Mental toughness and emotional stability are important aspects of being a volleyball athlete. Volleyball is a fast-paced game of momentum. In order to better manage the game from a coaching standpoint, teach your players to manage their emotions more effectively on the court. This begins with modeling the behavior you want your players to display.
Here are four tips to teach and develop emotional stability and mental toughness on the volleyball court
Create an environment that encourages athletes to not fear failure
Athletes learn by failing. Punishing failure will result in the athlete being afraid to fail. Teach athletes how to respond to failure. Create an exploratorium and avoid physical punishment for mistakes.
Don’t ride the emotional roller coaster
The momentum of the game can change in an instant. The energy and emotional stability of the coach on the sideline or in a timeout can directly effect the emotional stability of the players on the court. Provide constructive feedback rather than an emotional reaction to a mistake. Avoid pulling a player immediately after a mistake, as that can create emotional instability in the players remaining on the court. Move on to the next play.
Emphasize awareness of body language
70% of communication is nonverbal communication through body language. Teach young players to be aware of the negative body language that communicates directly with their teammates and the opponents, such as eye rolling, or looking at the ceiling or the floor after a mistake. Train your athletes to respond to mistakes by moving on to the next play and connecting with their teammates in a positive way before the next serve. In the words of Ted Lasso: “Be a goldfish”, implying that moving on from mistakes and not dwelling on them is key to happiness and success.
Encourage positive self talk
An important part of coaching is believing in your athletes, even when they may not believe in themselves. Infect your team with positivity, it’s contagious! Develop athletes to have a growth mindset, where they believe that their abilities on the court can be developed through effort and learning.
Emotional stability is not only valuable on the volleyball court, but in everyday life, after youth sports. These four tips will help your athletes develop as a volleyball player, as well as a human being. Continue to pour into your athletes emotional wellbeing. They will thank you for it!
View more volleyball game management resources. View more mental training resources.
Ethos Volleyball Club (Nashville, TN) is a member of the Junior Volleyball Association, an organization committed to enhancing the junior volleyball experience for club directors, coaches, players, and fans.
