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"No Surprises"
-By Dave Cross
If you are fortunate enough to still be alive in your state tourney run,
you must admit it's a very exciting time,
isn't it?
Hey coach, you think you're excited?
Just stop for a moment and think about how excited your players and parents
are!
And because of this, you've got an "extra job" on your
plate you MUST pay attention to:
Please, please, please talk with your players and parents and make sure they
understand that
on match day, there are to be NO SURPRISES!!
What I mean is that you must keep your team in their "normal match day routine"-no matter what is at
stake that day.
I learned this long ago from our now retired State Hall of Fame softball
coach at my school, Dave Leffew.
He told me of going to the state semi-final game one time, only to find that
his pitcher had decided
to do her hair "special" for the big game.
Guess what? She was so concerned with how great her hair looked that
she forgot to focus on her job.
The result? She got rocked by a team she normally would have shut down-and
the dream season came
to abrupt halt prematurely.
You see, whenever your players change how they prepare
for a match, it changes their focus.
There is too much focus on THE CHANGE- and how people are reacting to it-and
thus, not enough
focus on their execution.
One time we had a big home match to determine the conference championship-and
even though I
had mentioned the "No Surprises" idea to them, my seniors thought it would
be cool to come out
for the match wearing glitter.
Great! Of course, I never noticed this until the official pointed it
out at the coin flip.
And, as you know, glitter is ILLEGAL!
Man, we had to do some scrambling to get that crap off of them the best we
could. And, having to
do this disrupted our pre-match routine and we didn't play very well at all
in the early parts of the match.
Thankfully, we pulled it out-but boy, did they ever get a lecture after that
one-and it never happened
again. Ever. As long as I coached there.
As I mentioned above, you also need to make sure your
parents understand and go along with you on this.
Nothing new. No "extra time" talking to parents before the match.
No new bows for their hair, no special
shoelaces. NO NEW ANYTHING!
Think about it coach, why do you think "Senior Night"
is always an adventure in playing below par?
It's all the pomp and circumstance involved with the pre-game that normally
isn't there, that's why!
Just sit your kids down and explain to them that they must prepare for the
match the same way they have
prepared for every match before-the ones they have won to give them the opportunity
to play in this one!
And then get the word to the parents too-in no uncertain
terms. They want their kids to play well, too.
And when they think about what their "big plans" may do to the players focus-they'll
hop right on board with you.
Now sure, the school may do a pep rally. Or, you may need to feed them
if you have a long trip to play.
Just make sure the meal is well enough in advance of match time to digest-and
control what and how much
they can eat.
These things are far enough away from match time that you'll be ok.
But once you get to the site-it's business as usual.
Pay attention to this coach-trust me, it's crucial
to your team's performance. They are already more excited than
normal, and you need to make sure you keep them as
focused on the job ahead as possible.
NO SURPRISES!
Good Luck!
-Dave Cross
National Director
Yes I Can Volleyball
P.S. If your team is done already, I am sorry
to bring up a point that's probably going to make your stomach turn,
thinking about what "could have been". Just file
this one away until you do "get to the big time again". You'll
be
glad you did-and in the long run-so will everyone involved with your program.
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