The Art of Coaching Volleyball

  A comprehensive look at every front set in volleyball, narrated and demonstrated by University of San Diego associate head coach Brent Hilliard, a former Olympic bronze medalist and NCAA Player of the Year. His setter for these videos is Rachel Morris, who played for the University of Oregon.   '2' set Set in the […]

Purpose: To improve ball control, overhead passing in the back row, controlled digging, coverage and transition. How it works: Set-up with four players on each side - left back (LB), right back (RB), left front (LF) and right front (RF) - and any additional players lined up in two lines on one endline. The coach […]

Don Patterson | AOC senior content manager Coaches who have been in this game a long time know that error-correction involves a lot more than telling players they’re doing something wrong and explaining how to do it right. It’s more nuanced than that, and if you can figure out how to do it well, you’ll […]

  WORK THROUGH THE TEACHING PROGRESSION Tennis ball and partner working on their swing from the ground, no jumping. Progress to a volleyball from the ground. Put a player on a box with tennis balls or smashed cups Coach tosses the ball to a player on the box Player broad jumps to attack (don’t worry […]

Don't joust the setter, they will get you every time! The advantage of the setter in the joust is often based upon their size and ability compared with the blocker across the net. Setters are used to jumping up and down and are comfortable with two hands on the block. Do you push your blockers […]

    Every coach knows that there is always an ebb and flow to practice. Creating a practice plan takes careful planning and coordination, requiring that a coach knows his or her team and their specific needs. Tod Mattox, head volleyball coach at Bishop High School, leads you through a detailed description of how he […]

    Clinician: Mike Schall, coach at Triangle Volleyball Club   Purpose: To focus on various skills using an atypical game approach   How it works: In a baseball game, one team pitches while the other tries to score as many runs as possible. This competitive 6-on-6 drill replicates that basic structure by having one […]

Mike Hebert | Formerly of the University of Minnesota Each person on the bus had received the same letter from the head coach. It said: “If you are going to travel as a guest with the university volleyball team, you will be asked to follow this very important rule. Do not use your cell phone or any […]

One question we get asked frequently by coaches is how they can best adjust their team's training for different points in the season. Week 1 is obviously going to be different than Week 10, and successful coaches understand how to build a foundation in the early part of the season that will lead to a […]

Terry Liskevych reviews "Coaching Better Every Season: A Year-Round System for Athlete Development and Program Success" by Wade Gilbert, an award-winning professor in the Department of Kinesiology at California State University, Fresno. "Coaching Better Every Season" will help to show you how to maximize the development of your athletes and team throughout the year, and […]

This is a great drill to evaluate a player's all-around volleyball skills. One player is on each side of the net, and 1 “sub” is at a net pole or behind the court. The game goes for 3 minutes. The court is divided in half the long way. The drill starts when one player “bowls” […]

  Jill Kramer talks about the five R's of blocking starting with ready, recognize, read, respond, remember. Kramer also shows us a variety of useful drills to work of these R's for both middle and outside blockers.

A big part of getting players to perform their best is making sure they’re eating the right things at the right time. By Don Patterson Experts will tell you that eating and drinking is as much a part of playing good volleyball as fitness training and practicing skills. Not surprisingly, the Penn State women’s team, […]

In this question and answer session, hear Mike Sealy’s responses to questions from coaches. The answers reflect the training techniques and game strategies he has used with his teams at UCLA. Topics range from blocking strategies, swing blocking pros and cons and perimeter defense strategies. Regarding blocking, he says the following: “You can have a […]

This is a good drill to determine how well outside hitters can deal with a challenging block/defense. Play begins when the ball gets “bowled” in deep to the 3-player side, which consists of a passer, setter, and attacker. Two or 3 players stand in line behind the court on that side, ready to enter as […]