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Contact Us About CoachingCourse Overview: From Control to Connection
Welcome to Your Coaching Journey
This short but powerful coaching course equips Tualatin Valley Volleyball Club and Century High School coaches with the tools to coach through perception, connection, and intention — not control and correction.
What You'll Learn
You'll explore the ecological dynamics framework, the constraints-led approach to training, and the communication methods of NAC, MI, and ACT — all of which are integrated into our match day and seasonal flow. This course is designed for new and returning coaches and will leave you with both the confidence and language to implement our values-based, athlete-centered approach.
Course Journey Map
Ecological Dynamics
Learn how athletes develop skills through interaction with their environment
Constraints-Led Approach
Design practices that guide learning without explicit instruction
NAC Communication
Master the Notice-Adjust-Commit framework for effective feedback
Motivational Interviewing
Use questions to build intrinsic motivation and athlete ownership
ACT Training
Help athletes develop psychological flexibility and values-based action
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Course Requirements
Time Commitment
45-60 minutes total
Complete at your own pace
Due Date
Complete before your
first team practice
Certification
Certificate awarded
upon completion
Before You Begin
Take a moment to reflect on your current coaching approach. What are your strengths and areas for growth?
Quick Reflection
Think about your coaching approach. How much time do you spend:
Demonstrating "perfect" technique
Creating game-like scenarios
Giving verbal instructions
Asking questions about what players perceive
Select all that apply to your current coaching style. This is just for your reflection—there are no wrong answers!
Core Concepts Explained
Perception-Action Coupling
This principle says that athletes don't think first, then act. They act as they perceive. It's continuous and reciprocal.
Example: A blocker reads the setter's hands and adjusts their jump in real time. There's no internal delay — their perception guides their movement.
Implication: If we remove perception from training (e.g., hitting from a toss with no block), we disconnect players from how the game is actually played.
Interactive Reflection: What drills do you run that include decision-making, deception, or opponent cues? What drills don't?
Misconceptions to Address
Translating Theory into Practice
IN PRACTICE
- Use small-sided games to increase touches and problem-solving (e.g., 3v3 on half court with scoring bonuses).
- Modify court space, rules, scoring, or task to highlight specific learning goals.
- Always ask: "Is this inviting perception, decision, and action?"
IN MATCHES
- Use timeouts and between-point conversations to reinforce perception: "What did you see?" "What might be open?"
- Avoid over-coaching mechanics. Focus on helping players interpret information and commit to action.
- Recognize and praise adaptation — not just outcome.
Wrap-Up: Coaching as an Ecological Architect
Your role is not to insert skills into players. It's to shape environments where the right problems emerge, the right cues become visible, and the right solutions can be discovered and repeated.
The ecological dynamics model doesn't remove the coach — it redefines coaching as craft.
What to do next:
Module 1 Quick Check
1. According to ecological dynamics, skill development is:
2. Which of the following is NOT a key principle of ecological dynamics?