Coaching Goals - Role Playing as Coach

Melrose Volleyball, 2022, Division 2 Final Four

Role playing is a psychological convention where you put yourself in another person's position. Imagine that you are the adult and your parent is the child. Or imagine that you are the coach and the coach is the player. What messages might you want to send?

A blog reader sent me a line about the blog's messages:

1) Be a good team player.

2) Do what is best for the team.

Coach Scott Celli explicitly sends a message at each breakup dinner that he will always do what's in the best interest of the team. That's an age-old adage crafted by UCLA Coach John Wooden whose teams won nine NCAA basketball titles in ten seasons.

What are coaches seeking and how? 

• Impact winning. Nobody seeks failure. Every activity should impact winning by teaching offense, defense, skill, resilience, and competition.
• Add value. Become a better person and player. The blog post on Steph Curry illustrates what Curry thought of his Davidson Coach Bob McKillop. How you do anything is how you do everything.
• Build skill. "Every day is player development day." Coaches seek growth to the 'asymptote of excellence'. 
• Teach life lessons including teamwork, sportsmanship, resilience, sacrifice, and more. Cherish the time you spend with teammates.
• Stay hungry and humble. Coach Sonny Lane taught us over fifty years ago,  "be pleased but not satisfied." 
• Have fun. 

When you have a great process, the results take care of themselves.