The Art of Coaching Volleyball

The simple drill you’ll see here is a great way for setters to improve their touch and agility. It requires them to set the ball from a sitting position, then quickly stand up and set, then sit back down and set again. The challenge is to see how many reps you can do without blowing...

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Marie Zidek, an assistant volleyball coach at the University of San Diego and Art of Coaching Volleyball’s fitness expert, shares a 2-part exercise here that improves agility and also provides an aerobic workout. It’s competitive, fun and sure to help your players cover the court more quickly. Agility exercise No. 1 The first phase of...

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Pro beach volleyball player and Olympic silver medalist April Ross started her volleyball career where most players do – playing indoor volleyball. She even won the NCAA National Championship with USC in 2002. In this video, April reminisces about the coaching she received when she was younger, and discusses some of the qualities her coaches...

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The jump float serve has become one of the wickedest weapons in volleyball at all levels of the sport. To teach young players how to do it correctly, Oregon State assistant coach Emily Hiza reviews the basics here. Using a player to demonstrate, Hiza covers a progression of 4 points: Footwork, toss, armswing and contact....

Great coaches begin by being great students, and they never stop seeking the advice of others who have studied and taught the game. That speaks to the heart of our mission here at Art of Coaching Volleyball. If we can help you be a better coach by passing along the philosophies, training habits and methods...

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You’ve got to work just a little bit harder to follow your favorite player in volleyball. It’s not like football or basketball, where your favorite player is likely to be on TV today, tomorrow, the next day and every day thereafter. But finding a volleyball hero is worth the effort, says Mike Schall, coach at...

Stanford Coach John Dunning explains here that executing a successful setter dump in volleyball is more about being deceptive than it is about getting the ball to the floor quickly. With that in mind, hand-positioning is important. Until the very last second, you want the other team to think the setter is going to set...

Team chemistry doesn’t begin and end with players. The coach is a factor, too. Andrea Becker, a sports psychologist who assists the UCLA men’s volleyball team as well as the U.S. men’s national team, says it’s not only important for coaches to get to know their players – it’s also important for coaches to let...

With playoffs nearing and Bishop’s maintaining its undefeated record in the Coastal Volleyball League, Knights coach Tod Mattox continues to emphasize little things in practice so his players can upgrade good play to great play. In this session, the team works on everything from disguising its tips to the rhythm of two of its most...

From the first week of the season, Penn State coach Russ Rose makes it clear to his players that he wants them to play with a high level of energy. Here, while addressing his team in a preseason practice, he spends a minute not only talking about why energy is important on the volleyball court...