Tim Plaehn: Girl's Varsity Volleyball Coach
- Girl’s Varsity volleyball coach at Asheville High School in North Carolina
You’ve been coaching volleyball since 1995, have you heard conversations about mental health in sports - specifically volleyball?
“It’s interesting because we always talk about motivation and commitment and being part of a team. A big part of my coaching approach is the mental aspect of the sport - how to be focused and help my athletes achieve their highest potential. With that in mind, I’m particularly aware of how my athletes might be struggling with mental health issues that then prevent them from buying in, being a part of the team, or focusing/playing at their best.”
What are your telltale signs that someone is struggling with mental health in their sport?
“When you’re interacting with them every single day you pick up on things - people separating themselves or not being as enthusiastic as other times - you can key in on that. Volleyball is such a team sport because it’s played in such a small space - the whole team has to think with one brain. It becomes very obvious when someone is distracted or struggling because it prevents them from being a part of that unit.”
You’ve been coaching volleyball for a very long time now - have you noticed or picked up on a root cause or trigger that causes these shifts in mental health?
“It would purely be anecdotal. When I think of players who have struggled with mental health I see stress as the biggest trigger. The issues they are struggling with might not begin with stress, but it brings these problems to the surface. The way a person responds to this stress is the key. I remember I had an outside hitter who was a very dynamic athlete and so my setter kept setting her. She swung once, twice, three times into the net, and turned to the bench as tears started streaming from her face. I subbed her out and it quickly dawned on me that whatever she was juggling outside of the volleyball court was preventing her from bringing out her best self on the court. It was a good thing because we reached a crisis point and started working on getting help and figuring out what was going on - getting at root causes. She couldn’t ignore it or deal with it herself anymore so she had to reach out for help.”
When a student is dealing with a very rigorous academic curriculum, what are any tips you have on balancing school and sports?
“I’ll make sure that the lines of communication are open between the captains and me so I can check with them on the team's stress level. Rare is the season where I don’t give them a day or two off unexpectedly. I tell them that today is the day where you’re either going to the library to study or going to your room and taking a nap. Before games we do mindfulness - I always preach to leave all your relationships and academic stress outside the gym. When we’re here, let’s just be volleyball players and focus on playing the sport. I try to do that through mindfulness. I help them have some tools to get into a more relaxed state where they can go out and perform and play volleyball without necessarily bringing the burdens of their day down with them to the gym. There was a season where it seemed like I had a team that was afraid of success, we’d work hard and get to a point where we could win but we just couldn’t get over the hump. Branney Brown gives this ted talk on vulnerability - here at school, students work through such a tough academic curriculum that they often think they have to be perfect on the court, which causes them to tense up and be afraid of mistakes. She gives this great talk about the power of being vulnerable and the power of making mistakes and embracing risk-taking and embracing the results that come with it, whether good or bad. I was hoping this would free up my team.”