RANDOM Post 1
There are two huge dilemmas on my club volleyball team that I could use advice on solving. For context, we are a part of a very competitive league, and last year we won nationals -- therefore our coach has very high expectations for us and among the club volleyball community we have a target on our backs. Currently, we are ranked 8th in the nation, which is better than I had expected considering how many setbacks we have encountered throughout the season. I believe that we have a very good shot at winning nationals again if we can clean up our acts and resolve these dilemmas by the end of the semester.
The first dilemma is that we have poor serve-receive and defense: the two fundamentals of passing. For those who are not familiar with the sport, serve-receive involves the back row players on the receiving team passing the serve from the opposing team -- which is meant to be given to the setter, who will set up one of the hitters. Defense refers to the team's efforts to prevent the ball from touching the floor off of the attack of the opposing team. Attacks can come in the form of hits (spikes), dumps from the setter, and miscellaneous over-on-one plays. Passes can be rated 1-3: (1) Passes that are impossible or very difficult for the setter to set, (2) A pass along the ten-foot line of the court, (3) A perfect pass that requires little to no movement from the setter. Our team averages about a 1.5 on passing, which puts a very heavy strain on the setters to set up an effective offense. As one of the setters, this makes it difficult to connect with my hitters, disguise my sets from the opposing blockers, and produce clean sets. I am unsure as to whether my coach should enforce more passing reps in drill form or live gameplay. Also, I know that the passers are nervous about underperforming because expectations for the team are very high and most of them are underclassmen.
The second dilemma is that one of our most senior team members, who also holds a vital position on the team (outside hitter), has an ongoing attitude problem. She has experience playing at a very high caliber in her volleyball career and is having difficulty coming to terms with fighting for a starting position with the other outside hitters. We have three total outside hitters who are all competing for their play time -- who each have their attributes. This player has been showing very obvious signs of poor sportsmanship like not giving high fives, not joining team huddles, and bringing down the overall spirit of the team. She is also notorious for gossiping about the other outside hitters with other players on the team which causes rifts in the team culture. Lastly, she outwardly disrespects our coach about his coaching style, practice structure, gameplay decisions, and experience. We are struggling with trying to address this problem without causing her to have an outburst, quit the team, or worsen her attitude in retaliation.
I have little experience with players/people like this, so any advice or comments would be helpful! Thank you for listening.
The first dilemma is that we have poor serve-receive and defense: the two fundamentals of passing. For those who are not familiar with the sport, serve-receive involves the back row players on the receiving team passing the serve from the opposing team -- which is meant to be given to the setter, who will set up one of the hitters. Defense refers to the team's efforts to prevent the ball from touching the floor off of the attack of the opposing team. Attacks can come in the form of hits (spikes), dumps from the setter, and miscellaneous over-on-one plays. Passes can be rated 1-3: (1) Passes that are impossible or very difficult for the setter to set, (2) A pass along the ten-foot line of the court, (3) A perfect pass that requires little to no movement from the setter. Our team averages about a 1.5 on passing, which puts a very heavy strain on the setters to set up an effective offense. As one of the setters, this makes it difficult to connect with my hitters, disguise my sets from the opposing blockers, and produce clean sets. I am unsure as to whether my coach should enforce more passing reps in drill form or live gameplay. Also, I know that the passers are nervous about underperforming because expectations for the team are very high and most of them are underclassmen.
The second dilemma is that one of our most senior team members, who also holds a vital position on the team (outside hitter), has an ongoing attitude problem. She has experience playing at a very high caliber in her volleyball career and is having difficulty coming to terms with fighting for a starting position with the other outside hitters. We have three total outside hitters who are all competing for their play time -- who each have their attributes. This player has been showing very obvious signs of poor sportsmanship like not giving high fives, not joining team huddles, and bringing down the overall spirit of the team. She is also notorious for gossiping about the other outside hitters with other players on the team which causes rifts in the team culture. Lastly, she outwardly disrespects our coach about his coaching style, practice structure, gameplay decisions, and experience. We are struggling with trying to address this problem without causing her to have an outburst, quit the team, or worsen her attitude in retaliation.
I have little experience with players/people like this, so any advice or comments would be helpful! Thank you for listening.
First, congratulations on your pretty high national rank! Second, I really don't know much about volleyball so I really can't give much input on the first part. I think reassuring the underclassmen that even though the stakes are high, they are good volleyball players and know what to do. Nerves can set in at any moment which is expected but try to ease them into the competitive mindset. Third, I think the difficult teammate needs a direct confrontation. Not an aggressive confrontation but one that allows her to take responsibility for her actions. As a senior member, you are way too old to act unsportsmanlike and she might set a bad example for the underclassmen. Hope things work out for you!
ReplyDeleteYou're facing tough challenges on your volleyball team, but it's impressive that you're still ranked highly despite setbacks. To improve serve-receive and defense, a mix of drills and live play could help, especially to help support nervous underclassmen. Dealing with the senior player's attitude issue delicately is crucial to maintaining team harmony. Consider holding a team meeting where concerns can be expressed respectfully, emphasizing teamwork and respect to encourage a positive change in attitude. Open communication might be the key here. Good luck and hope to see you play one of these days!
ReplyDeleteI can sense that you care a lot about the team and have a strong passion for helping to solve problems. I have some thoughts on your first problem. It seems like you might be putting too much stress and responsibility on yourself that isn't belongs to you. For example, when it comes to drills during practice, I'm sure your coach has a good understanding of what the team needs before making decisions. It took me a while to realize, but as a player, all you can do is offer your observations. At the end of the day, you have to just trust in the decisions made by the coaching staff. Good luck! I hope to see your team play someday!"
ReplyDeleteHi Lauryn,
ReplyDeleteI can tell you care a lot about your team. I used to play football, so while I'm not the most familiar with volleyball, maybe I can offer good advice.
For the first part, it sounds like a chemistry issue. I would say try to connect with your back row players in order to fix this issue. Maybe try practicing with them beyond just regular practice times. Perhaps it would also help to have some team bonding exercises in order to help build more chemistry.
For the second issue, I definitely think it's an issue of that player's personality. This is going to be very difficult to do something about without causing more issues, especially if she's a starter. If she doesn't even listen to the coach, I don't know if speaking with the coach about it would be enough. Perhaps it would be worth it to have a team intervention with her to let her know that everyone believes her attitude is affecting the team. If that doesn't work, then it may honestly be a lost cause, and unfortunately, you may have to try to win nationals with a problematic starter.
Hi Lauryn, thanks for sharing these with us. While I have no experience with sports strategy or coaching a team, I think the fact that you are asking these questions and trying to better your team is the first step in the right direction. I really hope this self reflection paid off
ReplyDelete