As a coach of many different age groups at 949 Volleyball in California and a former NCAA Player of the Year at Stanford, Cary Wendell Wallin has a high volleyball IQ. Art of Coaching asked her recently to create a “Don’t Do” list of mistakes she sees frequently. Here are 11 good ones – or bad ones – that she came up with:
- Never think, “Don’t miss my serve.” This inevitably makes you miss your serve and usually with a less aggressive effort.
- Don’t bail out from a ball because you think someone else has it. Always move toward the ball and in front of or behind another player as backup.
- Don’t watch the hitter hit the ball when you’re in a coverage position. You should be looking at the court so you can tell the hitter what is open when they’re swinging (or tipping) or looking at the block so you’re ready to respond to a blocked ball.
- If you just aced a player on the other side, don’t take the pressure off by serving someone else.
- Try not to be out of position on defense. It’s one thing to read a play and react, but it’s another to creep way into no man’s land and then have the ball land right where you were supposed to be standing.
- Don't give up completely as a middle who didn’t initially make the correct blocking move. Either hustle and get over the net (even if you haven’t closed the block) and let the defense fill the holes, or, if you really can’t get there, come in low and be ready to cover the tip.
- Don’t watch a game from the sidelines like a ping pong match. Watch for what is open for the hitter in your position. Tell them during time outs what holes are in the other team’s defense. By doing this, you become a contributor from the sidelines. I even like my bench players to call balls out on the other team’s serve if it’s really obvious.
- Don’t have your hands on your knees during serve receive. In that state of rest, you’re not as ready to react.
- Don’t fall down for balls before you get to them. Run to the ball and dig it first, then worry about how you’re hitting the ground.
- If you’re a setter, don’t forget to tell your hitters what they’re hitting in serve receive and also what the free ball play is. By doing this, you avoid basic communication errors that may cost critical points. If you’re a hitter and you don’t know the free-ball play or the serve-receive set, find out.
- Don’t tip on game point. You always want to go out swinging.