Life of a Jr. High Coach
WEEK 1- 6.5 HOURS
This was the first week we could officially start having practices. It was only a three day week since it started on a Thursday. On the first day we got to know one another and everyone introduced themselves. Also at the end of practice we had a parent meeting so that the parents could fill out all the required paperwork and ask any questions that they may have had. The coaches also passed out the practice schedule for the season and a list of all of our games. For the rest of the week at practice the girls just conditioned so that they could get in shape to start learning the basics of volleyball.
WEEK 2- 14.5 HOURS
During this week we kept conditioning for at least a little over half of the practice time. We then started to introduce the basics of volleyball and teach the girls the proper techniques that they were going to use. There was some scheduling conflicts with other activities that were happening in the school. As coaches we took the initiative to go and talk to the girls other advisers and trying to work out times to where the girls could attend both activities and not be penalized for missing some of the activity. This worked out just fine because the other advisors were very willing to work with the girls and their scheduling conflicts.
WEEK 3- 16 HOURS
This week was when we really started to get into the drills of volleyball. The main focus this week was being able to pass the ball to the setter. All the drills we did this week all included some form of passing and even in conditioning we implemented the proper form so that they had it in their brains what was right. Also during this week, I took the girls who wanted to set for their team and had them come in a half hour earlier and we would work on setting drills. I took this as my responsibility because that was my role when I played volleyball.
WEEK 4- 14 HOURS
The last full week of practices before the games started. This week was focused on the girls positions for the season. We talked about how you rotate or how you switch spots with someone. This week was a little frustrating to some of the girls because this was their first time ever playing so they had a lot to remember in a little time. Towards the end of this week the girls got better and were more comfortable with what they were doing. They always asked questions when they were unsure and were always very attentive and very eager to learn.
WEEK 5- 13 HOURS
First week of games. On Monday the day before our first game, the girls got to decide how they wanted to run out and then we got to discuss how we were going to warm up before our game began. We also reviewed the positions and the girls got to ask all their questions that they were nervous about. Next it was game day, the first home game of the season. Not many had faith in my team, because they were younger and six out of eight of the players had never played volleyball a day in their life. In the locker room before the game I had asked the girls if they were nervous of scared most of the answers, "YES!" We then talked about how we had nothing to be nervous about. It wasn't all about winning its about improving and getting better and making your teammates better and then we could focus on winning. We came out and played in our first game, yes it was a little rocky at the beginning but we pushed through and came out with our first victory. Beating the other team 25- 13 and 25-7. After the game we went back to the locker room and had another talk and I said, "Do we have anything to be nervous about now knowing that we can win?" and with that they all answered, "no" and had smiles on their faces and were ready to accept the challenge of any team they were about to face. Our second game of the week was also at home and our team was ready to battle. After their first win they were more confident in themselves. They beat their second opponent of the season 25-12 and 25-17.
WEEK 6- 15 HOURS
This week for practice we focused on working on how to cover. It was a little hard because Jr. High teams normally do not have three hits every time, but we at least tried to grasp the concept. Our first game of the week, kind of came easy for us we won 25-9 and 25-8. We had one of our players on the team score 20 points for both games with just her serve alone.
Our next game was against a team who everyone thought was going to cream us and we would not stand a chance. Not very many had faith in us all season considering no one had really played volleyball before. For this game the girls were really nervous because they all heard that this team was supposedly really good. At our pre-game talk I told the girls to just go out their and give it their all and we will have nothing to worry about. Well the first game got under way and it was a constant battle of back and forth back and forth. We then finally towards then got a few good hits and serves in and were able to pull away and take game 25-13. The next game was a different story, it started out the same way as the first game and then the other team slowly began to pull away and beat us 25-14. This meant we had to go into a third game. The crowds for both teams were on their feet cheering both teams on as they headed back out to start the third and final game of the night. This game started off not so good for our team, we were down 3-8 and I had to call a timeout to get the girls focused and tell them that if they were confident in themselves and hustled they could come out on top. After a few more points, we finally got on a run and scored nine points in a row which made the other team call a timeout with the score being us 15 and them 11. We then went on a few more points to were the score was 16-15 them, but our hard server was up next so they called another timeout. WE only scored a couple of points and then we battled some more, we ended up winning 25-20.
