What is your opinion on coaches cheering from the bench?

Question

My daughter has been playing club and school volleyball for 3 years. Because of this, I have watched a lot of volleyball games.

I have seen many coaches just sit on the bench and offer little corrections here and there. I have also seen other coaches get up and clap and cheer with the other players on the bench.

Do you think a coach who cheers has a better impact on team performance?

Answer 1

I've been a coach at the high school level and girl's club level for some years now. In doing this, I've also watched a lot of coaches and heard some of the reasons why they do what they do. There is good and bad in both:

Sitting Idle at the bench:

Many coaches believe that true coaching only happens during practice. Matches are a time to see what the players have learned (A test if you will). If you interrupt their thought processes, it is thought that you will not truly be able to evaluate their progress. A plus to this is body language, if you tend to sit the entire and not move, you have less chances of hurting the esteem of the players with your body language. A negative is that many players may feel disengaged from you or that you don't care. But if you flip that switch correctly from games to practice, your players will know.

Most parents don't understand this method because they don't see practice, they think the coach doesn't care, when in actuality, the coaches heart is in absolutely the right place.

Standing by the bench, cheering:

This is my method most of the time. I'm a purely positive coach and I thoroughly enjoy the game. I also consider standing almost at the endline and sideline by the line judge a better view of the game.

Coaches who do this, do so with younger or developing teams that may need help in positioning and lack experience to decide on the court for themselves. I often call where the setter is going to set as well. This has, more than once, raised a question of, "How do you know what's coming coach?" At that point I can explain setter tells and about watching more than the ball when it's on the other side of the net. That's a coaching opportunity for me right there.

Plus, especially on boy's teams, it shows the boys that its okay to cheer for your teammates. The players do take on part of the coaches personality and I personally feel that if a coach is sitting down with an even expression to avoid bad body language, they are showing the bench players how to cheer.

The bad thing about this is it's very easy to display bad body language as you get into the game thoroughly and I've even had to fight back the urge to actually play a ball that came right at me after a shank. (I almost set it)

It's all a matter of personal preference and comfort for the coach. Whatever a coach goes with, they must stay with or switch around all the time to be unpredictable.

A bad thing would be to be labeled as one thing only, then do something out of character. For instance: As a stander, I once sat down in the middle of a game with a huge smile across my face and my arms spread out because my girl's club team was thinking and doing everything well without me, it made me very happy and I thought, "Well, I'll sit down and let this well oiled machine do it's thing!" After the game, which we won handedly, the girl's, their parents, and even my very own wife thought I was mad at the girls. Body language is key. :)

Sometimes coaches want to throw up their arms and shout, "What the h**l were you thinking!?" But "That's okay, brush it off and get the next one by lining up on the hitters shoulder." with a smile, comes out.

Answer 2

I like when a coach gets into the game by cheering. I have had coaches who set on their butts and don't give any enthusiasm. It is easier for me to get into the game when the coach is.

Answer 3

It really depends on the player. Lets say one girl gets up to serve the ball. The coach starts cheering wildly, and with more confidence then ever she smacks the ball and creates a powerful serve. The next girl to go up to serve and the coach once again starts cheering wildly. All the sudden she feels nervous and afraid of what will happen if she misses. So, she misses badly because of pressure/distractions from her coach. Depends on the players level of tolerance for that kind of thing.

Answer 4

coaches cheering from the bench can mean that they are very excited and are getting into the game. as long as the cheering is motivational it will always help a team feel good about themselves.

Answer 5

It depends on the level of the team, and the type of input a coach is giving during the game. At a higher level, like univeristy ball which I play, there is not much need for a coach to be standing and giving instructions/cheering because for the most part we are talking it up on the floor and we realize what problems we need to fix on the floor and adjust by what each other are seeing on the floor. Plus we normally will not hear the coach because we are so wrapped up in the game. This does not mean that the coach does not care, but that he is sitting there and studying the game so that during time outs when the coach has our attention the feedback is useful.

On my team my coach does a bit of both, but when he does talk to people on the floor he usually talks to me (the setter) to tell me what run I should try next or what player i need to focus my attention on on our team, or our captain who will give the rest of the team feedback.

However, at a younger development stage like junior high, I feel that it is critical for a coach to be involved with the players inbetween plays to give instruction and give support because at that stage a player needs to have confirmation if they did a good job or gave a good effort. Plus in practice it is almost impossible to play out for specific players or situations. So at a younger age where the players do not have the recognition of a higher level to adapt and change mid play , it is crutial for the coach to give feedback so that they cna know what to change the next time.

Overall a coach who is active in the game does help moral a bit because it actively shows that he cares, but there are times where players like it when the coach lets the players work it out on their own on the court.

It all depends on the coaching/coaching style, the attitude and level of the players, and the game situation.

Answer 6

ok i have been playing volleyball for about 4 or 5 years. my coach at my school gets a little upset if we cheer for no reason...normally if someone does something good he shouts encouragement at them. i do think a coach that cheers when he/she should does make a whole lot of impact. But if the coach is cheering the whole time-shouldnt he/she just be a cheer coach? No offense to any good coaches out there who do that. But that is all just my opinion.

Answer 7

I think a coach who cheers does make a better impact. i'm a club vball player too, and whenever my coaches get quiet i'm always thinking like "they're not happy! what are we doing wrong?" which automatically makes you play worse. That said, I also think that coaches who yell tips and "constructive critism" (whatever they call it these days) while their players are on the court need to take a deep breath. I mean, geez, it doesn't help your players, they get distracted and then self conscious, and also thats what time outs are for.

Answer 8

I have seen a lot of good coaches that use both strategies. From my coaching experience, I think it depends on the team. Teams that are advanced often have less motivation problems, so the coach can focus more on strategy.

Lower level teams often have mental problems such as anxiety and lack of confidence. Those teams sometimes need a coach to act more like a cheerleader and give them emotional support.

I personally think a lot of it depends on the team, but if I had to say what I think is best in general, this is what I would say: It is good for coaches to be actively engaged with their team, in terms of cheering/clapping, but only as long as they are still able to focus on the technical and strategic elements of the game.

Answer 9

Im only 14, but I have played since i was about 5. but i play on a club team as well, and my coach on that team is very motivating, and is always standing up to give us little pointers, and talks to us constantly. I believe that helps us so much, and keeps us confident. On the other hand, my school coach just sits on the bench, and doesnt talk to us at all, he just calls a time out and tells us to smile.

So yes, i believe a good coach is one who cheers, and is motivating and what not.

Answer 10

It really depends on what my teams need.

If the team is on a hot streak, I try to remain quiet.  If they are doing well, I try not to get in the way.  

If the streak changes direction, I will cheer and clap and encourage.  

If the team is going poorly, I will be LOUD and ENCOURAGING.  If they look like they are going to a funeral after several bad plays in a row, I will try to get them excited again.  

If I am working with a younger team, I will try to be more vocal from the start.  If I am working with the women's team, I will be quieter.  

Personally, I do not think that I could sit and watch.  Actually, I can not sit and watch.  I have to stand and do something.  

I do not think my coaching style will work with the USA women's or men's teams.  They do not need a cheerleader on the bench.  Or someone to motivate them.