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I’m a big fan of evaluating my program after each season. Everything from hotels and restaurants we used to game schedule and practice plans. I certainly don’t think that evaluation must necessarily lead to changes, though it should lead to comfort that you’re doing things in the best possible way given the tools (budget, staff, athletes, knowledge) at your disposal. As the tools change, you and your program may have to change…hence the evaluation.

While practice planning may sound an awful lot like an X’s and O’s conversation, don’t you worry, I plan to stay on the philosophical plane. When I talked to Becky Schmidt, head volleyball coach at Hope College, she talked about a change of philosophy she’s made in regards to practice.

She said she used to think every second of practice was important and needed to be planned, now she says she’s much more willing to experiment and not be afraid to waste time. As Schmidt evaluated her only practices and drills, she noticed many of her drills were old favorites from her playing days. She then had to challenge herself to innovate, because surely better (more efficient, more relevant, more applicable) drills have been created in that time span. And if not, she should create them!

This is something all of us can and should do. Drills that were great for one team may fall flat with another. Just as we have to modify our coaching styles for our athletes, we have to modify our coaching methods for our teams.

Join me in a series of interviews with successful coaches.  I believe what we learn from our coaching peers can be applied to our teams, our recruiting efforts, and how we behave as professionals. These interviews will be less Q & A and much more philosophical in nature, keep coming back to see who I’m talking to and what they’ve got to say!