How can you improve  your team’s passing consistency and serve receive? In this video Western Kentucky Head Coach Travis Hudson shares a key coaching point to help players be more consistent in their passing.

While it would be nice if players were able to take every ball in the middle of their body, the reality is that they often must receive ball outside of the midline of their bodies. Coach Hudson offers the following coaching point to help players improve their passing consistency on balls that they receive are outside their midline. He tells his players that if the ball is between them and the sideline they should be aggressive with their hands and extend forward. Their hands must get in front of their body line in order to get the ball on the target line. This is true not matter where they are on the court.

In the event that the ball is between the player and the middle of the court, the player must be patient. They will play the ball behind their body line in order to get the ball on the target line. This rule applies no matter where the player is on the court. Too often players will play the ball that is to the side of them with their arms even with their body. The result is that the ball is passed straight forward and away from the target line.

In the clip Coach Hudson demonstrates this simple concept. Coach Hudson’s techniques have made his program one of the most consistent ball control teams in the country. This clip is from his instruction DVD: Developing Consistency in Serve Receive & Passing.  In his DVD he shares 14 drills that he utilizes as well as his philosophy that allows players to be in a consistent position in order to get reliable results. For more information about that DVD click the link above.

The YouTube video below has audio, so please make sure that your sound is turned on and that you have access to the site. Note that some schools block access to YouTube.

Proper swing mechanics of the arm swing will result in more powerful attacks and fewer injuries. In this clip you will see key teaching points for proper swing mechanics as well as common mistakes made by players.

Coach Terry Miller is the presenter in this clip. The Swing Mechanics discussion is just one part of his presentation on Hitting Fundamentals. You can gain access to the entire presentation at Glazier Volleyball Clinics. His presentation also includes instruction the approach, setting systems and many video examples.

Coach Miller believes that many problems can be solved by teaching your athletes to use their left arm (for right-handed hitters) to measure the ball.  By measuring the ball he means, tracking the ball and extending the left arm and point to where you think it will be. This will allow the athlete to swim with that arm and get the benefit of a full shoulder turn. Without the left arm extended the hitter will lose power and his also more likely to dip their shoulder, thus causing more ball to clip the net.

The hitter should also be reminded to keep their right elbow above their shoulder. They should lead with the elbow and connect over top. Their backs should be arched back. This will allow them to utilize their core and produce much more power. If the hitter is straight, she will not be able to use her core effectively and will become an arm hitter. She will be less powerful and could potentially develop shoulder problems.

The most common mistakes:

1. Left shoulder dip – correct by having them reach and point with their left hand.
2. Hitting elbow below the shoulder – Correct by telling them to lead with the elbow
3. Bad Choices – teach them to take what the set gives you.
4. Landing on one foot – teach them to land softly on two feet.

The video below has audio, please make that your volume is turned up. Click the arrow to play the video.

 

 

Defending tips must be part of your defensive plan. Do not leave your team vulnerable to this tactic. In this video clip Coach Mike Johnson, associate coach at Notre Dame, demonstrates an effective Tip Drill.

Your defenders not involved in the block must be positioned properly and prepared to defend a variety of attacks, including the tip. In this tip drill one team is attacking and one is defending. The defending team must control five balls from the attacking team in a 1 minute time span. The attacking team will receive a free ball to start the tip drill. The attacking team should mix-up their attack such that the defense does not know when a tip is coming.

The front row players are not allowed to jump. They must use the proper footwork and get in position to block, but they will not be involved in defending the attack. The front row player not involved in the block, must position themselves properly and help defend the attack.

This tip drill teaches the defenders to read the setter and the hitter in an attempt to determine what type play the offense is getting ready to use. The defending team must control five balls in 1 minute in order to rotate out. Coach Johnson also shares his NO GO Rule which states that if a team does not pursue a ball the lose all of their points. In this tip drill it would mean they would go back to zero controlled balls.

This drill is just one of many drills and instructional tips that Coach Johnson shares in his DVD. For more information about this DVD click the link: Skill Development Drills: Defense.

The YouTube video below has audio, so please make sure that your sound is turned on and that you have access to the site. Note some schools block access to YouTube. Click the arrow to play

The article is provided by Coaches Choice and is taken from the eBook: Coaching Volleyball:Defensive Fundamentals and Techniques edited Kinda S. Lenberg.The entire eBook may be found at the Coaches Choice Volleyball Coaching Library.

By Don Shondell,Ph.D

The spike’s velocity and the attacker’s closeness to the blocker make blocking unquestionably the quickest skill in volleyball. Strong blocking is a requirement for success, especially in men’s volleyball, where speed makes balls hit into the gap between players virtually impossible to dig. The blocker’s responsibility—if he cannot “roof” the ball for a quick score or side-out—is to channel the ball to the digger or deflect it to a teammate.

The Psychological Aspect of Blocking

Blocking success can be measured in various ways, but perhaps most important is the psychological intimidation of the opponent. Intimidated attackers often hit out or resort to the tip to avoid being blocked. An aggressive attacker’s whole game can be destroyed through the embarrassment of having several balls blocked in the face.

