Why I Love to Coach

There are many things I "love to do"... eat a great breakfast, cuddle with Henry (my cat), shopping, working out at the track on a warm spring day. But one of the things I love to do the most is coach!

I recently read an article from a California high school student on why she loves to play volleyball. She talked about the different skills of the game and how it felt to be able to play so well. I loved the article and thought about how I love to coach. As I began to think about why I love coaching volleyball it really comes back to one thing, I love developing people.

I believe great coaches must sincerely enjoy people and love coaching for the athlete and not themselves. We all gain satisfaction from a job well done and we are all motivated by personal interest but the truly great coaches invest in their athletes and assistant coaches. They develop people because they sincerely like/love people.

I love seeing an athlete developing the muscle skill to control the volleyball in order to execute skills at a high level. Making the perfect pass, running a quick offense, attacking for a point... these are exciting things to see develop. Having your libero aggressively get to the ball and then gracefully pass it to the setter or having your middle blocker read the setter to close the outside block for a point is fun to watch. But even more fun is watching the expression of success on your athletes face, to see them recognize their new skills and abilities and see their confidence grow is just as exciting as winning the big match.

Seeing these young adults come into their own, to see their confidence grow on the court always affects their confidence off the court. When players begin to understand why their integrity is important and that hard work really does pay off is part of the reason I love to coach. But not only do I enjoy developing athletes I also love seeing coaches in the club gain new confidence in their skills. To work along side someone and help in their personal development is really the reason I love to coach.

Over the years there have been many players and coaches that I have positively affected but the truth of the matter is that these people must be accepting to my help and input. People must be "coachable" and when they are great things have happened.

Of course, there are people who have not been "coachable" and closed to any input, reason, or integrity. When these athletes or coaches come across my path I have learned that there is nothing I can do for them. It use to weigh heavy on me that people would behave inappropriately and I would carry their failures (even the ones they did not admit to) for them. But I have learned that there is only so much I can do and I have learned to release those athletes or coaches and move forward with others who are interested in the best that life has to offer. Age has nothing to do with their "coachability", I have meet 13 year old athletes who "get it" and I have meet 40 year old women who can not see reason.

Our job as professional coaches is to see where our athletes and coaches are and accept them wherever they may be. And if they are ready to learn and to develop into the best they can be everyone wins. And if they are not capable of that development you let them go, you do not compromise yourself and you stand firm in your conviction, but you wish them the best and hope someone else can affect their lives for the positive.

Having over 30 years in the sport, 20 as a coach, and 14 as a club director I have learned that personal integrity and character will win every time... and if you can apply that to the development of people then we are authentic to ourselves and others. We develop people and we develop ourselves so that we all become the men and women we were intended to become. That is why I love coaching.