A quick look at the new content posted to The Art of Coaching Volleyball website between March 4th and March 11th. 4 v 4 Dig-Set Drill Strength Workouts Offensive System Breakdown Box Drill 2014 Clinic Registration
Team Drills
Front-row defense drill
The drill you’ll see here, run by Austin Performance players under the direction of Coach Miguel Saenz, has a little something for everybody. Here are its two main purposes: 1. Middle blockers work on being disciplined and staying in base – seeing the ball, chasing it down and putting up a solid, well-formed block. 2.…
Philosophy
The great coaching debate: Be positive or be tough?
You’ve surely heard that you’ll be a more effective coach if you maintain a positive demeanor in the gym. But you may have asked yourself this: Isn’t being perpetually positive sending a message that it’s all good all the time when, in fact, it’s not always all good? If your players are screwing up, what’s…
Beach
Defensive Tips with Brooke Sweat
Huntington Beach Winner Brooke Sweat gives a couple defensive cues she has learned over the years: 1) Read the hitter as well as the ball to get an idea if the hitter is early or late 2) Make sure you’re stopped on defense when the hitter is making contact with the ball
At home drills
Wall serving drill emphasizing correct weight distribution
When serving a floater in volleyball, shifting your weight properly with your feet is an important part of producing a tough serve. Portland State Coach Michael Seemann teaches a warm-up drill here that helps players use their feet in a way that will improve their serve.
Nutrition
5 Essential Nutrition Tips for Volleyball Players
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,…
Defense Drills
Off the Net Scrap Drill
The Off the Net Scrap Drill helps your players get used to fighting for every ball. Even the ones that end up in the net.
Serving Drills
Scoring points in volleyball with the one-handed jump float
The one-handed jump float is sometimes more effective when the server hits at 80 percent pace rather than trying to pound it at top speed. Portland State volleyball coach Michael Seemann explains in this video why reducing speed often produces better contact, less spin and more control – all good things.
Beginner
Volleyball Serving for Beginning Players
Cary Wendell Wallin, a former NCAA Player of the Year at Stanford who is now Director of Player Development at 949 Athletics in Orange County, Calif., covers the basics of serving in this video, from how to hold the toss to the hand-positioning to the follow-through. This is a great guide for coaches who are…
Warm up Drills
The importance of sport performance training
Marie Zidek, assistant volleyball coach at University at Buffalo, shares an interesting statistic at the beginning of this presentation: Most volleyball injuries occur in the first 20 percent of a deceleration movement. So when you strike the ball for a serve or spike, you’re most likely to hurt yourself right after the ball leaves your…
Training
Competition makes volleyball reps more fun
Let’s face it – performing the same skill over and over can feel like a chore. But it is a necessary part of volleyball training. You aren’t going to reach your potential if you don’t get enough reps. So how do you inject a little fun into your team’s reps? One way is to turn…
Offense
Volleyball players don’t have to be 6-foot-2 to earn playing time
The game gets a little bigger every year, which means that, yes, there are a lot of really tall outside hitters out there. But if you’re not so tall, don’t sweat it. As Joe Trinsey, technical coordinator for the U.S. women’s national team, explains here, there are two very good reasons why smaller players can…
Defense
Middle attacking approach
Pointing out that bad stuff often happens when the hitter has to attack a ball that’s too close to the net, Mike Schall explains the keys to a strong middle blocker approach. He emphasizes an explosive closing step and the importance of jumping vertically rather than horizontally. He also discusses where the setter should locate…
Transitions
Passing and setting in transition
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Articles
Research and Recommendations on Volleyball Recovery Techniques
A research paper and recommendation for improved recovery techniques for volleyball teams. By Ross Sullivan I have long had the belief that there is a window of opportunity to improve the recovery techniques that occur in NCAA volleyball, particularly when there is a short turn around between matches of 1 or 2 days, as exists…
Podcasts
How To Get To The Next Level
Terry Liskevych gives his thoughts on the mentality players need to have if they want to make it to the next level
Coaches Profile
Chicago Style Volleyball with Mother McAuley HS
Jen DeJarld is now in her ninth season as head coach of the Mother McAuley girls’ volleyball team in Chicago. A visit to one of her practices tells you a lot about why her team is consistently at the top of the rankings. Drills are competitive, creative and game-like, and each training session progresses from…
Setting Drills
Front-row defense drill
The drill you’ll see here, run by Austin Performance players under the direction of Coach Miguel Saenz, has a little something for everybody. Here are its two main purposes: 1. Middle blockers work on being disciplined and staying in base – seeing the ball, chasing it down and putting up a solid, well-formed block. 2.…
Hitting Drills
Continuous 4s volleyball drill
Mike Schall, coach at Triangle Volleyball Club in North Carolina, shares one of his favorite drills in this video: Continuous 4s. What he likes about it: 1. It involves a lot of players at the same time. 2. Players get a lot of “real” contacts that are game-like. Mike also says this drill encourages hitters…
Blocking Drills
Front-row defense drill
The drill you’ll see here, run by Austin Performance players under the direction of Coach Miguel Saenz, has a little something for everybody. Here are its two main purposes: 1. Middle blockers work on being disciplined and staying in base – seeing the ball, chasing it down and putting up a solid, well-formed block. 2.…
Serve Receive
Tier Drills with Terry Liskevych
Oregon State women’s coach Terry Liskevych talks in this video about a drill that helps teams learn to take care of business on their own side of the net. As he points out, it doesn’t matter whether the opponent is the best team in town or the worst – if your team doesn’t execute on…
Rotations
Serve Receive Drill
A drill that forces a team execute the serve receive and terminate six balls in a row.
Interviews
Competition makes volleyball reps more fun
Let’s face it – performing the same skill over and over can feel like a chore. But it is a necessary part of volleyball training. You aren’t going to reach your potential if you don’t get enough reps. So how do you inject a little fun into your team’s reps? One way is to turn…
Skills
Swing blocking in volleyball: Who should, who shouldn’t?
UCLA women’s volleyball coach Mike Sealy explains in this video how coaches can decide which players on their team should swing block and which shouldn’t. One criteria is body control. A player who can swing block and remain balanced is a good choice, but when players are less stable in their movements – sometimes, the…
What Makes a Good Coach
What You Hear Is Probably More Important Than What You Say
After nearly 30 years coaching college volleyball, Stanford’s John Dunning has had a whole lot of player meetings. Nowadays, he handles them differently than he did earlier in his career. When players come to his office to talk or pull him aside after practice with an issue, listening is his top priority, not problem-solving. Sometimes,…
Books
Inside Out Coaching and Seasons of Life
Joe Ehrmann, the coach profiled in the national bestseller Season of Life, explains how coaches at every level, from Little League to high school to NCAA Division I and even the professional leagues, can use sports to transform lives. Coaches have a tremendous platform, says Joe Ehrmann, a former Syracuse University All-American and NFL…