Coach Chijo Podcast
Real conversations about coaching, volleyball, mindset and leadership
Coach Chijo Podcast
What Players Wish Coaches Knew – Isabella's Perspective as a 16U Player - Ep. 3
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What Players Wish Coaches Knew | Isabella’s Perspective as a 16U Player
What do players actually wish coaches understood?
In this episode of the Coach Chijo Podcast, Isabella shares her perspective as a 16U club volleyball player and talks honestly about communication, confidence, mistakes, pressure, and what truly makes a coach impactful.
We talk about:
• How different athletes respond differently to coaching
• What players are thinking after mistakes
• Why communication style matters so much
• How coaches can build trust and confidence
• Things coaches may never hear directly from players
• What athletes really want from their coaches
This episode is a valuable listen for coaches, parents, and athletes who want to better understand the player experience and create stronger relationships within sports.
JUST GO!
What's up, everybody? Welcome to the Coach Chijo podcast. Real conversations about volleyball, coaching, growth, and the journey behind it all. So let's get into it. Just go. So I'm Coach Chijo and I have a guest with me, Isabella.
SPEAKER_00Hi.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so you're a volleyball player. Yes. What age group do you play right now?
SPEAKER_00So for right now, I'm playing for a 16 team.
SPEAKER_01Okay. So you're a sophomore in high school?
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so I really am curious to know what players think about coaches.
SPEAKER_00Okay, well, I mean, to start off, a good coach is always gonna be able to communicate with the player and be able to tell the player what they're doing wrong, but in a certain manner to where they're not forcing it. So for an example, like a coach isn't just gonna go up to a player and tell them you're not good at back row and then just leave it at that. They're gonna explain, like, hey, maybe you can work on this specific area on back row and to help overall like improve your performance. And I feel like that's so valuable in a coach specifically, because that gives the player like self-assurance, like, oh, this coach is gonna be watching what I'm doing and looking for these specific things. I think also another huge thing with coaches is how they interact with the player and not just like parent player, because I know some coaches may act more respectful, like when the parents there, and then different when a player is there. Oh they all have to be respected on all platforms. Same with the player to a coach, like a player also needs to respect their coach as well. So it's also like it's all very mutual, and everyone needs to respect each other and make sure they all have good connections.
SPEAKER_01So you've really thought this through.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. You're very thoughtful about the whole process. And so I just want to ask, you know, if there's one thing out of all this stuff, what makes a good coach?
SPEAKER_00That is a really hard question because there's just so many things to a coach that makes a good coach. Honestly, I feel like communication overall is one of the greatest things that a coach can have with a player and parents. It's just like having a coach that communicates well is way different than having just a coach that communicates.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so if I'm a coach and I'm coaching you, how do you want me to communicate with you? Let's say you mess up big time. Okay, you mess up a play and I want to communicate something to you to help you. How do you want me to communicate with you?
SPEAKER_00I think the first step is getting on the same page of what was done wrong. Okay. Focusing on that, like doing, like seeing what was done wrong specifically in that area, and then the as a coach, you can say like how to fix it in very specific steps, like little tweaks, which I love in your videos. You always give players just little tiny tweaks that overall just change a huge image on how they play, and it overall benefits them, which benefits the coach.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so let's say you're a hitter, you're playing middle blocker, right? I saw you play middle blocker the other day at a power league, and you hit a ball, let's say it goes out past the in line. Okay, so for those of you that are just listening to this, imagine the ball gets hit, it goes deep, out, past the end line. Okay, kind of like a rainbow hit. Okay. And um, so my first thing is I would say you gotta shorten up your first step, or maybe all of them in general, because I think you're overrunning the ball. So take a smaller, shorter first step, and then you can go big on the next two. Or I might say, hey, you gotta, after you block, you gotta get off the net at least to where the 10-foot line is, like that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think that's perfect communication because it specifically addresses like how to fix the problem in a very quick manner and just a short, like little time step. And I honestly think it's also the player's responsibility to apply what the coach is telling them.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so I get this question sometimes. When you coach, do you yell at your players? And I actually say yes. You know what that means? Uh kind of confusing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, a little bit.
SPEAKER_01I actually answered this in an interview for being a coach at a high school, and there was a committee full of students, and they asked me, Well, are you a yeller? Do you yell at your players? And the athletic director's there, everybody's there, 15 people. I said, Absolutely, I do. And I said, A lot of times in games there's a raucous crowd, it's loud, and I want to get your attention, so I do yell the player's name. Like I'll say, Isabella, to get your attention. But then I use hand signals. I have a lot of hand signals and cues and things like that that are maybe one word, but I need to get your attention first. So I need to know is it okay if I'm screaming your name? Because otherwise you can't even hear me. It's so loud.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, honestly, I feel like that is way different than just yelling at a player. Because there's what you're saying is perfectly fine, I think.