The Skill of Blocking

Mental Preparation

Limited time makes the blocker’s preliminary preparation for actual contact vital. The blocker must deal with many variables, some out of his control. Players must use what they know about opponents to set up correctly prior to the attack. Blockers can be alerted through scouting reports to opponents’ tendencies by rotation, setters’ habits, and preferred plays and routes run by the attackers. Shot charts can inform them about hitters’ shots in specific circumstances. For example: “Deep set—attacker hits to 5-zone corner. Tight set inside antenna— attacker normally hits line or outside wipe-off shot. Medium depth set outside antenna—attacker hits sharp crosscourt.” Such information helps blockers position themselves properly to stop attackers’ preferred shots.

Physical Preparation

The blocker should start with hands about head high, elbows in and pointing forward, palms facing the net, hands at a 45-degree angle to the floor, and fingers spread. Hands are firm. The blocker starts as close to the net as possible, while still allowing enough space to raise the arms vertically without touching the net.

For the blocker to be able to adjust to where the ball is hit, the legs should be slightly flexed and a rapid stutter step used to overcome inertia and to speed the adjustment. This footwork is especially important when “read” blocking in the middle and when a quick move must be made to block a second option on a combination play. A player blocking in the middle in a read-block situation must also extend the arms almost completely before reading the setter’s delivery. As a result, the blocker will have to jump with the legs only, but the extension of the arms should give him enough height above the net to prevent a straight-down, undiggable hit. The blocker’s extended arms will put the hands over the net more quickly as he reads the quick set. In blocking one-on-one, players should spread the arms slightly wider than in team blocking, because skilled middle attackers will cut the ball to either side of the single blocker.

The Read

In the read, the blocker watches the attackers out of the corner of the eye while concentrating on the setter, clueing in on where and at what speed and height the ball will be delivered. As the ball is passed to the setter, some setting options may be eliminated, while others become more obvious. The blocker must adjust initially with the pass and again as the ball is set. Watching the setter, the blocker must be ready to tell teammates if the attacker is moving inside or swinging to the opposite zone (where he must be picked up by another blocker if the blocking team is using a zone defense.) In a match-up defense, the blocker stays with the assigned hitter by sliding behind the adjacent blocker. However, if the assigned attacker is hitting a one set, the blocker assigned to the quick hitter should slide in front of the adjacent blocker.

The Block

If the ball is set quickly, the blocker must try to block the attacker’s preferred angle. A blocker’s right hand should be against the spiking hand of a right-handed power angle hitter. Cut-back hitters should be blocked straight on, with a blocker’s right hand slightly to the right side to cut off the sharp angle hit.

The blocker knows when to jump according to how deep the set is from the net and how hard the attacker hits the ball. Jumping too quickly sacrifices aggressiveness and the element of surprise. Generally, on balls hit deeper than 30 inches off the net, the hitter should contact the ball before the blocker extends the arms across the net. On sets closer than 30 inches, the blocker must commit earlier. If the set is on the net, the blocker surrounds the ball with the hands at virtually the same time that the attacker makes contact with it. (Note: The rules state that if the ball is completely on the attacker’s side of the net, the attacker must touch the ball before the blocker. However, simultaneous contact is seldom called.)

Find more great volleyball coaching e-books at Coaches Choice Volleyball Coaching Library

Blocking success can be measured in various ways,but perhaps the most important is the psychological intimidation of the opponent.

When starting the blocking arm action, the blocker must be aware of the ball’s velocity and its depth and angle in relation to the net. Ideally, the blocker either intercepts and rebounds the ball into the opponent’s midcourse (preferably in front of the three-meter line) or deflects it into his own backcourt in a controlled manner, enabling it to be set and attacked. The blocker must be aware of the position of the body, arms, and hands as he rebounds the ball. (Practicing the blocking arm action in front of a mirror and analyzing the arm and hand position is helpful.)

The arm movement should be rapid and directly penetrate the net. The hands should be firm with the fingers spread to improve ball control and provide the greatest blocking surface. Just before contacting the ball, the blocker should pike the hips, shrug the shoulders, and tense the hands to help stabilize the airborne body and provide a force counter to the hard-driven volleyball. According to Newton’s third law of physics, a force contacting a body suspended in air will result in an equal and opposite reaction by another part of the body. The lack of a spiking action is often what drives the blocker’s body into the net.

There are moments in matches when a point is seemingly bigger than all the others. Coaches, players and even fans recognize the moment.The moment where it feels like “this next point is worth more than 1.” Simply put, the teams that play these points the best are the ones that win championships.

In the clip below  Silvia Johnson, Metro Volleyball Club – Director (Washington, D.C., VA, MD), 2015 Girl’s Junior 18 National Champions; demonstrates a drill that she calls Money Ball. This is a great drill to simulate the pressure that comes with the big moments in matches.

Money Ball begins with one team serving the first point to the other. After the first point is played, the coach will start the next six points by giving each team three down balls. Upon completion of the seventh point, the setter on the team that is ahead will choose whether to serve orserve receive the next point.  This point is what Coach Johnson calls the money ball.  The score might be 4-3, 5-2, 6-1 or even 7-0 at this point. In order to win your points you must win the money ball. For example if you are up 6-1 but lose the money ball, you get zero points and the other team gets one point. The only way to score is to when the money ball point. Games are usually played to 25

Coach Johnson’s Money Ball drill is taken from her DVD  Best of Club Volleyball: Competitive Drills & Games is just one of 7 competitive drills that she shares. For more information about that DVD click the link above.

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