Coaching Volleyball as a High School Student: Challenges, Lessons, and Growth

By Tonya Liu

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Introduction

For my personal project, I wanted to take on a challenge that combined something I love with something that typically precedes my age: volleyball and coaching. My learning goal was to learn how to effectively coach and teach volleyball, focusing on technique, strategy, and individual player development. Throughout the middle school volleyball season at my school, I worked closely with both the players and coaches, coaching the girls’ and boys’ teams. This article explores the challenges I faced, the lessons I learned, the feedback I received, and how I grew through this experience as a high school student.

Challenges of Coaching at a Young Age

Going into this project, I knew I had volleyball knowledge—but what I didn’t realize was how different coaching is from playing. And as I went through the experience, I also noticed how similar it was to leading a team as a captain. It required me to gain authority and respect, communicate clearly, and manage team energy. However, since most of the players were middle schoolers and I had never worked with that age group before, I had to apply all of those skills in new ways.

One of the first challenges I faced was figuring out how to gain authority, especially being so close in age to the players. It was different now because I wasn’t regarded as “captain” anymore, but “coach.” As Coach Ciarra explained, players can shut down or ignore you if your tone or energy is off (Liu and Judson). I had to be extremely careful with how I gave feedback, which has always been a personal challenge for me in volleyball settings. In the beginning, I realized I was being too blunt and speaking too fast, which may explain why I didn’t get much engagement from younger, inexperienced players.

Coach Hollingsworth also emphasized the need to constantly adjust to different players’ skill levels and needs (Liu and Hollingsworth). That was definitely a challenge for me, since I had only worked with high schoolers who usually had more experience and tended to listen more actively because of their internal drive to improve. This difficulty was also reflected in early season coach survey feedback, where one respondent noted: “One area you can improve is effectiveness of instruction. If a player is not adapting to your coaching, think about how to change your directions to help them understand” (Liu, Coach Survey). This was a struggle for me, and I recall reflecting on it in my coaching journal. I remember coming home after practice, thinking about the methods and words I had used to explain a drill, where it clearly wasn’t landing with the players. Players also expressed in the survey that I could improve by giving “more specific instructions [for] passing skills,” and making the feedback “more specific … and not that much generalized” (Liu, Player Survey).

Another challenge I faced was managing the team during games—especially keeping the bench involved, making substitutions, and keeping the energy up. I remember the first time I was in charge during a game, I completely forgot to sub people in and left the bench out. It wasn’t on purpose—I was just so focused on the court that I didn’t realize I was leaving others out. After that, I made it a priority to keep the whole team engaged. In the next games, I remembered to rotate players and check in with the bench. I also started giving pep talks during timeouts and between sets. One of the best ones I gave was actually inspired by my own experience as a player. I thought about what I would’ve wanted to hear when I was nervous or down and used that to hype up the team. Those moments really helped me understand that coaching isn’t just technical—it’s emotional leadership, too.

Lessons I Learned as a Coach

At the beginning of this project, I thought coaching mostly meant running drills and teaching skills. What I quickly learned is that coaching demands a lot more than that, as it’s about leadership, flexibility, and understanding people. I went into it thinking that if I knew how to play volleyball, I’d naturally be able to coach. That wasn’t true.

One of the biggest things I learned was that age doesn’t determine respect. As a high school student coaching middle schoolers, I was initially afraid they wouldn’t take me seriously. But Coach Jamie’s and Coach Hollingsworth’s advice really stuck with me: “Don’t let your age dictate what you do… just go for it” (Liu and Cattran), and “Be authentic” (Liu and Hollingsworth). I realized that I had to just take action and start acting like a coach. I noticed that the more confident I became in my instructions and decisions, the more players listened to me.

Ironically, the thing I was most worried about (my age) ended up becoming one of my biggest strengths. Because I was closer to them in age, I was able to grow especially close with the players. Throughout the season, we joked, hung out, and genuinely had fun together. By the end, I think they saw me as more of a supportive friend than an upperclassman coach, and that really resonated with me. Coach Ciarra pointed out this exact strength in her feedback: “This relationship allows you to approach them in a way that other coaches cannot. I believe this has helped immensely with their confidence and ability to play the game positively. You bring an energy that they can relate to and have helped them understand how to let go of mistakes and have fun. This is something very difficult to do, and I believe because of your bond to them, you have helped with this” (Liu, Coach Survey). I fully agree with her. I noticed that as players became more comfortable around me, games and practices became not only more fun, but more effective.

Lastly, I learned how to adapt and manage my tone as a coach. These were two of my biggest weaknesses at the beginning, but through multiple reflections and trial-and-error during practices and games, I slowly started to understand what it meant to adjust to different players’ needs. I became more aware of how my tone and energy affected the team, and I made it a priority to stay encouraging and positive, even when things weren’t going well. This growth was reflected in my player feedback, where responses mentioned that one of the most helpful things I did as a coach was “giving us support during games,” “cheering us up during HISAC,” and “not letting our spirits drop and helping us push ourselves even when we were losing” (Liu, Player Survey). It made me realize how much the emotional atmosphere I created as a coach mattered.

