A quick look at the new content posted to The Art of Coaching Volleyball website between February 25th – March 4th. In addition to the update we announce a new Club Membership Promotion that gives an extra 3 months free to those clubs that become members in the month of March. This means that your…
Team Drills
4 on 4 Dig-Set Drill
This drill, run by John Sample at Texas Advantage Volleyball Club in Dallas, is a great way to train teams to adjust to out-of-system balls. Here’s how it works: Four players on each side. The coach initiates the ball. One person is digging in the back row, another player is setting in the back row.…
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
2 vs. 1 side out drill
This is a great drill – fun and very competitive. And because it involves only three players, everybody gets lot of touches. It works this way: Two players receive serve on one side, one player serves on the other side. An ace earns the server a point. If the receiving team gets the ball back…
Serving Drills
2 vs. 1 side out drill
This is a great drill – fun and very competitive. And because it involves only three players, everybody gets lot of touches. It works this way: Two players receive serve on one side, one player serves on the other side. An ace earns the server a point. If the receiving team gets the ball back…
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
Pepper: It is good for your game
Pepper has taken some knocks in recent years for not being game-like enough. But it has a purpose. As Oregon State Coach Terry Liskevych points out here, it’s no different than soccer players juggling a soccer ball – it’s about developing a good touch with the ball. Watch here as Liskevych narrates a team pepper…
Stats
5 Volleyball Stats that Make a Difference
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 determining…
Training
Volleyball-simulated strength workouts to prevent injury
Here’s a great post-practice circuit workout that will reduce your athletes’ injury risks by strengthening key muscles used in volleyball. Among the exercises explained by University of San Diego assistant Marie Zidek: • Squats • Planks • Yoga-style moves • Lunge and twist • Scissor jumps • Squat, touch, block • Giant arm circles with…
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
Mike Sealy on offensive strategies
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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…
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
4 on 4 Dig-Set Drill
This drill, run by John Sample at Texas Advantage Volleyball Club in Dallas, is a great way to train teams to adjust to out-of-system balls. Here’s how it works: Four players on each side. The coach initiates the ball. One person is digging in the back row, another player is setting in the back row.…
Hitting Drills
4 on 4 Dig-Set Drill
This drill, run by John Sample at Texas Advantage Volleyball Club in Dallas, is a great way to train teams to adjust to out-of-system balls. Here’s how it works: Four players on each side. The coach initiates the ball. One person is digging in the back row, another player is setting in the back row.…
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
4 on 4 Dig-Set Drill
This drill, run by John Sample at Texas Advantage Volleyball Club in Dallas, is a great way to train teams to adjust to out-of-system balls. Here’s how it works: Four players on each side. The coach initiates the ball. One person is digging in the back row, another player is setting in the back row.…
What Makes a Good Coach
Terry Liskevych on the basics of coaching
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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…