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The "Big Match" Game Plan: BE
SMART COACH!
-By Dave Cross
As we reach late October, many teams across the nation are approaching huge,
season-determining matches. As a coach in a situation like this, you have
to be smart, and careful to not "over coach".
In most cases, you have either played your opponent before, or you've at
least scouted them once or maybe even twice.
You know their strengths and weaknesses. You know their tendencies-and of
course, you have to prepare your
team for these.
And many times you will be tempted to try something you've never done before
to counteract what your opponent does, or attack what they can't do.
This is where you need to be smart-and careful.
There is a fine-line between preparing a solid game-plan to win, and over-coaching
and hurting your team's chances.
PREPARING A SOLID GAME PLAN:
Follow these keys in your preparation and you are being "smart":
1. Has you team executed what you want to do
successfully in match conditions before? Or have you had time to throw in
a post-season scrimmage against a quality opponent to work on your strategy?
2. Can you implement your game plan WITHOUT taking away from what your team does well?
Does your game plan keep your players in situations that allow them to execute
their strengths? Or, have you taken away your own teams strengths to matchup
against your opponents strengths? Are your changes going to give up enough
points that it makes your changes a "wash"-even if your team executes your
plan well?
3. Is your team confident in your plan? Are they experienced enough
at implementing changes to their normal
game to do what you want under pressure?
4. And finally, if your plan starts to fail,
are you in a position to adjust back to what you normally do? Or have
you changed your normal approach so much that getting out of your new plan
is impossible until you lose the first
game? And, are you confident that if you do lose game one, that your team
can adjust back and even the match up?
Coaches: Unless you are totally over matched and know you have very
little chance of pulling off the win unless
you do something drastic, stick to your teams strengths and make sure any
adjustments you do implement still give your team the opportunity to do what
has gotten them to this big match.
Making too many changes from what your team does well rarely works, coach.
This is where you really need to be
"smart".
AVOID THESE RED FLAGS OF "OVER COACHING":
1. Changing your base defense to something other that what your players
have been doing well all season. Team defense is all about reading and reacting
aggressively. If you put them in situations they are not familiar with, they
will start thinking too much-and there goes their aggressiveness right out
the window!
2. Making big changes in your offensive plays/alignments.
Executing an offense is all about confidence and timing. If you change or
add too much new stuff you are taking away from what got you to this match.
And again, if they aren't confident, they won't be aggressive, and their
timing will suffer.
3. Putting in a plan your players simply aren't
confident in. If they aren't confident-well, there goes that aggressiveness
again. When was the last time you saw a team win a big match if they weren't
playing aggressively?
4. Implementing anything because you know you
will have to have it in place for the "next opponent" down the road.
What if it hurts you in this match-and you never get to that "next opponent"?
If you don't need it to win now-keep it in "your pocket", unless you really
have the match in hand. And, even in this case, why "tip your hand" to those
scouts in the stands?
Finally: Please, please, please be aware of
your "coaching ego". I can't count how many times I've seen coaches
implement things that would work, IF their players had the ability to execute
them successfully-but it's obvious they
don't.
Seriously, what good does it do to show what "you know", if your team simply
can't execute it? Absolutely NONE!!
Be SMART, coach:
1. Prepare your team to do what they do best,
what they are confident in.
2. Only make adjustments to counteract what your opponent does well
that stay within your own successful scheme.
3. Get your players believing in your plan.
Then go at it, and let the chips fall where they may!
Good Luck!
-Dave Cross
National Director
Yes I Can Volleyball
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