Nataliia Klimenova discusses own coaching philosophy, ways to instil a healthy love for the game

Ukrainian-born Nataliia Klimenova is currently inspiring the next generation of Volleyball players in her newly found home in Calgary, Canada. Klimenova has completed what looks like a smooth transition from playing competitive Volleyball to the world of coaching – and through her volleyball academy, she runs both individual sessions as well as more large-scale camps for up to 40 kids whereby she shares her extensive knowledge of the game and has developed into a mentor and a friend for the youngsters that she works with. 

Since, as she acknowledges herself, she is quite short (167 cm) for a sport where the physicality has become so dominant, she knows very well that dealing with any child’s or teen’s expectations is a rather challenging endeavour, especially if additional pressure comes from parents and the family environment: “I just want my students to be the very best version of themselves that they can be and to understand that whether genetics are on your side or not, any development process always takes a whole lot of energy and hard work,” Nataliia says. 

To this extent, being a female coach could be regarded as an advantage. “I think that this also has to do with my frame. I do not stand next to my students as a physically imposing figure. Many of my students have come forward and expressed their feelings that they see me as a role model and some sort of mentor and even confidante, at least at times. At my age [35] I am still fairly young, so the kids look at me as someone they can still somehow relate to. However, I am always direct, frank and honest when providing feedback to individuals as well as to their parents,” she adds. “This is the only way you can identify where there is room for improvement and work on it.”

Working with youngsters, Nataliia underlines that failure is very much part of any developmental process. “Our teens live in a world dominated by social media where everything seems to look perfect and ideal, from everyone’s life to their body shape. I tell my students that it is normal to make mistakes and to experience failure. We shall always analyse what goes wrong and re-start with even more determination and resilience to improve and achieve realistic targets,” Nataliia continues. 

Female coaches very much need more opportunities to make it to a higher level and help shape the future of the game. “Unfortunately, there comes a time where you are almost expected to choose between family and pursuing a career. Moreover, many times you realise that you are looked at as someone else’s competitor – be it a club or another coach. I always stress that I am just here to help my students pursue their goals and dreams and I very much believe that coaches can complement each other. To inspire the kids, we shall rely on creativity, and I believe that what makes the difference, whether the youngsters work with a male or a female coach, is the right mix of knowledge, experience, and critical thinking that the coach can bring to the table.” 

Not every single child will be an Olympian or become a member of the national team. However, this is not what shall matter: “We shall remove that pressure – but provide a safe environment where people enjoy themselves, see an opportunity to improve, make lasting memories and discover a passion that they may cultivate for a lifetime,” Nataliia emphasises. 

Even though she played Volleyball competitively for many years, Klimenova sees her current activity as a learning process for herself as well. “I think there is still a long way to go for female coaches to make a major impact. Recently, and this almost turned into a sensation, an NHL team from Seattle announced that they had appointed a female assistant coach. We shall rather get to the point that gender does not count, but rather qualifications and experience. As I continue to grow my knowledge and the activities run by my academy, I am planning to travel to Europe and ask some coaches to follow their work and shadow them. The game continues to evolve and there is always something that you can learn from others and implement in your environment. However, what really makes the difference is when a child or a teen comes over to you and tells you ‘Hey coach, you made my day!’ with that one session, remark or statement in my blog,” Nataliia concludes. This is how you truly instil a healthy love for the game.

To find out more about Nataliia’s work, check out https://www.natkevolleyball.com/