Throughout my experiences in coaching, I have come to realize how challenging a job it is. Technical skills are required in order to teach players the proper way to play the game and interpersonal skills are necessary to have a close relationship with your players. This independent study has enabled me to be a part of the coaching team with Mo Harb for our school's junior girls' volleyball team. This summary will explain my experience as a coach from when I first met the girls during tryouts to the last game I coached them. The events the players as well as I went through will be described. How I coached and the important lessons I learned from being a coach are two other important points that will be discussed.
             I started off by first becoming knowledgeable about the sport itself, volleyball. To achieve this I talked to some volleyball players within the school and read about the rules and strategies of the game on the Internet. In order to learn how to develop athletes I took a National Canadian Coaching Program (NCCP) level 1 coaching course at Mohawk College for a few days. This course was quite beneficial, and working in groups improved my social skills. Finally I went to the "coach" meeting at Westdale High School to gather the information about the junior girls' upcoming season. After this Mo and I scheduled the first try-outs.
             During the try-outs I encountered my first challenge as a coach, "who gets cut?" Helping form the team with Mo meant that I must present my choices on the players who I believe should make the team. I considered the athletes that were talented in different aspects of volleyball like serving, forearm passing, setting, spiking, and blocking, so that the team is diverse and skilled in all these areas. I also considered past the player's talent and looked at their dedication, their influence of other teammates, and most importantly their attitude. In order to te...