By Scottie Zucco

“A coach is someone who can give correction with causing resentment” – John Wooden

When I was a new volleyball coach, I would often over-react if the kids didn’t meet my standards.  For example, balls shouldn’t drop without a body on the ground.  If they didn’t dive, sometimes steam would pour from my ears and I’d scold ‘em, then run ‘em.

Was I giving them consequence?  Or was I punishing them?  coach

Punishments by nature are punitive and usually lead to resentment.  Teaching a student with resentment is similar to fitting a circle peg in a square hole. 

I wish I could go back and help that young coach with some tips on how to give consequences:

   1.     KEEP IT LIGHT – Scolding the kids for a mistake?  I should have taught them!

   2.     GET THE CONSQUENCE OVER WITH QUICKLY – I ran the kids for a few minutes when we could have been practicing volleyball (instead of running).  

   3.     CONNECT IT TO THE STANDARD – Having the kids run when they weren’t diving is totally disconnected.  A good consequence is to get the offender to dive a few times on the side

   4.     CONTINUALLY CALL IT OUT – Sometimes I made the kids run, which gives them permission to dive sometimes.  You’ll get more of what you tolerate!   

It’s important to know that the kids are not testing YOU as much as they are testing which values are important under your leadership.  The great basketball coach at UCLA John Wooden understood this – he always allowed the kids to test him as long as they quickly fell back into line. 

Punishments, although rarely effective, can be useful — but only after repetitive, flagrant and disregard for the standards.  And it seems that over the years, I find fewer and fewer situations that require punishments.