Finding it hard to fit in all the sport performance exercises needed during weight room and conditioning sessions? In volleyball, we have already established that sport performance conditioning is vital to the athlete’s success. Firstly, it keeps athletes injury free, and second, it aids in performance gains. As established in previous articles, the two most critical movements in volleyball are triple extension (including the most important landing phase) and rotation around the spine. Within these movements, the body must work like a well-tuned chorus over repeated bouts of activity through one day, week, month, year, and career of playing the game. Core conditioning and how the athlete’s body moves around the pelvis, becomes an integral part of the training process.
With limited time to teach skills and systems play; it can be hard to fit everything in that really benefits your student-athletes. For those at the grade school, club, and high school levels; the total amount of contact time with your athletes is extremely limited. For those coaching college, the time is externally limited (i.e. NCAA weekly sport participation rules during different phases of the season).
Adding in some exercises at the beginning or end of practice could serve to bridge the training gap. These exercises, done in any order of succession, can help your athletes not only stay injury free but also build up a working economy of over-all fitness.
Make sure to tailor these exercises and the time spent doing them to your specific needs. Exercises can be done in partners, groups, or individually with the wall as the rebounding device. You can choose to go for reps or time.
Med-ball Throws
• Chest pass
• Square shoulder side throw to partner
• Facing sideways throw to partner
• Shot put throw to your partner
• Back to back side passes with partner
• Seated sit-up overhead throws
• Side to side seated twists and throw
• Wall over the back side to side underhand throws
• Over-head V slams (slam the ball overhead in the shape of a V)
• 2 legged bound jump in and then explode out chest throw to wall
Core Work
• Plank (can be made more challenging with leg lift)
• Side plank (can be made more challenging with leg lift)
• Hip bridges
• Thera-ball circles (plank position and draw circles each direction)
• Thera-ball push-ups
• Thera-ball perturbations (hold push up position on theraball while partner tries to slightly move you off balance)
