International Coaching Accreditation
— A Great Opportunity
Ron Sommer, Middle River Volleyball Club
Prior to the organization of the current
USAV, its predecessor, the United States Volleyball Association (USVBA),
conducted certification programs designed to improve the knowledge and
skills of volleyball coaches at all levels. The Regionlevel programs were
similar to the current USA Coaching Accreditation Program we are all so
very familiar with. However, many individuals may not be aware of the fact
that the international volleyball community also conducted coaches training
programs which drew students from all over the world.
In 1981, the USVBA was fortunate enough to
schedule a program here in the USA at the University of Puget Sound in
Tacoma, Washington. I was selected by our Region to attend the course with
the proviso that upon my return, I would conduct coaches clinics to pass
on what I had learned.
The course was a 10-day resident course, and
it was the most intense volleyball training and learning experience I have
ever encountered. There were approximately 60 students-coaches from the
US, Canada, Nigeria, Mexico, and other countries. From day one, we were
assigned to six-person teams, and I stayed and learned and played with
those five other students for 24 hours a day for 10 days. Each day was
long, four hours in the morning, four in the afternoon, and two to three
hours in the evening. They did give us Sunday off; but, after a little
sightseeing, we all decided to hit the books Sunday evening!
Hours in the classroom were followed by many
more hours on the court, putting into practice what we learned in theory.
Luckily for me, I was teamed with two giants from the Nigerian National
Team who, of course, played middle. Every miserable set I put up, they
put down. As a setter, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. To top
it all off, they thought I was a great setter, which made me wonder about
the setters on the Nigerian National Team! We ran every offense and defense
in the book and then developed our own. It was truly amazing.
I was very fortunate in the instructors assigned
to teach the course. One was the Assistant Coach of the Japanese Women’s
National Team, and the other was the Head Coach of the Mexican Men’s Olympic
Team, an Olympic-level coach who had defected from Romania. So I was able
to learn both the Japanese style and Eastern European style of volleyball,
two styles so totally different yet each having been tried and proven effective.
Language was a barrier since neither instructor spoke fluent English (and
I sure as the devil had a definite problem speaking Japanese and Romanian!),
but we managed by drawing pictures, diagrams, and using hand language.
One technique I still use today is the one-man game charting system shown
me by the Japanese instructor. As a club coach without stat keepers that
abound in high school and university/college programs, the system has proven
invaluable.
The “final exam” consisted of three parts:
a written test, a practical test, and an oral examination. For the oral
exam, you entered a room alone, and the two instructors fired questions
at you for about five to 10 minutes, with an interpreter assisting. For
the practical, you walked into the gym, and there you found a team ready
for practice…not your team but one of the other groups. The instructor
told you what skill you were to practice, and you had to make up a drill
in five minutes or less. Then you were required to run the team through
your drill for five minutes or until the instructor was satisfied. The
written exam was like any other written exam, but the passing score was
90% correct or better. In all honesty, I have to tell you I was too scared
to ask what happened to you if you failed to pass any of the three exams!
At that time, there were five Stages (Levels)
of international accreditation, Stage 1 being the lowest and Stage 5 the
highest. Surprisingly, not only did I graduate, but I was also accredited
at International Stage 2, one of only five students to gain a Stage 2 accreditation,
the rest being accredited at Stage 1. Since 1981, and in keeping with my
promise to our Region, I have tried to pass on to my fellow coaches and
my players the knowledge and skills that I attained from the course. True,
the game has changed over the years, but the teaching and constant study
required to be a successful volleyball coach remains the same. I truly
learned how to coach at this course because I received the best training
from the best teachers. Today, my “Commission Internationale des Entraineurs”
diploma from the International Volleyball Federation hangs proudly on the
wall of my den, a constant reminder of the 10 days of the most exciting,
challenging, and rewarding volleyball experience I have ever known.
Ron Sommer, Middle River Volleyball Club
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