The Art of Coaching Volleyball

  Clinician: Bond Shymansky, head women’s volleyball coach at University of Iowa Purpose: To make players focus on and communicate about what is next to train for the long rally in a game How it works: Line up three players on each side of the net with three players waiting to enter the court on […]

      Clinician: Jim Stone, former head women’s volleyball coach at Ohio State University Purpose: To teach the mechanics of effective blocking How it works: After describing the ultimate goal of the block, Jim Stone breaks down the skill in ways that let players identify the components of effective blocking from both the outside […]

  Good serve receiving leads to more scoring opportunities. In the “21 down” drill, players must string together as many perfect passes as possible. Instead of racking up points for good passes, though, a team loses points for imperfect passes. Receivers start with a max of 21 points and must avoid losing them all before […]

This is a great team work drill that is focused on hitting. Players will work individually but must rely on their teammates to get three consecutive attacks in the court in order to score one point.  

This is a great team work drill that is focused on hitting. Players will work individually but must rely on their teammates to get three consecutive attacks in the court in order to score one point.  

In this video Cathy George discusses defense, specifically how individual players can improve their defensive skills to better contribute to the team as a whole when it comes to stopping the opponent from scoring easily.

In this video Cathy George discusses defense, specifically how individual players can improve their defensive skills to better contribute to the team as a whole when it comes to stopping the opponent from scoring easily.

It’s getting close to crunch time for many teams who will soon be competing in tough matches in large tournaments and, if things go well, possibly even the Junior National Championships. The bigger the match, the more potential there is for players to feel pressure, so Art of Coaching decided to seek out a clutch […]

It’s getting close to crunch time for many teams who will soon be competing in tough matches in large tournaments and, if things go well, possibly even the Junior National Championships. The bigger the match, the more potential there is for players to feel pressure, so Art of Coaching decided to seek out a clutch […]

  In this video, Jackie Richter, varsity coach at Lakeville North High School and head coach for Mizuno Northern Lights Club Volleyball Program, helps you incorporate purpose and intentionality into your serve and block training. Specifically, you’ll learn five “lines of defense” that help players use their eyes and minds to gain an edge over […]

  In this video, Jackie Richter, varsity coach at Lakeville North High School and head coach for Mizuno Northern Lights Club Volleyball Program, helps you incorporate purpose and intentionality into your serve and block training. Specifically, you’ll learn five “lines of defense” that help players use their eyes and minds to gain an edge over […]

Emily Hiza | Colorado State Assistant Coach I like my liberos in left back. I’ll explain why in a little bit, but first let me tell you about our middles at Colorado State. One of them, Kirstie Hillyer, is 6-7, and the other, Axi Poletto, is 6-4. They both are quick laterally, and they’re a great fit […]

When assessing junior players, setting is most often the weakest skill. To remedy this, Australian National Team Coach Mark Barnard uses the 4-person setting drill. As players set balls from positions on and off the net, the goal is to get into position quickly, aligning the feet, knees and hips toward the target. This drill […]

  Clinician: Christy Johnson-Lynch, head women’s volleyball coach at Iowa State University Purpose: To improve overall ball control through a cooperative warm-up drill How it works: In this dynamic warm-up, every player has the opportunity to work on every skill. Players begin in five-on-five formation with no middle blocker. To start each rally, a coach […]

  This drill focuses on an individual hitter but also gives work to passers, blockers, and setters. Mark Rosen shows us a competitive way to condition hitters while making them play defense.