Strive for Perfection (But Don't Expect it)

I was involved in a discussion recently which noted that the coach of the reigning Olympic Champion women's volleyball team, was saying things in a timeout that coaches at every level say every day. Specifically, the coach was reminding the players of their serving targets and to attack the third hit. (The example was USA v ITA women's VNL24 - for those with access to the game).

Is this surprising? It many ways it shouldn't be. Human beings are human beings. In terms of variation in teams, they are all full of diverse and forgetful and indisciplined and astute players. The fact that they are better at one thing (playing volleyball in this case) than almost anyone else doesn't change the fact that people are different and have different strengths and weakness. It just narrows the band of variance a little (perhaps).

And yet, as coaches of children, we are constantly frustrated with players who do the 'wrong' things.

It is important to remember that if the best players in the world don't always get it right then the children in front of us won't either. This doesn't mean don't strive for perfection, but just don't expect it! Expect to be constantly disappointed and frustrated and build personal strategies and expectations to manage this. And do the same with your players.