SPEAKER_01That's okay.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, of course. Like you need to get the player's attention during a game. Like, yeah, you you're gonna need to yell their name, but I also feel like there's some coaches that will just constantly yell at their players, even like during practices and stuff. Like it's it doesn't make the player feel well, and it overall it shouldn't make the coach feel well.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so how do I find the right balance, right? In practice, I'm all about discipline, structure, practice speed has to be at least game speed or even faster, so that when it gets to the game, it slows down. So my practices are very intense. People ask me, like, how are your practices? They're extremely intense and fast-paced. So sometimes that kind of scares people a little bit, right? Yeah. But I need you to move. And in practice, if if a player's not used to that, like and I start moving you really, really fast, and I say, get going, get going. And one of my big things is just go. Like, how can I relay that to a player without scaring the player?
SPEAKER_00I mean, I overall think it's a connection that the player has with the coach. Like they need to understand each other's boundaries, and the player also needs to be willing to just go.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Like they need to be willing to do it. And also the coach, as a coach, you need to understand where your player's coming from. If they've never played on a club that has like done super fast-paced drills like constantly over and over, then the coach maybe needs to take a slight step back and kind of just reassure the player, but then the player also has to meet the reassurance.
SPEAKER_01Should I just ring bells like right now in the background to get the attention?
SPEAKER_00That might work too.
SPEAKER_01Is this too calming in a practice? Because I want intensity.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean it's definitely.
SPEAKER_01Or should I get it like a gong?
SPEAKER_00Oh goodness. That would be, I mean, that would get their attention for sure.
SPEAKER_01Okay, but that would that freak you out as a player?
SPEAKER_00I would be a little surprised by it, maybe a little intimidated from a gong ringing.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so maybe I won't get a gong. Okay. Um, so now, if you're in practice and I can tell you're struggling a lot, and may I can see it in your face. You're struggling, you don't know what to do. How should I approach you as a player? How do you want to be approached by the coach in a way that can be helpful?
SPEAKER_00I think if I was struggling during a practice and the coach could tell, that's first of all, just a huge thing. Yeah. The coach being able to tell that the player is struggling. And I think the next step for that approach would be the coach coming over and just giving a calm talk with the player and just telling them, like, hey, I know you might be struggling here and here. And then just overall giving them like a like just like a uplifting, like, don't pound them while they're already down. Yeah. As they're already struggling. Don't tell them, like, oh, you're doing this wrong, you're doing this wrong. They know that they're not playing at their best. They understand that. And as a coach, you need to be able to know that your player understands that. So it needs to be very like calming, reassuring, and just a one-on-one talk to get on the same page.
SPEAKER_01Have you ever played with teammates who don't want that kind of approach and they just want the coach to come over and say, hey, so-and-so, get with it. Let's go. And that works.
SPEAKER_00I have played with players like that. I see myself also being kind of one of those players because I'm very competitive, and I think it's different for everyone. Everyone has a different take on coaching, a different take as a player. So it really just depends on that one-on-one connection that the coach has with the player specifically and not as a team. Like every player is going to be different. So the coach needs to understand that.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so let me get this straight. As coaches and maybe coaches listening, I can't just coach the same way with every player. You're telling me at the at the young age of 16 that that does not work.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think every player needs to be have a little different take because everyone takes things differently.
SPEAKER_01Ooh, okay, so that's the takeaway. So when I ask the question, what makes a great coach, or what kind of coach do you want? You're saying the answer could be different with different players on a single team.
SPEAKER_00Yes, of course. Yeah? Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So how do I figure that out?
SPEAKER_00It's just a built-up connection that you have over time. It's not going to be figured out within one open gym or one practice session. Like it's it's an overtime connection that's it's a bond that's built between the player and the coach.
SPEAKER_01Okay, that's good. This is really helpful because sometimes as coaches, we just coach and we think we have a method or a system, but you're saying you're enlightening us grown-up coaches that we can't just do it the same way with everybody.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, you have to be open to change, and the player also has to be open to change as well.
SPEAKER_01Ooh, so the coach has to be open to change. Okay, I'm learning my lesson today from Isabella, 16U volleyball player. This was awesome. Thanks for the time.
SPEAKER_00Of course. Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and sharing and enlightening me as a coach because I always say if I wake up one day and I say I know everything as a coach, I should quit. I need to keep my ears open. So thanks for filling my ears when I open them today.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm glad I could help.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Okay, and as usual, high five to finish it off. Thank you.
SPEAKER_00Thank you.
SPEAKER_01Appreciate you being here today. Keep learning, keep growing. And remember, let's play volleyball because it's fun. And we'll see you in the next episode. Just go.