, this is not a testimonial for “Give a kid
chance after chance in game situations!” I’ve
given every kid I’ve ever coached hundreds of
chances at practice. That’s where they earn their
time! (Another reason for the benchees to not be
maids!) And every single one has gotten a few
chances in game situations. The Mary story is the
ONLY time in 25 years that a girl who I had pegged
as a 2nd team player ever actually earned
significant playing time as a starter. Will it
ever happen again? I doubt it. Will I keep giving
my benchees a chance? Yes. And I will keep
preparing them at each and every practice.
Finally, now back to the real issue: Second team
players servicing the starters. If a coach only
wants to develop 7 or 8 girls, then the coach
should cut the rest and offer them manager
positions. But many of coaches don't feel like I
do. I don't know what the percent is, because
I've only been an assistant once, and she agreed
with me. However, with my old club team, I've
walked into practices that are being run by
"quality" coaches, and I have seen the head
coach working with setter and hitters, while their
DS's and Libero just pepper, drink water, pepper,
shag, pepper, bathroom break, etc. I’ve never
understood it. I will never accept it.
-Tom Houser
Director, STAR Volleyball Camps
Author, “I Can’t Wait” Drill Collection and Ebooks
www.coachhouser.com
I've been sitting here trying to think of a
title for today's article from Tom for about
ten minutes now-and everyone that comes to
mind is either too generic or way too politically
incorrect! LOL
Anyways, I sure hope you don't run your practices
like the coach referred to here, and if you do,
please sit down and think about if it truly is
what coaching is supposed to be.
Ok, here's Tom's article:
Coach Houser: My daughter is a freshman and was
selected for the JV team. I’ve been upset this
entire season about how she’s asked to serve to
the starters and shag balls most of every
practice, while participating in the drills
little. So I just couldn’t stand it any longer and
spoke to her coaches today. You won't believe
what they had to say. She said that my daughter
just wasn't where she needed to be. I told them
that if they didn't let her practice she never
would be. And that I know playing time has to be
earned but how can she earn that time if they
don't give her the opportunity. The coach said --
while my daughter was standing there -- that she
didn't see setting in my daughter’s future and
that it would be a waste of the coaches time to
work with her on it. I thought that was what
coaches are supposed to do with them, not a waste
of their time. They said that if she couldn't
pass or move her feet good enough in the initial
drills that they wouldn't put her into full
6-on-6 practices because those drills were
reserved for the ones that would play in the next
game. Also it didn't matter how good she served
at practice because if she couldn't transition
into passing from serving she couldn't serve
either. At least now I know where they stand. My
daughter now feels like she is the one wasting her
time but she doesn't want to give up and quit the
team. She wants to prove to them she can do it.
Dee doesn't want to stop playing volleyball
because she loves it so much, but is afraid that
next year could probably be the same or worse. I
just don't know what to do.
Coach Houser's Reply:
I have one real problem with what the coach is
doing. You’ll see it below in my response to the
mom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello Mom:
My answer to your email has inspired me to write
an article on how coaches should develop EVERYONE
on their team.
I’ve been really surprised that there are coaches
in our Roanoke area who are very highly regarded,
yet do exactly the same thing. They will work with
their starters for 20 or 30 minutes, while the
others -- without an assistant coach around -- are
peppering, shagging, helping, etc. I completely
100% disagree with that philosophy.
Sure, maybe 1% or 2% of the time, the subs should
help; but, if I want shaggers, I'll find
managers. If I want my players to shag and
"service" the starters like housemaids, then I
should have cut them. In my opinion (and the mom
of a my volleyball stepdaughter haha), the
coach's job is not to develop the "best"
players at the expense of the subs. It's to
develop the team.
What if a starter moves? gets hurt? is having a
bad night? is sick? Yes my subs are usually a
little below the starters in the area of skill
and/or athleticism. That’s why they’re subs. But
if I've ignored them, and asked them to service
the starters week after week, then what happens on
those game nights when I need them to contribute
to the team effort? They will play much worse than
they would/could have. And the team effort will
come up short. A coach may respond with, "But
Coach Houser, my starters are the ones that will
win or lose. I can't give 50% of my time to the
bench players and expect my starters to play their
best." No you’re completely wrong.
