Technique Before Results

# Technique Before Results

One point.

That's all it takes.

A hitter swings with poor mechanics.

The ball clips the block.

It falls in.

Point.

Everyone cheers.

Parents clap.

Teammates celebrate.

The scoreboard rewards the play.

But should the coach?

One of the most important lessons I learned during my coaching career is this:

**The scoreboard rewards outcomes. Great coaches reward technique.**

Those are not always the same thing.

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Results Can Be Deceiving

Sports have a funny way of fooling us.

Sometimes athletes perform the skill correctly...

...and the result is unsuccessful.

Other times athletes perform the skill poorly...

...and it somehow works anyway.

If coaches only evaluate results, they'll often teach the wrong lesson.

The question should never be:

*"Did the ball land in?"*

The first question should be:

*"Was the skill performed correctly?"*

Because correct technique will produce consistent success.

Poor technique eventually gets exposed.

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Don't Reward Bad Habits

Imagine a setter who consistently jumps backward while setting.

One set happens to be perfect.

Should the coach praise the technique?

No.

Praise the effort.

Acknowledge the outcome.

Then teach the movement correctly.

The same is true for every position.

Hitters.

Passers.

Servers.

Blockers.

Defenders.

If we celebrate poor habits simply because they occasionally work...

Those habits become permanent.

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Athletes Listen to What You Celebrate

Everything a coach praises becomes important.

If you constantly praise:

• Kills
• Aces
• Wins
• Statistics

Athletes begin believing those things are the ultimate goal.

But if you consistently praise:

• Proper footwork.
• Balanced movement.
• Reading the game.
• Communication.
• Decision-making.
• Correct mechanics.
• Effort.
• Improvement.

Athletes begin chasing mastery instead of moments.

Eventually...

Mastery creates results.

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The Process Is Always Under Your Control

Athletes cannot control every outcome.

A perfectly hit ball can be dug.

A great serve can be passed perfectly.

A smart attack can be blocked.

That's sports.

But athletes can control:

Their preparation.

Their effort.

Their footwork.

Their mechanics.

Their communication.

Their decision-making.

Those are the things coaches should teach athletes to value.

When players focus on controllable behaviors, confidence becomes much more stable.

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Correct Immediately, Praise Intentionally

Timing matters.

If an athlete scores using poor mechanics...

Don't ignore it.

But don't embarrass them either.

A great coach might say:

*"Great job finding the point. Now let's make sure your approach is one you can repeat against better competition."*

Notice the difference.

The coach acknowledges success.

But the lesson remains focused on long-term development.

That's coaching.

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Pressure Reveals Habits

Pressure doesn't create technique.

Pressure reveals it.

In close matches...

Athletes don't suddenly rise to a new level.

They usually fall back on what they've practiced thousands of times.

If those habits are technically sound...

Confidence grows.

If those habits are built on shortcuts...

Pressure exposes them.

That's why fundamentals and technique matter so much.

They become the athlete's safety net.

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Great Coaches See Beyond the Point

Young coaches often watch the ball.

Experienced coaches watch everything else.

They notice:

The hitter's approach.

The setter's release.

The passer's platform.

The defender's first step.

The blocker's footwork.

The communication before contact.

The movement after contact.

The point is over in seconds.

The habits behind the point tell the real story.

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From the Sideline

I used to have athletes look at me after getting a kill with poor mechanics.

They'd smile and say,

*"Coach... it worked."*

I'd smile back and say,

*"It worked today."*

Then we'd go back to work.

Not because I wanted to take away their confidence.

Because I wanted to build confidence that would last.

I wasn't coaching for Saturday.

I was coaching for next season.

For college.

For the matches where talent alone wouldn't be enough.

I've learned that one of the greatest gifts a coach can give an athlete is refusing to let temporary success become a permanent limitation.

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Excellence Lives in the Details

Championship volleyball isn't usually won by dramatic plays.

It's won by details repeated thousands of times.

A balanced platform.

A disciplined approach.

Quiet feet.

Strong posture.

Efficient movement.

Proper arm swing.

Clear communication.

Those details aren't glamorous.

They're just incredibly important.

The best teams I've coached weren't obsessed with spectacular plays.

They became obsessed with doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.

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Common Mistakes Coaches Make

• Praising results while ignoring technique.
• Allowing bad habits because they occasionally succeed.
• Measuring progress only through statistics.
• Correcting only after mistakes instead of after poor mechanics.
• Teaching athletes to chase outcomes instead of mastery.

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Key Takeaways

• Correct technique should always be valued over temporary success.
• Athletes become what coaches consistently celebrate.
• Confidence grows from repeatable habits.
• Pressure exposes technique—it doesn't create it.
• Great coaching focuses on long-term development rather than short-term results.
• Master the process, and the results usually follow.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Should coaches correct an athlete after a successful play?

If the technique was incorrect, yes.

The correction should build the athlete's future success, not diminish the current achievement.

Isn't a point still a point?

Yes.

But one point doesn't determine long-term development.

Coaches are responsible for building habits that succeed over hundreds of matches—not just one rally.

How do athletes avoid becoming discouraged by constant corrections?

By understanding the purpose.

Corrections are not criticism.

They are investments in future success.

The best athletes eventually begin asking for corrections because they understand that coaching is helping them grow.

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Continue Learning

• Why Process Beats Outcome
• Building Volleyball IQ
• Great Coaches Teach—They Don't Command
• Practice Doesn't Make Perfect
• Coaching With Purpose Instead of Emotion

The scoreboard will always remember the point.

A great coach remembers how the point was created.

Because today's technique becomes tomorrow's habit.

And tomorrow's habits become an athlete's future.