WEEK 7- 16 HOURS
This week was a long week. We played three games this week, in which rewarded them no weekend practice. This week proved to them that all of that conditioning was done for a reason so that they could survive playing three games in a week. The first two games went by with no problems winning 25-15 and 25-15 for the first game, the second game was 25-11 and 25-20. For the third game that week we had to change up the line up due to one of the girls on the team having to go to the fair to show her animals. So Wednesday the day before the game our whole practice was focused on changing the line up and learning to play different positions. Thursday's game came and of course everyone's nerves were back up because it was something new. I told them to go out and play just like any other game and we will have nothing to worry about. We ended up winning that game also 25-6 and 25-18.
WEEK 8- 12 HOURS
This week was a not so big of a week because we only had to play one game this week. This week also began round two of playing the teams. So for practice this week we focused more on getting a pass, set, and hit. This was a priority so that the game could become more interesting and we could have more fun. For some reason it seemed to always go as planned in practice but come game time we went right back to our old ways. Game time rolled around and we won another game 26-24 and 25-17.
WEEK 9- 15 HOURS
This week we decided that we needed to go back to the basics and focus on serving and passing. As for practices this week we served for quiet awhile and worked on technique and then for passing we did every passing drill that we could think of. Those two aspects of the game are key...yes maybe not the most exciting, but the most important!! As for our games this week we had two. The first game came and we won 25-4 and 25-8. The second game came and we had to battle hard to pull out the win but we did it in 3 matches. The scores were 25-17, 22-25, and 25-17. This game had everyone nervous because we had come so far and were undefeated and no one wanted to lose.
WEEK 10- 15.5 HOURS
This week was another busy week. Another week of having three games. The first game did not turn out like all of the other games have. We took our first lost in this week and it was hard. The girls had heard how good this other team was and already had it in their head that they were going to lose and guess what it proved to be true, we lost not because the other team was great but because we beat ourselves. We lost 19-25 and 13-25. I think it was good for us to experience losing, but losing is not something you want to happen after being undefeated for over half the season. After this we recollected and came out and won the next two games of the week. The second game it took three matches to pull out the win but we did it. We won 26-24, 22-25, and 25-23. After fighting hard for our first two games the third game came as a breeze and we took home another W by winning 25-7 and 25-13.
WEEK 11- 13 HOURS
The last week of regular season has finally approached us. Only one game left to go before the season ended and tournaments started. Of course the last one couldn't come easy, we had to fight for it. The game went into 3 matches again, but we came out on top once again. Scores were 25-22, 12-25, and 25-12. Ending on a strong note, I knew we were ready to fight in tournaments. Going into tournaments we ended up being ranked the number one seed which meant we had a bye game for the first round which meant we did not play in the first day of tournaments.
WEEK 12- 5 HOURS
Only one day to prove what we were and what we had worked so hard for. The tournament was all day on Monday. We had the first game of the night. Everyone was nervous because it was tournaments and the team we were playing was tough. My advice for the night was, "Leave it all out on the court." We went out and played the best we probably played all year and took win number one of the tournaments for us. We won 25-10 and 25-19. We then had to sit a game and wait to see who our opponent was going to be for the championship game. It was finally time to play in the championship game. We came out strong in the first match and won 25-10. The start of the second match began and we somewhere between switching sides of the court we lost everything that we had learned throughout the whole season and fell 0-25. After that we had to recollect and become refocused and go out and win the third match. Unfortunately we were unable to do so. We fell the third match 14-25. We ended up Runner-up champions!!
As heartbreaking as it was, I was so proud of the team that I had. They had great sportsmanship, were well behaved, very coachable, very eager to win, and they made my first year of coaching one that will be unforgettable. The memories that were made this season are ones that will remain with me my whole coaching career. Spending a total of 155.5 hours with girls was amazing and I wouldn't have changed this experience for any other opportunity in the world. Attached is my time sheet to see how many hours I put in everyday.
