Result or performance?

Score: 21-24. Your team is behind and it’s your serve. If you make a mistake, the opponent wins. If you serve well, you’re one point closer. Will the serve go well? If you serve into the net, everyone will see that the set is lost. Because you hit the net.

Score: 24-21. Your team is leading and you know you can best play the ball to your strongest attacker, but what if the reception is not good? Or you give a bad set… Oh no, then the coach will see it and you could be subbed out. You don’t want that because then everyone will look at you.

Back on the bench… Just when both of my parents have come to watch, I’m standing on the edge of the court. Hmm, am I allowed to play? Oh no… The main thing is that I play well; otherwise, I’ll be back on the bench, and what will my father then think of me? Then I’ll be ashamed.

These are some thoughts that players from various skill levels have. You may recognize this from your own time as a player. It’s not surprising, because as coaches, we ourselves cultivate this phenomenon. Now, you might recognize this:

During practice, you’re working on a game form, and one of the players has to serve. The ball is thrown far too back. The striking arm doesn’t come back in time, and the player hits the ball with full and uncontrolled force. The ball flies through the air and threatens to go out. Just before the ball is ‘out,’ it’s touched by a receiving player. Yes, a point: “Good serve… Point… Point!”