Coaching Confidence By Brian Swenty
We can’t win every season (as hard as we may try), and that cycle wears you down as a coach (and as a person). You go into each season trying to achieve so much, knowing full well that there are hurdles to overcome in order for that to happen.
“Coaching Confidence” is needed to even have a shot. But how do you develop this in yourself, much less in your athletes?
I have thought about this a lot over my career, and especially over the past 10 days, as our season ended. We finished with a winning record, which felt good, but something was missing.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I believe I do a pretty good job as a coach. In writing this article I was able to assess my overall coaching philosophy, and identified areas for improvement. Here are some suggestions for creating confidence in yourself as a coach:
1) Have a written coaching philosophy. This is the single most important factor in developing confidence. The key word here is ‘written’. It sounds trite, but many do not write it down. Consider such things as: what you believe in, what practices should look like, what you believe people can achieve, how you handle discipline, what inspires you, etc. Take the time to capture what matters to you, in writing, and make sure you:
Edit and be willing to tweak your philosophy at least once a year. I like to do it after the season (see below) – not immediately after, mind you as the ‘wounds’ or ‘joys’ are often still fresh, but after some of the lessons have had an opportunity to marinate a bit. You will find it much easier to make decisions even if you do not have a written policy for every little incident if you have a sound philosophy that embodies who you are and what you believe in. Consider the possibilities of not having a sound teaching foundation upon which to build your career? – a weak foundation will force even the most well-built structures to fail and eventually crumble.
2) Create a vision for your team. This becomes surprisingly clear after writing your philosophy. It is almost as if the seas part to reveal what was always there. Have an idea of where you want you, your coaches, your players, and your team to end up. You can call this a goal, direction, end result – whatever you might like, but you need a focus. This can be to win a championship, to win the district, to not lose more matches than you won the year before – whatever. This process will help determine your purpose, which will in turn help drive your practice planning and daily decision making. Communicating this with your staff, parents, and administrators, and other stakeholders will generate momentum for your vision. If you are in a club, some of this may be dictated for you, but you may still need to make some choices about your direction within the program.
3) Find quotes that represent your philosophy and share them. Again, this may seem trite, but it is important to use powerful words upon which your philosophies are founded. Most of us immediately recognize John Wooden’s words because we knew what he stood for as a person as well as a coach. Find places to share these quotes often with your team such as your gym’s white board (you have one in your gym, right?), social media, classroom (if you are also a teacher), group text messages, journals, etc. I went so far as to write individual 3×5 index cards for my players on away trips (more in part two about how this ties into player motivation). You will find that sharing these quotes inspires you and is a thoughtful reminder when your season hits difficult patches.
Some of my favorites:
“Do not confuse activity with achievement.” ~ John Wooden
“The man who knows how will always have a job. The man who knows why will always be his boss.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
“He who receives ideas from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine receives light without darkening me.” ~ Thomas Jefferson
“No army can withstand the strength of an idea whose time has come.” ~ Victor Hugo
“Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform.” ~ Mark Twain
“Things that hurt, instruct.” ~ Ben Franklin
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” ~ Thomas Edison
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds…” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Caca occurs” ~ John Kessel
4) Be willing to learn, fail, and train ugly – a lot. I made mistakes each day this season (and I’m pretty sure just about all the time), but it wasn’t for lack of trying – I can tell you that for sure. We talk a lot with our athletes about the learning process and how they should be “comfortable with being uncomfortable”. I believe we should take our own advice and communicate this willingness to those around us. If we want our athletes to have confidence in us, they must know that although we have faith in ourselves as coaches, we certainly do not know it all, and are going to fail and learn right along with them. This is easier said than done as you must balance getting athletes to do what you want because you do indeed “know better” a great deal of the time, with creating an environment where those around you can challenge the way things are done in a respectful and productive manner.