This was the first week we could officially start having practices. It was only a three day week since it started on a Thursday. On the first day we got to know one another and everyone introduced themselves. Also at the end of practice we had a parent meeting so that the parents could fill out all the required paperwork and ask any questions that they may have had. The coaches also passed out the practice schedule for the season and a list of all of our games. For the rest of the week at practice the girls just conditioned so that they could get in shape to start learning the basics of volleyball.
WEEK 2- 14.5 HOURS
During this week we kept conditioning for at least a little over half of the practice time. We then started to introduce the basics of volleyball and teach the girls the proper techniques that they were going to use. There was some scheduling conflicts with other activities that were happening in the school. As coaches we took the initiative to go and talk to the girls other advisers and trying to work out times to where the girls could attend both activities and not be penalized for missing some of the activity. This worked out just fine because the other advisors were very willing to work with the girls and their scheduling conflicts.
WEEK 3- 16 HOURS
This week was when we really started to get into the drills of volleyball. The main focus this week was being able to pass the ball to the setter. All the drills we did this week all included some form of passing and even in conditioning we implemented the proper form so that they had it in their brains what was right. Also during this week, I took the girls who wanted to set for their team and had them come in a half hour earlier and we would work on setting drills. I took this as my responsibility because that was my role when I played volleyball.
WEEK 4- 14 HOURS
The last full week of practices before the games started. This week was focused on the girls positions for the season. We talked about how you rotate or how you switch spots with someone. This week was a little frustrating to some of the girls because this was their first time ever playing so they had a lot to remember in a little time. Towards the end of this week the girls got better and were more comfortable with what they were doing. They always asked questions when they were unsure and were always very attentive and very eager to learn.
WEEK 5- 13 HOURS
First week of games. On Monday the day before our first game, the girls got to decide how they wanted to run out and then we got to discuss how we were going to warm up before our game began. We also reviewed the positions and the girls got to ask all their questions that they were nervous about. Next it was game day, the first home game of the season. Not many had faith in my team, because they were younger and six out of eight of the players had never played volleyball a day in their life. In the locker room before the game I had asked the girls if they were nervous of scared most of the answers, "YES!" We then talked about how we had nothing to be nervous about. It wasn't all about winning its about improving and getting better and making your teammates better and then we could focus on winning. We came out and played in our first game, yes it was a little rocky at the beginning but we pushed through and came out with our first victory. Beating the other team 25- 13 and 25-7. After the game we went back to the locker room and had another talk and I said, "Do we have anything to be nervous about now knowing that we can win?" and with that they all answered, "no" and had smiles on their faces and were ready to accept the challenge of any team they were about to face. Our second game of the week was also at home and our team was ready to battle. After their first win they were more confident in themselves. They beat their second opponent of the season 25-12 and 25-17.
WEEK 6- 15 HOURS
This week for practice we focused on working on how to cover. It was a little hard because Jr. High teams normally do not have three hits every time, but we at least tried to grasp the concept. Our first game of the week, kind of came easy for us we won 25-9 and 25-8. We had one of our players on the team score 20 points for both games with just her serve alone.
Our next game was against a team who everyone thought was going to cream us and we would not stand a chance. Not very many had faith in us all season considering no one had really played volleyball before. For this game the girls were really nervous because they all heard that this team was supposedly really good. At our pre-game talk I told the girls to just go out their and give it their all and we will have nothing to worry about. Well the first game got under way and it was a constant battle of back and forth back and forth. We then finally towards then got a few good hits and serves in and were able to pull away and take game 25-13. The next game was a different story, it started out the same way as the first game and then the other team slowly began to pull away and beat us 25-14. This meant we had to go into a third game. The crowds for both teams were on their feet cheering both teams on as they headed back out to start the third and final game of the night. This game started off not so good for our team, we were down 3-8 and I had to call a timeout to get the girls focused and tell them that if they were confident in themselves and hustled they could come out on top. After a few more points, we finally got on a run and scored nine points in a row which made the other team call a timeout with the score being us 15 and them 11. We then went on a few more points to were the score was 16-15 them, but our hard server was up next so they called another timeout. WE only scored a couple of points and then we battled some more, we ended up winning 25-20.
