What if There Isn't a True Floor Leader?

Anyone who coaches volleyball knows that every team has someone, or more than one person, who are leaders on the floor during matches. What I mean is that person whose energy is positive and contagious and inspires his or her teammates to fight and push themselves to the end. This player is the one that I kind of describe to other coaches as "that kid" you want on the floor all the time. This person doesn't have to be your most skilled player.

So is it possible to have a team where you don't automatically have this person? My answer is yes. Because I just had this happen.

In 2014 I graduated 8 seniors. Several of these girls had been with me on varsity for 3-4 years. So I knew the personality and dynamic of my team for 2015 would change dramatically after losing them. This wasn't necessarily bad because I believe that each team should be unique in its personality. I told them at the beginning of the season that they would need to find their own personality and that's not something I can do for them. It took us a lot longer than I hoped, but we finally did.

I knew the personalities on the team were not going to produce "that kid" overnight. My strategy was to talk to girls individually and have them make small strides in small areas to improve communication and energy on our team. I think this worked along with the girls just spending time together getting to know each other. Once they got to know each other better, they naturally bonded on the court as much as they were bonding off the court.

We had a good season. We finished fourth at our Home School National tournament. It can be done. You can have a successful year when you think your team doesn't have much of a personality. As a coach, you can help foster an environment that helps them develop relationships with each other.

#coachforhisglory