(a) If your benchees are that weak, then cut them.
"But I need them to service the starters." Then
cut them and find adults, managers, boys,
assistant coaches to service the starters. Team
members are never managers. Managers should never
be team members.
(b) If you develop your subs, then the starters
WILL improve because the subs are pushing them at
practice. You may also discover that a sub is
better than you originally believed. It happened
to me in 1995. More below.
(c) If you don't develop your subs, then do you
realize that you -- yes, YOU -- are putting a rip
in the team fabric. The starters will feel
"anointed," while the subs will feel like their
servants, their little sisters, their ugly
step-sisters, etc. This will prevent bonding, as
you will never hear a starter praising a sub for
anything; because they never see it! And, if your
“maids” are normal kids, they won’t praise the
starters much. They’re hurt. They feel left out.
They don’t feel like part of the team’s success.
They feel like servants.
(d) And if you don't develop the 2nd team
players, then what will you do when sickness,
injury, family emergency, etc. occurs on your
team? Your team will suffer and it's your own
fault.
(e) If you can’t find drills to develop your
entire team, you need to be more creative on
your own. I’ve never had service players, and I
never plan to.
Undeveloped Bench Players: In 2003, I was coaching
at a private school. The starters were so
superior, that not only could the benchees not
push them at practice, but I was never able to get
the bench players close to being able to functions
as starters. I knew one day that the team would
get bitten by this shortcoming in my coaching;
and, on the night when we were 4-4 in the
conference playing a team that was 1-7 and both of
starting OH’s were home sick, we lost 3 straight.
A few of the subs said, “I wish we would have been
better prepared.” I responded, “Me too!” But I
didn’t change anything at future practices. No,
our problem was not that I’d wasted the 2nd
teammers’ time at practice. The problem was they
were so much less skilled, I couldn’t think of
anything to make them competitive with the
starters. So what did I do? I just got very
inventive in creating drills that were handicapped
so the starters would be pushed.
The 2nd Team Girl Who Became A Starter: In 1995,
Mary was a sophomore and a good practice player.
She played on the 2nd team; yet, she received the
exact same coaching as the starters. I didn’t
foresee her getting much playing time. But one
night, when we had a big lead, I put her in back
row right. She did AMAZING! I didn’t realize that
she had so much game. (And if I hadn’t taught her
how to play that position, she would never have
showed me she could!) So the next match, I made
the sub again. She played great again! So she
became a regular right-side DS the rest of the
season and the rest of her career.
No, this is not a testimonial for “Give a kid
chance after chance in game situations!” I’ve
given every kid I’ve ever coached hundreds of
chances at practice. That’s where they earn their
time! (Another reason for the benchees to not be
maids!) And every single one has gotten a few
chances in game situations. The Mary story is the
ONLY time in 25 years that a girl who I had pegged
as a 2nd team player ever actually earned
significant playing time as a starter. Will it
ever happen again? I doubt it. Will I keep giving
my benchees a chance? Yes. And I will keep
preparing them at each and every practice.
Finally, now back to the real issue: Second team
players servicing the starters. If a coach only
wants to develop 7 or 8 girls, then the coach
should cut the rest and offer them manager
positions. But many of coaches don't feel like I
do. I don't know what the percent is, because
I've only been an assistant once, and she agreed
with me. However, with my old club team, I've
walked into practices that are being run by
"quality" coaches, and I have seen the head
coach working with setter and hitters, while their
DS's and Libero just pepper, drink water, pepper,
shag, pepper, bathroom break, etc. I’ve never
understood it. I will never accept it.
-Tom Houser
Director, STAR Volleyball Camps
Author, “I Can’t Wait” Drill Collection and Ebooks
www.coachhouser.com