Your Attitude Could Be Why Coaches Keep Dropping You

There is something we do not talk about enough when discussing volleyball (and sports in general) in Nigeria. We talk about talent, height, jumping ability, technique and experience. We talk about players who should have made a team and those who were selected instead. But there is another factor that can influence selection, and that is character.

A player can be very talented and still struggle to make a team because of their attitude. Each and every one of us might have come across this repeatedly while following volleyball (and other sports) from the grassroots to the senior level. In conversations around team selection, coaches and people within the game sometimes point to attitude, discipline, how a player responds to correction or how they relate with teammates as reasons a talented player may be left out. It is not about one player. It is a pattern worth discussing.

The difficult part is that volleyball is a team sport. A coach is not simply selecting the best players individually. They are putting together a group that has to train, compete and work together. A player who can score points but constantly argues with coaches, refuses instructions, struggles with correction or creates tension within the team can become a problem that goes beyond their individual performance.

A cross section of Nigerian grassroots volleyball coaches pose for a group photo during the Biu Invitational Volleyball Tournament at the Nigeria Army University Biu, Borno State.

This does not mean every player described as having an attitude problem actually has one. Coaches can get things wrong too. A player who asks questions may be seen as disrespectful, while confidence can sometimes be mistaken for arrogance. There is also a difference between making a mistake and refusing to change after the mistake has been pointed out. That distinction matters.

But players also need to understand that talent does not give anyone a free pass. You may be the best attacker in the squad, but you still have to listen to the coach. You may be capable of changing a game, but you still have to accept being substituted. You may be good enough to start, but you still have to support the team when you are on the bench. At higher levels, coaches need players they can trust, not just players who can play.

This can become even more important in Nigeria because the volleyball community is relatively small. A player's reputation can follow them from one club to another and from one level of competition to another. If the same concerns keep coming up with different coaches, it can eventually affect opportunities, regardless of how much talent the player has.

Coaches, however, also have a responsibility. If a player's attitude is affecting their chances, the player should know what they are doing wrong and have an opportunity to improve. "You have an attitude problem" is not enough. Players need honest feedback, just as coaches need to be fair in how they judge them.

For young players who are coming up, your talent can get you noticed, but character, discipline and the ability to work with others can determine how far you go.