The Art of Coaching Volleyball

Mike Hebert | Formerly of the University of Minnesota Two decisions, above all others, await every coach. The first is who the program will recruit to play on the team. The second identifies which players will be selected to the starting lineup. But these decisions have fallen on hard times recently. Coaches have become overly […]

Jim Iams | Former USA Assistant Coach and Former Head Coach at University of Georgia For me, blocking is one of the most difficult skills to teach and assess. We all know about “penetration” and how important that is to successful blocking. However, I would contend there are several other key factors that may be even more […]

    Clinician: Mike Sealy, head women’s volleyball coach at UCLA Purpose: To stress the importance of passing consistently and serving tough. By isolating these two basic skills teams are pushed to focus on the building blocks of competition. How it Works: Three passers line up on one side to receive the ball. Three servers […]

    Clinician: Tom Hilbert, head women’s volleyball coach for Colorado State University Purpose: To train liberos to set both pin hitters How it works: This simple drill starts with two liberos in the back row and catchers in the pin positions. A coach tosses or hits the ball at one of the liberos. That […]

    In this drill, explained by La Jolla Country Day High School coach Peter Ogle, players seek their optimal serve by serving harder until they can't serve in. Once they miss, they've reached their limit.

    Clinician: Joe Sagula, head coach at University of North Carolina Purpose: To have players realize the importance of the score no matter how many distractions mid-game play creates. The physical presence of those points in the form of bright orange cones creates a more immediate and tangible loss or gain of points.   […]

Undersized players are often valuable to your team for the numerous skills they can bring to the court, but you need a strategy to compensate for what they won't be able to provide as blockers. Here, former Ohio State coach Jim Stone covers a number of key concepts that will help you determine a small-blocker […]

Are your passers inconsistent? Watch this! Tracking the ball and staying behind it are necessary for good passing. McMaster University coach Dave Preston teaches his players to assess the ball’s trajectory before it crosses the opposing team’s attack line. This gives the defense more time to get in position to receive the ball.

  It’s easy to get overwhelmed by numbers, so it’s a good idea to focus on statistics that are most meaningful to what you’re trying to accomplish. In this video, Joe Trinsey, technical coordinator for the U.S. women’s national team, shares philosophies followed in the USA gym regarding which stats matter most. He talks about […]

Knowledgeable volleyball coaches and trainers understand the importance of a well-planned dynamic warmup. These warmups consist of a series of very short exercises that not only prepare athletes to play but also condition them in a volleyball-specific way that will help their game long-term.   Our fitness guru at Art of Coaching Volleyball is Marie […]

Jim Iams | Former USA Assistant Coach and Former Head Coach at University of Georgia It was Sunday morning, and 3 volleyball coaches were meeting at the local coffee shop for their weekly discussion. Seven days earlier, they had agreed that the 5-1 was the system they wanted to use. However, they all faced the same dilemma. […]

Setting Basics – Hand Action

One of Mark Barnard’s trademarks as a volleyball coach is his ability to break down the game for players and staff in a way that is clear and easily understandable. And he does it on two continents: here in the U.S. as the head coach of the Oregon State women’s team, and in his native […]

Russ Rose | head coach, Penn State women’s team Coaches often copy what other coaches do, and that means many high school and club coaches look at what D1 college teams are doing – or even the national team – and try to apply it to their own teams. That’s not always a good idea. High level D1 […]

Penn State coach Russ Rose has built a program that sets the standard for college volleyball. On Dec. 20, 2014, his Nittany Lions swept BYU in three games to win a record-setting seventh NCAA D1 women’s championship. It was Penn State’s sixth title in the last nine seasons. In the gym, Rose demands a lot […]