WEEK 7- 16 HOURS
This week was a long week. We played three games this week, in which rewarded them no weekend practice. This week proved to them that all of that conditioning was done for a reason so that they could survive playing three games in a week. The first two games went by with no problems winning 25-15 and 25-15 for the first game, the second game was 25-11 and 25-20. For the third game that week we had to change up the line up due to one of the girls on the team having to go to the fair to show her animals. So Wednesday the day before the game our whole practice was focused on changing the line up and learning to play different positions. Thursday's game came and of course everyone's nerves were back up because it was something new. I told them to go out and play just like any other game and we will have nothing to worry about. We ended up winning that game also 25-6 and 25-18.
WEEK 8- 12 HOURS
This week was a not so big of a week because we only had to play one game this week. This week also began round two of playing the teams. So for practice this week we focused more on getting a pass, set, and hit. This was a priority so that the game could become more interesting and we could have more fun. For some reason it seemed to always go as planned in practice but come game time we went right back to our old ways. Game time rolled around and we won another game 26-24 and 25-17.
WEEK 9- 15 HOURS
This week we decided that we needed to go back to the basics and focus on serving and passing. As for practices this week we served for quiet awhile and worked on technique and then for passing we did every passing drill that we could think of. Those two aspects of the game are key...yes maybe not the most exciting, but the most important!! As for our games this week we had two. The first game came and we won 25-4 and 25-8. The second game came and we had to battle hard to pull out the win but we did it in 3 matches. The scores were 25-17, 22-25, and 25-17. This game had everyone nervous because we had come so far and were undefeated and no one wanted to lose.
WEEK 10- 15.5 HOURS
This week was another busy week. Another week of having three games. The first game did not turn out like all of the other games have. We took our first lost in this week and it was hard. The girls had heard how good this other team was and already had it in their head that they were going to lose and guess what it proved to be true, we lost not because the other team was great but because we beat ourselves. We lost 19-25 and 13-25. I think it was good for us to experience losing, but losing is not something you want to happen after being undefeated for over half the season. After this we recollected and came out and won the next two games of the week. The second game it took three matches to pull out the win but we did it. We won 26-24, 22-25, and 25-23. After fighting hard for our first two games the third game came as a breeze and we took home another W by winning 25-7 and 25-13.
WEEK 11- 13 HOURS
The last week of regular season has finally approached us. Only one game left to go before the season ended and tournaments started. Of course the last one couldn't come easy, we had to fight for it. The game went into 3 matches again, but we came out on top once again. Scores were 25-22, 12-25, and 25-12. Ending on a strong note, I knew we were ready to fight in tournaments. Going into tournaments we ended up being ranked the number one seed which meant we had a bye game for the first round which meant we did not play in the first day of tournaments.
WEEK 12- 5 HOURS
Only one day to prove what we were and what we had worked so hard for. The tournament was all day on Monday. We had the first game of the night. Everyone was nervous because it was tournaments and the team we were playing was tough. My advice for the night was, "Leave it all out on the court." We went out and played the best we probably played all year and took win number one of the tournaments for us. We won 25-10 and 25-19. We then had to sit a game and wait to see who our opponent was going to be for the championship game. It was finally time to play in the championship game. We came out strong in the first match and won 25-10. The start of the second match began and we somewhere between switching sides of the court we lost everything that we had learned throughout the whole season and fell 0-25. After that we had to recollect and become refocused and go out and win the third match. Unfortunately we were unable to do so. We fell the third match 14-25. We ended up Runner-up champions!!
As heartbreaking as it was, I was so proud of the team that I had. They had great sportsmanship, were well behaved, very coachable, very eager to win, and they made my first year of coaching one that will be unforgettable. The memories that were made this season are ones that will remain with me my whole coaching career. Spending a total of 155.5 hours with girls was amazing and I wouldn't have changed this experience for any other opportunity in the world. Attached is my time sheet to see how many hours I put in everyday.
new_internship_time_sheet.doc | |
File Size: | 47 kb |
File Type: | doc |