Coaches Christmas

Coaches Christmas

Success isn’t a once in awhile thing, it is an all the time thing. A person doesn’t just suddenly become successful it is because they have worked hard to reach that point.  Then they must work hard to maintain that level.  Therefore success is a habit.

I try really hard to get away from volleyball for two days.  I found out a couple years ago that even a short amount of time helps with the excitement of second semester.  Coaching in the Canadian University and College is a unique experience coming from high school.  It is quite an adjustment for a coach as it is for a player.  The idea that you can take two weeks off for a break right in the middle of your season is definitely interesting. 

Taking two days off to forget about volleyball is awesome.  I was able to get to Winnipeg and visit with some friends.  Even though the conversation was about volleyball it was more about the state of the game in Canada and how we think we can improve it. 

The next couple of days were dedicated to recruiting.  At this point of the season we have a decent grasp on what we need to do to improve the team. There are some holes that we need to fill, players that are graduating, or areas that we need depth in.  Some recruits we have been talking with for a couple of years hoping to guide them to Brandon.  Others we will begin talking with.  I usually use the week before Christmas to call the Junior college coaches in Alberta and BC to get their opinion on who is playing well in their league.  I find that every coach including myself is a bit biased to their own player.  When I phone another coach to get an opinion on the different players from other teams it tends to balance it out. 

To me the cold call is the hardest, the first contact with a parent and a player.  I will google the athlete and read as many newspaper articles or information about the players as I can before the first call.  If a player is successful at golf in the summer it helps to start a casual conversation.  I don’t want the first call to be to formal, just a checking the interest type of call.  The follow up ones are easier to develop a bit of a rapport. During this time I also like to guage where are top recruits are at.  Some times at this point we need to scramble to fill.  This year we are fairly young in most positions so we are not so desperate to fill, we can take a bit of a risk on some raw athletes, or maybe try to change an athlete from middle to the outside.

After I finish a couple of days of trying to figure out where we stand, I like to go back and watch our matches, well parts of our matches.  I like to watch each set from 18-finish.  To see what we do during the crunch times of the match.  What should be our focus in the new year.  I am really happy with the result so far.  I really feel as if the team is committed to the program and our identity.  I worry about this time of year, just two weeks is a long time off.  We ask the team to continue with a jumping program and weight training.  We have found that this prevents shin splint issues when we return from break.  The body isn’t prepared for the load of the Christmas tournament.

The last thing I like to do is begin to watch our opposition that we play the second semester.  I sound like a broken record  but we have some big matches coming up.  I really believe that we have enough experience and the right make up that we can make a run deep into the playoffs.  I don’t think we should cancel out a chance at the final four or an appearance at Nationals, but we have to get there first.  So getting a big jump on our oppositions tendancies help.  Just so everyone understands, 2 hours of watching UBCO play on Christmas to wrap up their semester of competition.  We play them Jan 13 and 14^th.  They are a much better team than their record shows.  But I feel we match up well.

So for Christmas I asked for some great recruits and some important wins.  Oh and I bought myself some new shirts and ties.... Merry Christmas everyone.