The Art of Coaching Volleyball

Athletes sometimes tend to fool themselves into thinking they are better than they are and can't accept not playing or competing. They become antagonistic toward the coach, blame him or her, and generally are disgruntled and unhappy. This soon leads to problems that can harm the entire team. Once athletes accept the responsibility for playing […] The post Stay mentally alert on the bench appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Purpose: Teach players the basics of passing technique during an efficient, high-rep drill. How it Works: Warm-up passing by having partners toss 5-10 easy balls to one another, focusing on staying low and keeping the arms straight throughout the movement. Transition into the butterfly drill, where players rotate through the tossing, passing and catching positions. […] The post Enforcing passing keys using the butterfly drill appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Purpose: Use the AcuSpike to train players to hit the ball straight-on in out-of-system plays. How it works: Set up the AcuSpike in left front facing middle back, simulating a set from an out-of-system play. Attackers will line up behind the 10-foot line and perform several reps each, contacting the ball straight on and directing […] The post Using AcuSpike to practice out-of-system attacking appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Purpose: Work on foot movement to get in good position for passing, get plenty of passing reps and work on player conditioning How it works: Players get into groups of 3 with one passer at the net and tossers on both sides of the net, a few feet behind the attack line. Tosser #1 tosses […] The post Footwork for passing: Deep and short appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

  Clinician: Lauren Carlini, four-time NCAA All-American and member of the USA National Team Purpose: To work on executing higher sets How it works: The player sets up about 5 feet away from the wall with a ‘triangle’ hand position on the ball. She makes a single high set against the wall, then catches the […] The post Wall work: High wall setting appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Clinician: Russ Rose, head coach at Penn State University Key Points: Watch to learn a few of Russ's rules for club coaches at the beginning of club season. They include: 1. Don't put too much emphasis on making sure your team is in mid-season form at the beginning of club season. 2. Focus on developing […] The post Russ Rose’s rules for club season appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Players want to be at the peak of their block jump when the ball is intercepting the net. This drill from Terry Liskevych has the coach tossing the ball from BEHIND the blocker to a hitter on the other side of the net in order to train the blocker's eye work and timing. The post Increasing defensive range: Drill to teach blocking timing appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Clinician: Ron Kordes, associate director at Kiva Volleyball Club Purpose: A dynamic drill that includes free ball repetitions, simulated covering after a block, and out-of-system situations. This drill can be adjusted to fit the skill level of the team. How it works: Six players play out a free ball initiated from a teammate on the […] The post Dynamic free ball and out-of-system drill appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Clinician: Kirsten Bernthal Booth, head coach at Creighton Purpose: Use a pepper series to warm up ball control, communication and leadership. How it works: Perform the following pepper drills: Alternate high and low swings, making the digger pass and dig with their hands. Follow the standard pepper sequence, but replace the “hit” with a tip, […] The post NEW pepper series warm-up appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Clinician: John Dunning, former head coach at Stanford Purpose: Learn the importance of facilitating out-of-system drills in practice to prepare for matches. How it works: Dunning describes how the majority of his practice plan is based on out-of-system drills. The setter must learn to adapt her placement and offense strategy based on a range of […] The post Practicing in and out of system appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Clinician: Russ Rose, head coach at Penn State, and Ray Bechard, head coach at University of Kansas Purpose: The coaches talk about bringing out the best in your players. Bechard emphasizes the importance of blocking and serving. Rose explains why he includes a lot of competitive drills in practice rather than spending extensive time on […] The post Honing a team’s strengths and fostering heart appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Karsta Lowe, a former UCLA All American and a member of the 2016 U.S. Olympic bronze medal team, shares three tips here on how opposites can improve their hitting percentage. Wait, then get on the ball fast. If you’re disciplined enough to delay your hitting approach, you’ll have a better view of the block/defense and […] The post Karsta Lowe: 3 keys to improving your right-side attack appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Clinician: Debbie Brown, former head coach at the University of Notre Dame Purpose: Work on dig to set transitions as well as covering the ball as if a blocker were present. How it works: Have one player in each back-row position. A coach will be in right front and another coach will be in left […] The post Dig, set, cover drill variations appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Want to increase your blockers efficiency and movement? Ben Josephson & Mark Barnard stress the need to make adaptations in blocking based on the opposing team's strengths. Correct each blockers form by focusing on one player's particular tendencies; have the blocker repeat several block progressions, watching closely for appropriate tweaks. Your corrections can include hand […] The post Blocking technique and strategy appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

When choosing a lineup for games, several factors must be considered: the opponent, your team’s confidence in certain rotations, your team’s depth of subs, and how a change in the lineup from game to game could impact your team’s confidence. Rose explains that he is not tied to either an immovable or always-changing rotation but […] The post Game plans and choosing a lineup appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.