The Art of Coaching Volleyball

Purpose: A challenging 6 versus 3 drill that encourages the three-person team to cover the entire court, communicate about defense and positioning, and find ways to earn points against the full team. How it Works: A team of six is playing a team of three players, using the full court. The coach only feeds free […] The post How can three beat six? appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Purpose: A diggers versus hitters drill that encourages hitters to be precise and tricky about their ball placement, and requires diggers to adjust to the hitter's shoulder and tendencies. How it Works: Three diggers are on their knees in front of the ten foot line. On the others side of the net, one setter feeds […] The post Defensive shifts: Defending tips appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Purpose: A cooperative ball control drill that still encourages difficult attacking and strong communication. How it Works: One digger, one outside hitter and one setter are on one half of the court. Another three players line up in the same formation on the opposite side of the court, so attackers are hitting cross-court. The coach […] The post Continuous contact ball control appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Purpose: Teach your blockers to adjust to fast net play with small short-court games. The emphasis is on quick blocking decisions about whether to stay for the joust or pull off the net to cover tips. How it Works: Four players are on each team, playing inside within the 10-foot line (also known as short […] The post Short court: Helping organize your off-blockers appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Purpose: For setters to be efficient and quick, they must be aware of what's going on on the court. This drill requires the setter to pick up on and call different visual cues given to her by passers and hitters. The post Setting vision work appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Desperate to improve a mediocre season the previous year, a high school coach decided to play loud rock music during pre-game warm-up, practice drills, and scrimmages. His reasoning was that since the team played home games in a "matchbox" sized gym where sound levels reached ear-splitting proportions, similar practice conditions would give the team an […] The post Using music as a motivational force appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Have you tried meditation to enhance your athletic performance? "You've got to be kidding!" is a typical response. However, after understanding the benefits derived from as little as 10 minutes of meditation just before competing, most athletes are willing to give it a try, and, as a reward, they find their performance becomes more consistent. […] The post Meditate on power phrases appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Sports movies you can show to your team before a contest or have them watch together in small groups in the off-season is great for team building. Movie: Bend it Like Beckham Best audiences: Women's teams, but all team sports would get something out of this film. Plot: A young female soccer player with Indian […] The post Lessons from the movie Bend it Like Beckham appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Worthwhile planning can't be done just before the school year or season starts. For planning to be productive, it must be an ongoing process; the outgrowth of continuous observation as well as input from your staff. Start the process by scheduling a general coaches' meeting as soon as possible after the season. Ask pivotal questions […] The post Goal review questions help plan for the future appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

An athletic event is a laboratory on non-verbal behaviors. Coaches must have an intimate knowledge to understand the motives of others (players, opposing coaches, officials) and to convey their own messages using silent language. The power of understanding non-verbal signals is incredible. Imagine the following: What if a coach could "read" when an opposing coach […] The post 6 ways to analyze non-verbal cues appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

1| Handle with care. The easiest way to catch a cold is from touching the hands of a cold sufferer. The best way to avoid one is to keep your hands to yourself and to wash hands frequently. Keep your own hands away from your mouth, nose, and eyes. About 200 viruses can cause a […] The post 6 ways to avoid the flu appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Great teamwork comes when team members are committed to working together instead of being told they must work together. Here are five steps to bring teams together. 1| Ask each member to answer this question: On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being ideal, where do we rank in terms of working together […] The post 5 steps to address areas of team weakness appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

You strive to get the most out of every single player. Sometimes it can be a challenge to even determine what is holding an individual player back from reaching his or her full potential. You grade based on film study, but there are other ways to measure the value of an athlete’s performance – and […] The post 5 questions to evaluate performance appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Mental toughness keeps athletes going when the going gets tough. There is no doubt the road to success is rocky with plenty of obstacles. Just as athletes can get physically stronger, they can get mentally tougher. You only get good at things you do repeatedly. If you want to get physically stronger, then you need […] The post 2 ways to get mentally tougher appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Head Coach at Iowa State University, Christy Johnson-Lynch, talks about the mental game of being a setter. The key is to have a neutral stance no matter if you are setting behind to the right side hitter or in front to the outside hitter. The setter's hands should be neutral and above the head before […] The post Setting deception: Be tricky? Or be consistent? appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.