Overcoming Failure As A Middle School Volleyball Coach

My first significant experience of overcoming failure occurred in my second year as a middle school volleyball coach. I became a coach because I wanted to stay involved with the sport and share with others what I learned while playing the sport in a competitive environment.
I had goals for my team. I wanted them to learn that winning is fun but that it does not come easy. I wanted to capitalize on my team members’ skill strengths and improve where they needed help, to form a team that would complement each other and succeed in winning matches. However, I wanted them to understand that skill was not enough to win. Communication and awareness on the court was just as important as physical skills like executing a solid overhand serve, blocking a shot or spiking the ball if you

When I came across girls that refused to listen or try to advance their abilities when I would show them new techniques to pass the ball or serve, I felt I had failed as a coach to teach and encourage improvement in volleyball. I failed at teaching and motivating the girls to achieve a higher level of playing of volleyball. My goal as a coach was to help improve how the girls served and passed the ball to make them better players. I did not meet my goal because some girls did not improve their ability at serving the ball and passing the ball to the target, which were two of the main components I focused on. Their performance did not reflect the work and effort that I had put in to help them improve because they still maintained the same level of playing as the beginning of the season. I realized the goals the girls and I had were conflicting. I wanted them to advance their skills, while they were more interested in being social than trying to do their best athletically. These players chose not the follow through with the drills and adjustments that I had given them to enhance their