I think I have some ideas on coaching, but listen, coaches work harder than players. The hours they put in, the headaches that they have. That's the one thing I've never liked about coaching. They have all the emotion, passion and preparation without actually getting to be able to dictate what happens.
I never had anything planned, like, 'When I'm 40 I'll be coaching here.' A number of people in our profession have done that, but my thing was always, wherever I was coaching, to work hard, do the best you can, and if it happens, it happens.
If you are getting into coaching right out of college, you're not one of the coaches because you're not really, like, a coach yet. You're someone who's in limbo all the time. Navigating that is not easy. If you try to be too much like a player, then the coaches are like, You're not too serious about coaching. If you're going to be too much like a coach, the players are not going to confide in anything.
I've never recommended anybody go into coaching, 'cause if they have enough on the ball, if they can do without coaching, they should do without it. If they put as much work into it and
spend as much time, the rewards are going to be much better in something else.
Coaching is about finding a system that works for your players. There are some underlying principles which are applied in any coaching situation but it's about picking the lock to get this group of players to play the best volleyball they're capable of playing for a long period of time.
What you realize is when you have an environment and an atmosphere like we had at Marist, where guys cared about each other, the coaches were great teachers and communicators, whether it's high school, college or pro, I think coaching is coaching.
I learnt a lot about coaching from observing other coaches. I would recommend that they attend coaching courses and coach development opportunities wherever possible
I don't think, in international cricket, there is a need for coaching. The real coaching is to recognise your players' strengths and weaknesses. You always remain positive with your players.
I tell young players who want to be coaches, who think they can put up with all the headaches and heartaches, can you live without it? If you can live without it, don't get in it.
Every era of coaches has their own set of problems and challenges. Today's player is different, but some things about them are better than they were in the past. I don't think coaching today's players is any tougher. I think we're a little too hard on the current day player because he's different.
Really, coaching is simplicity. It's getting players to play better than they think that they can.
Regarding my coaching philosophy, I think it is important to adapt to the team/players and the culture in the country where you are coaching, but to keep possession is a key issue wherever you are.
Coaches understand that pressure is part of the rush of coaching. The challenge of trying to outplay your opponent is part of the fun, the adrenaline, the preparation, seeing your team evolve. It's why coaches become coaches.
I've had a couple of people - prominent coaches - walk into an office, shut the door and say, 'What's it like, not coaching?' They're scared. They're scared not to have that. And I'll tell them, 'You know, it's different. You're not going to replace coaching. But there's some normality that's out there, and that's also kind of refreshing.'
In the end, it's about the teaching, and what I always loved about coaching was the practices. Not the games, not the tournaments, not the alumni stuff. But teaching the players during practice was what coaching was all about to me.
I went into coaching never worrying about what I was coaching for other than trying to make sure that I can prepare my team, select my team, have an amazing staff around me.
Coaching to me is correcting mistakes and trying to get your players to think. If raising your voice occasionally gets them to think better, then that's called coaching.