Controlling the Controllables - How to Deal with Rough External Circumstances as an Athlete

As we approach Club Tryouts, I have the opportunity to go support our girls as they compete for their respective high schools. After the game if they aren't chasing a bus to head home, I'll ask them how their season is going. Some have good experiences, but many club players struggle with the transition as the culture can be much different than what they're used to experiencing. Some things I hear on a regular basis include:

* The coach plays me at a different position than I play for club.

* The coach plays favorites with people from the club they coach at.

* The coach plays everyone equally so we're not as competitive as I'd like to be.

* The coach doesn't have a volleyball background and makes us do things in an unorthodox manner.

The last one is probably the most common - I ran an indoor camp for a week this summer, and when we were practicing serve receive, I noticed most of the girls were straight-legged with their cores bent forward. When I tried adjusting this, they said their high school coach yells at them if they do it any other way. As a 14-18 year old, I understand how frustrating it can be to have one coach teach one method, only to have another teach them to do it differently!

The one common theme with players' frustrations is that they are usually focusing on external circumstances. Unfortunately, players can't control who coaches them, they can't pick their teammates, and they don't have a lot of say in what their role will be on a team. But there are still SO many things that they can (and should) focus on controlling, even when they aren't in the ideal situation.

 Do not let the things you can't control negatively affect the things you DO control. This is one of the most crucial pieces of coaching I feel we can give our young players.  Above everything else, I'm a firm believer that the game teaches the game - every repetition a player takes is valuable! It can be very easy for an athlete to become distracted regarding this. If they're focused on how the coach just yelled at them or how their teammate isn't doing things right, it will deter them from being able to do their job to the best of their ability. Every time they touch the ball is an opportunity to better themselves.

Whatever role your coach gives you, do it to the best of your ability! I remember in high school playing a different position each season - libero as a freshman, right side as a sophomore, outside as a junior and setter as a senior. It would have been nice in some ways if I could have focused on one position, but long-term I feel lucky that I worked on multiple aspects of my game.

I had a little video I put together which is how my eventual college coach found me. It was about 3 and a half minutes of hitting outside - with two right side hits. It was those two hits that caught his eye, and I ended up starting my first two years for Newbury as an opposite. The school was the perfect fit for me academically - and had I not been able to play that position, he may not have contacted me as we were already loaded at outside hitter.

If your coach puts you in at a position you've never played before, do it to the best of your ability. That's all you can control, and the coach is putting you there for a reason. Which goes to my last point:

Focus on the process, not the results! I tell the athletes this all the time, and it's easier said than done. 50 percent of teams win, and 50 percent of teams lose - winning doesn't always mean you played well and losing doesn't mean you played poorly. When we make a mistake and dwell on the result (missed serve, hit out of bounds, shanked pass), we lose the ability to use it as a learning moment - the WHY it happened and HOW to correct it. "Ugh, I missed my serve" will only make you more tense the next time you go to the line. "My toss was too low, I'll throw it higher next time" gives you the opportunity to better the next ball. 

Your team may not be as successful as you'd like. You may not be in your most comfortable position. You may have a coach that yells at you more often than not. These aren't ideal scenarios, but only YOU can decide whether or not to let them negatively affect your ability to perform. Remember: the teenage years are about building a foundation - and even negative environments will make it easier when you decide to look for colleges to play for in the aspect that you'll know what coaching philosophies/team environments you thrive in, and which ones you want to avoid.

Control the Controllables kids - never give someone else the power to make you give less than 100% physically and mentally - do it for yourself!

Good luck to teams as they enter the second half of their high school season!