The Art of Coaching Volleyball

Sean Byron of Marist College shows how hitters have to adjust to the pass (and the subsequent set) by rotating their body, keeping it open to the court. For instance, when a setter has to pull off the net to set an off pass, the outside hitter should take several stops outside of the court […] The post How to train your hitters to adjust based on the pass appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Purpose: Fun and tiring 2 vs. 2 drills to encourage players to be crafty, efficient and creative with their touches. How it works: A ball is initiated by a coach. Players can only catch the ball once per side and then immediately throw it back over the net. Players should try to get a kill […] The post 2 vs. 2 warm-up games appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

When taking in new athletes and players, it's critical to identify their serving strengths and weaknesses. Once this is done, the next step is to create a roadmap of how they can improve their serve based on 5 considerations: Strength Ball contact Toss Strength (core, shoulder, wrist, elbow) Mental drills Identify drills that will correct […] The post Creating individualized serving roadmaps appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Christy Johnson-Lynch, head coach at Iowa State, talks in this video about keeping the ball in the middle of the body when passing. Passers should face the server but angle the arms toward the setter. In her view, it's important to keep the ball in the middle of the body whenever possible, whether it's a […] The post Keep it midline appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Luka Slabe, assistant coach on the U.S. women's national team, says it's crucial to use both arms to gain momentum on a hitting approach. Avoid the "chicken arm" and go for a powerful, "big double arm lift" for better elevation. A simple drill to reinforce this is having players hit balls one at a time […] The post Why the double arm lift is crucial to good attacking appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Ryan Theis, head coach at Marquette, offers a tip to train young setters on proper hand position. Teaching young setters proper form sometimes takes intricate coaching cues. Theis says thumbs should be pointed backward on contact, and the follow through should result in flat hands. These cues will help players "shape the ball" and adjust […] The post Thumbs back to flat should be the norm for all setters appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Karch Kiraly says preparing players for game scenarios involves running realistic drills. One way to do this is by adding a passer to setting drills. Every time a coach tosses a ball to initiate the play, the setter loses an opportunity to learn to read the pass and the platform. Let players respond to a […] The post Keeping your setters eyes on the platform appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Three-time USA Olympic coach Terry Liskevych says that winning is important, but just as important is the process that works toward that goal. First comes the process, then comes the outcome. He emphasizes that there will be no positive outcome if there's no accountability during the process. This means falling in love with the process, […] The post A foolproof way to produce good outcomes appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Karch Kiraly, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and current coach of the U.S. women's national team, knows volleyball better than almost anyone else - but he says he never wants to stop learning about it. As a coach, you run a team from top to bottom: managing staff and players, keeping motivation alive, planning practices […] The post Learning is job number one for a coach appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Christy Johnson-Lynch, head coach at Iowa State, offers this tip for setters, especially young ones who sometimes aren't quick enough to reach the ball: Always focus on getting the ball above the right eye. This will help position setters to be balanced when they set and take a big, powerful step forward to push the […] The post Why setters should keep the ball over their right eye appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Using the back-row attack used to be Mark Rosen's bail out ball in out-of-system situations. Now, he has realized using the back-row in-system adds a new layer to the offense. Another addition he has made to their offense is moving the back-row "bic" attack with the setter so that this play is always being run […] The post Back-row attacking: Moving with the setter appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

With pepper you can learn alot of different skills: reading, defense, ball control, etc. Make sure your players are able to "work the moves" with these pepper variations: Pepper with only the person closest to the net hitting Pepper where the hit is either high (Defender has to take with their hands) or low (defender […] The post Individual defense: Pepper Variations appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

  Terry Liskevych challenges the players mental agility in this eye sequencing drill that increases in difficulty each round. Looking for small cues at these points of contact with the ball are crucial for any defensive player to pick up on. The post Eye sequencing drill with Terry Liskevych appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Purpose: A fun, competitive drill that simulates the dodgeball system of eliminating players based on who makes the point-ending mistake. How it Works: 5 players are on each both sides of the net. A serve initiates the point - whoever makes the mistake that ends the point goes to the wall and performs a wall-sit […] The post Dodgeball drill: Learning unorganized play appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.

Two-time Olympic medalist Christa Dietzen talks here about the lessons she learned about leadership from her parents. Topics include: Taking responsibility Pushing through roadblocks "Meeting people where they’re at” so you can work alongside teammates/coworkers who may have different backgrounds or beliefs. The post Leadership starts at home appeared first on The Art of Coaching Volleyball.