During a recent coaching workshop, I had the valuable opportunity to discuss coaching with others from various levels, from youth teams to Japan’s top leagues. The experience prompted me to re-examine my approach to coaching in the youth category.
While “philosophy” might sound too grand, I want to share my coaching philosophy for youth volleyball.
Coaching, Not Teaching
It might seem obvious, but I want to clarify the difference between teaching and coaching.
I see teaching as a transfer of knowledge from someone who has it to someone who doesn’t. This implies a hierarchical relationship, where the person with knowledge is “above” the one without.
In contrast, I see coaching as the act of guiding a player toward a destination they want to reach. The coach supports their journey. This relationship is not hierarchical; it’s a neutral partnership.
Since most of the players I work with are beginners with less than a year of experience, I often feel the need to “teach” them basic skills. However, instead of explaining everything from A to Z, I teach the bare minimum and let the players try it for themselves.
I want them to experience everything, including both success and failure. I believe players learn the most from these experiences. After they try something, I ask them questions about what they noticed, felt, and understood. Even if they struggle to put it into words at first, they eventually learn to express their thoughts. This process helps them develop the ability to think for themselves and grow on their own.
Learn from the Game, Not from the Coach
Many coaches believe that beginners can’t play a game, but with some creativity, they absolutely can. And there is so much to learn from a game—perhaps even more than what they can learn from a coach. Some lessons can only be learned through gameplay.
Even though many of my players haven’t fully mastered the basics, I make sure to dedicate about an hour of our two-hour practice to game-like drills. While repetition is essential for acquiring fundamental techniques, I believe it’s equally crucial to help players transfer those techniques into real-game skills.
It’s a common problem in Japanese coaching where players can perform a skill in practice but can’t apply it in a game. For example, a player might have a solid spike in a controlled drill (where I set a ball at a consistent height), but as soon as we move to a game-like drill, they can’t spike effectively at all.
This is a classic case of having the technique but not the skill. Game-like practice is indispensable for bridging that gap. Through these experiences, players learn that even if they can perform a skill well in practice, it’s meaningless unless they can do it within the flow of a game.
Game-like drills never have the same ball coming from the same spot with the same speed. The situation is constantly changing, creating a chaotic environment. But by playing in these conditions, players learn lessons that a coach can’t teach.
Focus on Long-Term Player Growth
Finally, I want to address the most important aspect of coaching in the youth category.
It’s about facing the player in front of me “now” while keeping an eye on their growth five or ten years down the road.
For my elementary school players, my priority is not to win matches. Instead, I want to foster players who can think for themselves and autonomously improve their skills and character. I don’t want to just teach them a “formed” technique through repetitive, cookie-cutter drills. I want them to be able to think about tactics and strategy and to build the game themselves without needing a coach’s instructions.
My ultimate goal is not just to improve their volleyball skills. It’s to help them grow as people by teaching them what they can learn through volleyball. I will continue to coach with this perspective, valuing both technical and personal growth.
