The following post is courtesy of Coach Tom Houser.  

Coach Houser is currently sixth all-time in career coaching victories in Virginia with a career record of 267-47. He has been coaching travel volleyball since 1991, and his teams have qualified for Jr Nationals 4 of the past 11 years. He is the owner of STAR Volleyball Services LLC which conducts numerous clinics around the country.  Click the link CoachHouser.com to gain access to more valuable coaching tools. You can also contact Coach Houser at [email protected]

Year after year.   When a pass is so far off target that a hitter has to set it, I’ve expected my athletes to set the ball to who’s asking for it.  Meanwhile, a teammate was supposed to be asking for it!

Last year I said “uncle.”   I had to find another way.  So, I implemented “setting hexagons”.  In fact, I now tell my hitters to “set the hexagons,” and like magic, hitters as young a 7th grade are setting each other!  I was actually amazed!

It’s really pretty simple.  One day I got to the gym early and put some court tape in the spots you see below.  

Reasoning for leaving out the middle and the C targets:  I really don’t want anyone setting a fast tempo set to our middle except a trained setter or right-side.

I don’t think the middle wants that either.  Also, since we were running a 6-2 offense last season, I wasn’t going to encourage my athletes to set a C either.

Please notice how I made the two front row hexagons off the net and inside the court.  Very safe sets for the non-setters on the team.  Nope, I will not allow my hitters to put 30% of those sets into the antenna, into the official, into the scorer’s table, etc. while they are trying for the perfect set.   Nope.  With the targets where I put them, now 90% our attempts will be close enough to attack; thus, I expect my hitters to tip, roll or hit those!   They want a perfect set?  From their OH?  From their MB? They’re joking, right?

Meanwhile, notice how the pipe and A targets are more aggressive.  Reason:  No antennas, referees, tables, etc. that can end the drill.  In other words, if a hitter is 5’ off target on a front row 3rd tempo left-side or right-side set, that’s too risky.  But if a pipe or A sets is 5’ off, the rally won’t end.  So, let’s go for those!

OK, how do I teach this?  On this day, our warm up drill was the “Shank Pass Drill”.  In this drill, 6 girls are at base, and I’m in their court with a ball in my hand.   I holler out “double block on their OH. GO!” The team moves to that position, the blockers jump, then I toss a ball anywhere on the court.  If the setter says, “Jenny TAKE IT!” then Jenny steps in and sets to a hexagon.  (On my team, the setter will take the ball unless she calls a name!).  The drill can be scored a number of ways:

1. The drill can end when x girls can do their spike approach, jump and catch the set.  Remember it’s a warm up drill, so not hitting.  (The pipe & A’s must be legally jumped for.)
2. Same as (a), but it must be completed in z minutes!  Every one short of the goal is a consequence.  Maybe one time up the bleachers.  Again, this is warmup, so be careful.  
3. Same as (b), but -1 anytime the set isn’t spike approachable.  

A few things.  

1. Change the command as often as you wish to “double on their back set,” or “triple on their middle” or “free ball”
2. Give your setter some balls that she can set.  But, again, encourage your setter to never say “help”.  Ask her call a name.  In fact, on my team, “help” is a 4-letter H word.  It is vball cursing and is not said.  
3. With doubles being called at the whim of every official in the USA, I recommend almost all non-setters use their arms to set.  
4. The girls on deck need to be handing the coach balls.  I move around during the drill, simulating a shank pass from all the diggers going in every direction, so I can’t drag a cart around with me. The an on-deck athlete can.  

Finally.   I struggled for years asking my 13’s, 14’s and 15’s hitters to set each other.  Then, in one practice, we’re doing it.  And now, in the future, all I have to do is remind them with, “If the ball comes to you, set a hexagon.”  

Volleyball coaches must be constantly training our setter and developing the next setter. Their level of play will determine whether or not we are a championship team. In the video clip below Lizzy Stemke, former University of Georgia Head Coach, shows you a progression of setter drills that can be used to develop your setters.

The clip is from a DVD that is dedicated to helping you train your setters. The DVD includes setter drills and instruction on mechanics, movement patterns and setter drills to help your setters become more confident in putting up hittable balls off of difficult passes. For more information about the DVD that this clip came from click the link Progressing Your Setters

The YouTube video has sound, so please make sure that your sound is turned on and that you have access to the site. Some schools block access to YouTube. If you are viewing in a school setting and having trouble getting the video to play, please contact your network administrator.

The following is a brief summary of the Setter Drill Progression demonstrated by Coach Stemke.

The setter is given 10 balls to set. She must set 8 of the 10 balls perfectly in order to progress to the next sequence. If the do not get 8 out of 10 the sequence must be repeated.

First Sequence – the setter will receive two different types of passes.(10 total)
The first pass is a perfect pass the must be set out (forward) She calls it a Go ball
The second pass is off the net and must be set back. She call this a Gus

Second Sequence – The setter receives two different types of passes (10 total)
The first pass is forward and is set to the outside
The second pass is off the net and also set outside

Third Sequence – The setter receives two different types of passes (10 total)
The first pass is perfect and the setter must execute a jump set backward (Gus)
The second pass is set far off the set. The setter uses and inside spin and sets out

You can obviously add other sequences to the drill using your own imagination. You can also change the criteria for success based on the skill level of your setters.