There are certainly other important factors in creating confidence in coaches, but these are four of mine (because five would have wasted your time). I learned just as much by writing this as I hope you gain from reading it. My hope is that you will do what I did – either write your coaching
philosophy or tweak your existing one – throw in a dash of meaningful quotes, direction, and “trying just one more time,” then you just might be onto something. I have learned much from two distinct authors in our volleyball world – John Kessel and Terry Pettit. You can tell that they too are learning as their thoughts materialize in front of us. Their work has inspired me to write this – I hope you are inspired as well.
Here is my revised coaching philosophy:
“Winning is a Process – No person or program can be a winner unless they see each step towards winning as an important part of the process. We may not win a match, but the lessons we learn in losing will lead to winning in the future.
I believe strongly in the value of sports and extracurricular activities to teach valuable lessons about life including, but not limited to: teamwork, punctuality, rewards for hard work, personal satisfaction, perseverance, respect for rules, self-esteem, time-management, commitment, and personal responsibility, and most important of all – HAVING FUN!!!
I believe that student-athletes respond better and are motivated by love and respect far more than fear. I strive to treat each person in my care with the same respect I would expect and desire. Fear is a powerful motivator but I believe that the internal will to succeed, reinforced positively by an experienced educator, can overcome fear as a motivator.
I will strive to communicate my vision, purpose, and philosophy to all stakeholders so that we may grow and succeed together. I commit to a willingness to fail and learn just as I ask my athletes to do.” (paragraph in red was added recently)
If you have anything you’d like to add or share, please feel free to contact me at: Email bswenty@yahoo.com – Twitter @bswenty
I’d like to thank Ace for approaching me about writing for his wonderful website and Facebook page. What he has done is nothing short of amazing, and I’m sure all of us can attest to the numerous times where “we heard it first on Volleywood.
About Brian Swenty:
Experience:
2008-Present Vilseck High School Rose Barracks, Vilseck, Germany
Head Coach – Girls’ Varsity Volleyball (64-49 over 6 years)
Finished 2013 Season 4-13 record, 5th place in DoDDS-European DI Volleyball Championships (Large School). Two players selected to All-Region and one selected to All-Europe 1st Team. Raised over $1700 benefitting Breast Cancer Research.
Finished 2012 Season with a 14-6 record, 4th place in DoDDS-European DI Volleyball Championships (Large School Division). One player selected to All-Region and All-Europe 2nd Team.
Finished 2011 Season with 12-8 Record, 4th Place in DoDDS-European DI Volleyball Championships. 2nd Place in Conference. Three players selected to 1st Team All-Region Team, one to 1st Team All-Europe and one to 2nd Team All-Europe. Raised $3,700 benefitting Breast Cancer Research and the Side-Out Foundation.
Assisted John Kessel (USA Volleyball) with US Paralympic Military program presentation at Kleber Kaserne Nov 2011 in Sitting Volleyball. Coordinating competitions with local Warrior Transition Units (WTU) for sitting volleyball.
Finished 2010 Season with 17-3 Record, DoDDS-Europe Division I Champions, Regular Season 2nd Place in Conference, three players selected to All-European Team (2 1st Team, 1 2nd Team) – Anna Muzzy (attending Boise State) named Stars & Stripes Volleyball Player of the Year
for 2010. Raised $1,000 benefitting Breast Cancer Research and the Side-Out Foundation.
Finished 2009 Season with a 10-7 Record, Regular Season 2nd place in Conference, 2nd Place in DoDDS-European DI Volleyball Championships (Large School Division)
Finished 2008 Season with a 15-4 Record, Regular Season 2nd place in Conference, 3rd Place in DoDDS-European DI Volleyball Championships (Large School Division – Smallest and Newest school in Division).
Volleyball Clinician at USAG Vicenza serving EDGE! program and supplementing CYSS via Camp Adventure children in grades K-12 – August 2011 and 2012 with 65 players in attendance.
2008 – Present – A.C.E. Volleyball Club – USAG Grafenwoehr, Germany
Founder and President
4th Year – Attendance – 235 players; Led a team of 26 staff members; coordinated facility usage, managed revenue of nearly $50,000.
