The Art of Coaching Volleyball

Karch Kiraly of the Women's National Team introduces a fun and interactive way to challenge players to practice particular skills and strategies. The premise of bingo is simple, and you can make it what you want: Each team has requirements for particular plays they have to make to win the game. This can be anything […] The post Bingo with Karch appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Deborah Newkirk, a legendary sports coach and educator, talks about the one thing that will keep athletes engaged in the game: loving the game and having fun with it. Especially with young athletes, consider that challenges should be fun. Young athletes crave challenge, laughter and growth: but to enjoy those things, the coach must instill […] The post The importance of fun in volleyball appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Laura Kuhn, Head Coach at Texas A&M, gives some pointers for middle hitters and their setters to connect on the slide. For the one-foot attacker: there must be trust between the setter and the middle attacker. Flatten the set out and drive it to the outside pin; the attacker should be intercepting the set on […] The post Connecting on the slide appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Gina Schmidt, Head Coach at Simon Fraser University, says that a setter needs to be quick and ready to set no matter the play. Releasing early from defense, she says, is not always a bad idea; your job is to set. Drill: Two setters start in right back. One coach initiates two balls; one close […] The post Drills to improve your setter’s speed to the ball appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Chad Hanson, head coach at Dordt University, describes how a blocker must be a knowledgeable and savvy player on the court. Blockers should check the hitter as many times as possible; keep the eyes off of the ball, and use your peripheral vision to gauge how the hitter is approaching the ball. The right side […] The post Reading the Game as a Blocker appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

  Purpose: Volleyball is nothing without solid passing. In this drill, Russ Rose shows passing dynamics and how to practice solid form and movement for defensive players. Have your players work on defining the velocity, speed and placement of the ball so they get a better grasp on how it should be passed. How it […] The post Focused passing form and drills appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Body position is important in every skill of the game, but is especially important when playing defense even when the ball is on the other side of the net. See how this low ready position helps in covering the low balls and diving to get those balls just out of normal reach.   The post Individual defense: Diving & covering low balls appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

  In this summer workout, Bishop High School coach Tod Mattox stops play to make a point. His attacker has ripped a ball to right back, which is fine. But since 2 players were blocking right front and the setter was digging in the deep court, there was a better option: a tip to Zone […] The post Strategy: Tipping to Zone 2 can produce an easy kill appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Ray Bechard, Head Coach at the University of Kansas, shows players how to create more range with their body positioning during defense. Being able to reach for balls and increase your mobility will elevate you as a defender. The most critical part is being stopped on contact; this allows you to spring in any direction […] The post Posture & balance for range on defense appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Mike Sealy of UCLA knows that a hitter's arsenal of shots can make or break an entire match. A simple hitting warm-up can give you that extra range of motion. When hitting back and forth with a partner, turn your body 45 degrees either direction and hit to your partner. This will force you to […] The post Improving attacking range during warm-up appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Purpose: A good drill for young players to learn how to earn three points in a row. How it Works: Three cones are "up for grabs" by each team. A ball is initiated onto one side of the court and the two teams play the ball out. Whichever teams wins the point gets one of […] The post Pendulum drill: Earning 3 points in a row appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

John Dunning talks about how setters can set emergency balls that are tight to the net or far off of the net. A setter must be a versatile player who can learn to set challenging passes. The first ball a setter must deal with is the tight ball: jump set and catch the ball before […] The post Emergency setter moves: Setting tight balls appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

During pre-match preparation (90 minutes prior to competition), one of your goals is to help players achieve the right frame of mind. You want players "psyched up" to meet the physical demands of the game, but also mentally attuned to the complexities of the match. Athletes preparing for a match are under real pressure. As […] The post Preparation during the 90 minutes before a game appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Ben Josephson of Trinity Western University shows how to best position your defenders to dig the pipe attack from middle back. Josephson recommends that the defenders cinch the court by taking several steps into the court and forward to dig the mid-line ball. Allowing a few feet on both of the sidelines is a sacrifice […] The post Defending the pipe attack appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Jim Stone of USA Volleyball breaks down the body biomechanics of passing and serving. Pay attention to service patterns so you can tweak your team's tendencies and perform the hardest serves to pass. Serves that go straight across the net to the player in left back is the shortest serve and therefore the quickest to […] The post Biomechanical analysis of serving and passing using stats appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.