Fundamentals are important and must be practiced daily. Players may or may not look forward to those drills. That’s ok. Not everything has to be fun. To be great, we have to put in the work. There are no short cuts. However, there are times when we need to consider mixing things up. Players need to have certain drills that they think are fun. Drills that get them excited when they see them of the practice schedule. Below are two fun volleyball games, that you can use to have some fun and also get some good work in.

The video below is a clip from a Glazier Volleyball Clinic. The presenter is Terry Miller, head coach at Cherokee Hills High School. The clip is from his presentation entitled Volleyball Team Drills in which he shares a collection of volleyball games and drills that would be a great addition to your coaching toolbox. To gain access to coach Miller’s entire presentation as well as hundreds of other presentations click the link Glazier Clinics Vault You may also clinc the link Glazier Volleyball Clinics if you are interested in attending on of their clinics.

The first of two volleyball games/drills is called “Baseball”. The game is played 6v6. The rules are very simple. The serving team continues to serve until they make three outs. An out is any point that the serving team does not win. In other words they serve until they lose three points. Every time they win a point they score a run. Once the receiving team records three outs, they will serve. They score a run each time they win point and will serve until they lose three points. An innings consists of each team serving once. This volleyball game may be played for as many innings as you wish. Coach Miller recommends three innings.

The second volleyball game is called “Jail Time”. This game begins 6v6. A coach with a basket of ball is placed on each side of the net. One coach will deliver a free ball to the team on the opposite side of the net. Their goal is to get a kill on the first attempt. If they do get a kill, they get a point. The defending team’s goal is to get two touches. If they are successful, no points are awarded and they now receive a free ball. The defending team never returns the ball. They simply try to get a second touch. If they do the point is over and they get the next free ball. If the attacking team were to make an error, they would lose a point.

This game is played to 10. If at anytime during the game a team gets a two point advantage, they may chose a back row player from the other team to “Go to Jail”. The player remains in jail until the game is over or until the scored is tied again. If his/her team ties the score he/she is allowed out of jail. Only one player can be in jail at a time.

The clip below has sound so please make sure that your sound is turned on.

Passing and serve receive consistency are two of the most the most critical components to success. Your teams ability to serve receive and pass with high degree of skill will allow your hitters to be more successful. Teams that show great passing consistency are teams that are difficult to defeat. Many times has high school coaches we are not blessed with great size. When we have teams that lack the dominant hitter, it is our passing and serve receive consistency that will keep us in matches.

In order to have a high degree of passing and serve receive consistency, players need to be positioned correctly. They need to be able to move in all directions and remained balanced. Their platforms need to be quiet in order to control the ball. They also need to be able to pass balls that outside of the midline of their body.

In the clip below Travis Hudson, Western Kentucky Head Coach, shows you how he teaches his players to pass balls outside their midline so that the ball is passed on the target line. This clip is just a sample from a DVD in which Coach Hudson shows you 14 different drills that he uses to increase his teams passing consistency. For more information regarding that DVD click the link Developing Consistency in Serve Receive & Passing

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

Coach Hudson main teaching point to his players is a simple one. If the ball is outside of your midline towards the sideline, be aggressive with your hands and get your platform forward. This will allow you to pass the ball back towards the center of the court. If the ball is outside of the midline of your body and towards the center of the court, be patient with your hands. In this case players need to let the ball get deeper (further back in their stance) in order to get the ball on the target line. Keeping this simple rule in mind will allow players to get the ball on the target line more consistently. The rule holds true for any position on the court.

Very few skills are more important than ball control. In the video clip below you will see a ball control drill that forces all players to pass, set, attack and defend.

The 25 Contact ball control drill is presented by Nancy Dorsey,Head Coach St James Academy (KS). Coach James has won seven state titles at St James. Her teams have twice been crowned National Champions by PrepVolleyball.com. The drill is played 4v4 and is designed to put the defense in position to work on their perimeter defense. This drill is actually from Coach Dorsey’s DVD on Perimeter Defense. The Perimeter Defense is ideal for teams with small blockers and quick athletes.

For more information on purchasing this DVD click the link High School Volleyball Systems: Perimeter Defense In the DVD Coach Dorsey shares game-like drills, like the 25 contact ball control drill, to train your players and work on the critical movements that are needed to run the perimeter defense.

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

The 25 Contact Ball Control drill is played 4v4 with a left and right front as well as a middle and left back. A ball is placed into play and the goal is for those eight players to make 25 high quality contacts in a row before rotating. The first pass would be counted as one contact, the set would be the second contact and the attack the third. The dig on the other side would be four, the set would be five and the attack six. This would continue until they reach 25 in a row. At that point all players rotate to a new position and the drill continues trying to get 25 quality contacts with everyone in a new position. If the ball touches the ground, the count starts over. If a contact is not a “quality” contact it doesn’t count towards 25 but they do not have to start over. For example if the pass is poor and can’t be set properly and must just be passed over, then that contact does not count. The count will resume on the next quality contact.

There are several ways to play the game. Coach Dorsey may give her team eight balls to complete all four rotations or she may time them to see how long it takes to complete all four rotations. There are several variations that you could create to make the game competitive.