A stable background allows players to thrive

Andrea Becker’s coaching model centers on four components:

• 1. Environment created by the coach
• 2. The relationships they have with their athletes
• 3. The systems of play they implement
• 4. Who they are as a person

Becker, a sports psychologist who is currently an assistant coach for the UCLA men’s volleyball team and an advisor for the U.S. men’s national team, says that for a coach to be successful, those four components need to be stable and remain in the background of the athlete’s experience. That allows what’s most important to be in the foreground: What the coach is trying to teach the athlete.