Coaching Resources – Engage the Athlete!

Fifty years ago there were a handful of coaching resources. The classic books were The Game of Singles and the Game of Doubles by Talbert and Old.  Times are different today coaches must know the Xs and Os and they must also know how to engage the athlete.

About 15 years ago, a Google search using the phrase, “tennis instruction” produced 35 million results. A similar search in You Tube produced 126,000 results. At that time there was an abundance of information about how to hit the ball and where to hit it. Today, there are many excellent websites and Facebook groups. It goes without saying that the amount of information is overwhelming. The engaged student is hitting volleys at a University of Colorado tennis camp.

engage the athlete!

There are two additional resources that look at the process of coaching and educating. The first is from one of America’s top scientists and the second is provided by a member of the volleyball coach’s Hall of Fame.


Carl Weiman – Weiman won a Nobel Prize for producing the first true Bose–Einstein condensate.  He has since conducted research to improve the way science and math is taught in the classroom. His research has produced results that are similar to those in found in business and education that show that there is greater retention when students are engaged. Weiman’s four-step approach to teaching follows:

  • Establish what students should learn
  • Scientifically measure what students are actually learning
  • Adapt instructional methods and curriculum and incorporate effective use of technology and pedagogical research to achieve desired learning outcomes
  • Disseminate and adopt what works

The outcomes of his research are available at the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative. 

John Kessel – Kessel is a member of the AVCA Hall of Fame. For many years he wrote a blog called Growing the Game Together for USA Volleyball.  There are a few discussions about Xs and Os and technique, but the focus is on the process of teaching and how coaches help their athletes learn. Today his words of wisdom are available at the following links. They are just as relevant today as when they were written.