Courtney Thompson is one of our national volleyball treasures. She is skilled, knowledgeable, feisty and a great communicator and these qualities make her a very good coach.
In early December, she was joined by 150 coaches in Scottsdale, Arizona at a Gold Medal Squared Coaching clinic. In the clinic, she gave the coaches a 90 minute master class on one of her specialties: setting.
Look at these videos to see some of the tools she uses to get the coach/athletes to become better setters right before your eyes!
In this clip, she asks a player/coach a question. She doesn't tell the player what they should be doing, she asks a question and then another so he will understand, make the changes and learn. This tool, called "guided discovery" makes the athlete part of the solution and gives them a better understanding of the expectations they face.
In this clip, Courtney was focusing on footwork. You'll notice that there might have been other things for her to 'fix' on this athlete, she stays disciplined and focused as a coach and just comments on the footwork. Often times, coaches will point out everything wrong with a rep which is 'information overload,' especially for younger athletes. Courtney shows us that keeping her focus on one thing can yield strong results.
In this final clip, Courtney shows us some great coaching. First, she sets the expectations and the 'why' she wants the setters hands in this position. Then, she as she corrects one of the coach/athletes, she gives her a compliment first- creating an environment of safety for the athletes. As the coach/athlete completes the rep, she comments on what she likes but again, doesn't tell her what to do, but asks her a question- more guided discovery. When she sees what she is saying isn't connecting with that athlete, Courtney steps in to demonstrate the expectation of that skill.
You can also notice that no interaction with a coach/athlete is lasting longer than 10-15 seconds. The practice isn't bogged down with too much talk. The flow of the training is palpable.
If you watch all three of these clips, you can almost feel the positivity in the gym. There was not a negative word or thought spoken, it was just all about teaching and learning.
Being a former USA National Team setter and an NCAA Champion at Washington, Courtney certainly has a trove of street cred but her approach was of humility. Often she was funny in a self deprecating way and throughout the entire clinic, she was herself. You would imagine her to be the same person coaching this group as she would be hanging out with her friends on a Saturday night.
Go watch good coaches. We lose this training tool because YouTube is at our finger tips but seeing a great coach work, feeling the vibe in a gym, seeing the relationship and reactions from a coaches athletes, this feedback is both undeniable and most valuable.
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