Coordinated IMPACT PLUS Training with USA Volleyball (John Kessel – Instructor) with 15 coaches in attendance
Held 1st Club Clinic offered Europe-wide with 74 players in attendance. Camp attendance in 2011 (2nd year – DoDDS Sanctioned) was over 160, 3rd year 175.
Served players in the Bavaria region with 27 players in two age divisions in our first year
Instrumental in numerous DoDDS student athletes playing volleyball at collegiate level in NCAA
DI, DII, DII, as well as NAIA and Junior College.
2011-2013 – SV Grafenwoehr, Grafenwoehr, Germany
Asst. Coach – Damen 1 (Women’s 1st Team) – Bezirksliga Frauen (District League – Oberfalz)
Player – Herren 1 (Men’s Team) – Bezirksliga Männer (District League – Oberfalz)
2007 – 2008 – Korea Volleyball Club – Osan Air Base, South Korea
Co-Founder and Head Coach – Korea Volleyball Club (An AAU affiliate)
Sponsored a Clinician from Puerto Rico to host camps Summer 2007 with over 65 students in attendance
Education, Awards, and Certifications:
Coached and Played with two teams from High School on base Intramural Teams 2003-2008 Osan American High School Osan, South Korea Head Coach – Girls’ Varsity Volleyball
Finished 2007 Season with 23-6 overall record, Regular Season 3rd Place KAIAC, KAIAC Tourney 3rd place, Class A Far East Champions (Repeated as Champions in 2008 in my absence)
Finished 2006 Season – 21-23 overall record, Regular Season 3rd, KAIAC tournament 4th, Far East 4th (Highest Placing DoDDS Pacific / DDESS Guam School in tournament)
Finished 2005 Season – with 19-15 overall record, Regular Season Season 4th, KAIAC tournament 5th, Far East 5th
Finished 2004 Season with a 21-13 overall record, Regular Season 4th and KAIAC tournament 4th Far East 4th
Finished 2003 Season with a 10-11 overall record, Regular Season 5th and KAIAC Tournament 5th, Far East 7th
2004 – 2008 Osan American High School Osan, South Korea
Head Coach – MS Intramural Volleyball
Responsible for the development of MS volleyball program and players.
Expanded program to include hosting two tournaments (one in 2007 and 2008) 2003 – 2008 Osan Men’s Varsity Club Volleyball Osan, South Korea
Player, Associate Head Coach, Head Coach 2005-2008
Played and assisted in the administration of the Varsity Club Volleyball team on Osan AB in addition to taking on responsibilities in Fall of 2005
1994 – 1998 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
Played in club and intramurals at a Div. I-A university
walked on to Division IA Football Program – Defensive Tackle
1990 – 1994 Balboa High School (DoDDS) Canal Zone, Panama
Player / Captain
Captain of Boys’ Varsity Volleyball Team – 2yrs
4 year Varsity Volleyball Letterman; also Lettered in Football (Captain Junior and Senior Years) 4 yrs, Tennis – 3 years, Swimming 1 year
USA Volleyball CAP II (Coaching Accreditation Program) Accredited Coach
IMPACT PLUS (John Kessel – Instructor)
NFHS First Aid for Coaches, Concussion in Sports, Heat Illness Prevention, and Creating a Safe and Respectful Environment
CPR – Adult, Child, and Infant – Completed August 2010
Completion of Principles of Coaching from ASEP (American Sport Education Program)
Plyometrics and Conditioning course (3 times) with James Radcliffe – Head Strength and Conditioning
Coach – University of Oregon – also assisted with marketing and promotion of additional trainings
Fly Solo Program for High School Coaches – NSCA – with Boyd Epley – July 2010
Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction – University of Phoenix – June 2008
Bachelor of Arts – Texas Tech University – Dec 1998
KAIAC (Korean American Interscholastic Activities Conference) Coach of the Year for 2007 Season
Member – American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) as well as First Time AVCA Convention
Attendees committee – Attended Convention 2010 and 2011
Member – National Strength and Conditioning Associate (NSCA)
6 time winner of AVCA Team Academic Award with Team GPA of 3.3 and above for entire team for the entire academic year with two different high schools
Additional References Available Upon Request