As one study explains, “The success of youth sports coaching is less about the transmission of technical skill and more about the application of behavioral principles—such as encouragement, modeling, emotional support, and consistency” (Smith and Smoll, 17). That quote really stuck with me because it made me realize that coaching isn’t just about telling people what to do; it’s about how you do it and how you make players feel when you’re doing it.

How I Was Viewed as a Coach

Looking back, I definitely had moments where I questioned whether I was doing a good job—especially in the beginning, when I felt uncertain, unqualified, or like I wasn’t getting through to the players. But seeing the feedback from both the coaches and players gave me a completely different perspective on how I was actually perceived.

As mentioned in the previous section, one of my biggest strengths was the relationship I built with the players. My age — something I originally saw as a disadvantage — actually gave me a unique strength when it came to connecting with them. Player feedback reflected that, with many expressing how approachable and supportive I was. One player said I “listened to what [they] needed help on and helped [them] focus on it,” and another shared that they felt comfortable asking me questions during games and practices (Liu, Player Survey). That kind of trust and connection was something I didn’t expect going in, but it ended up becoming one of the most valuable parts of this experience.

Another strength that stood out to both the players and Coach Ciarra was the intentionality and effort I brought into every session. I genuinely wanted the players to improve, and I was always focused on helping them. My deep understanding of volleyball also became a huge advantage. Because I’ve been playing for years, I know the techniques, mechanics, and small details that make a big difference—and I was able to apply that knowledge in coaching. One student said, “You would tell me what I was doing right/wrong, give me a demonstration, and guide me through doing it again.” Another noted, “You do analysis and point out the negatives and show how to fix it” (Liu, Player Survey). That feedback came after I filmed the player (with consent), took screenshots, and annotated them to explain what they were doing well and how to improve. Coach Ciarra also commented, “I believe your biggest strength is your knowledge of technique. I have seen you analyze and correct students’ technique in volleyball” (Liu and Judson). Hearing that from someone I respect made me realize that my strengths as a player really were translating into my coaching.

Although I received a lot of positive feedback, I also got meaningful constructive criticism that helped me grow. While my communication was clear, my feedback needed to be more specific. A few players mentioned that my corrections were sometimes too generalized, and that I should “give more specific instructions for passing skills” or “make sure everyone understands the goal of the drill” (Liu, Player Survey). This made me realize that even if I knew what I was talking about, I had to slow down and explain things in a way that all the players understood. I started adjusting how I explained drills, gave more targeted feedback, and made sure I was checking for understanding.

Coach Judson also pointed out that I needed to work on the effectiveness of my instruction and game management. Early on in the season, I struggled with subbing and decision-making during games. There were times I forgot to rotate players or left the bench out without meaning to. These moments showed me that being a coach means you have to think about the entire team, not just what’s happening on the court. I haven’t fully figured this part out yet, but I know it’s something I need to improve. Moving forward, I want to be more mindful during games by keeping track of player rotations, involving the bench more, and communicating clearly in the moment.

Conclusion

Coaching the middle school volleyball team was one of the most challenging and eye-opening things I’ve done. I came into this project with a learning goal of becoming a better coach, or someone who could effectively teach technique, strategy, and help players grow. Through hands-on coaching, feedback, and constant reflection, I’ve developed a better understanding of what it really means to coach. It’s not just about giving instructions or running drills. I learned that it’s about communication, leadership, emotional control, and being able to adapt.

I also learned a lot about myself. I realized that the best coaches aren’t the loudest or most experienced—they’re the ones who genuinely care. My connection with the players, my focus during sessions, and my effort to give useful, personalized feedback all showed me that I had more potential as a coach than I thought. At the same time, I became more aware of my weaknesses and what I still need to work on, especially when it comes to game management and clarity of feedback.

Overall, this experience made me more confident not just as a coach, but as a leader. I feel like I can take everything I’ve learned over these past few months and apply it this fall during my school’s varsity volleyball season as the captain. And even though this started as a school project, I want to keep coaching and eventually grow it into something that helps others experience the same sense of belonging, growth, and confidence that I’ve found through volleyball.

Works Cited

Liu, Tonya and Ciarra Judson. “Coaching with Coach Ciarra.” 3 Mar. 2025

Liu, Tonya and Chaddwick Plotz. “Coaching with Coach Plotz.” 11 Mar. 2025

Liu, Tonya and James Cattran. “Coaching with Coach Jamie.” 13 Mar. 2025

Liu, Tonya and Nichola Hollingsworth. “Coaching with Coach Hollingsworth.” 13 Mar. 2025

Liu, Tonya. Coaching Evaluation Survey for Players. 13 Mar. 2025. Unpublished survey.

Liu, Tonya. Coaching Evaluation Survey for Coaches. 13 Mar. 2025. Unpublished survey.

Smith, Ronald E., and Frank L. Smoll. “Coaching the Coaches: Youth Sports as a Scientific and Applied Behavioral Setting.” Current Directions in Psychological Science, vol. 6, no. 1, 1997, pp. 16–21. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20182433. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.