Volleyball Toolbox

How Much Jumping Should You do in Practice?

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This post was provided by Coaching Volleyball

By John Forman

Coach Forman is currently the assistant volleyball coach at Midwestern State University. Before that he was the Head Coach of the professional women’s team at Svedala Volleybollklubb in Sweden.

I spent three weeks with a pair of German professional teams, I had a conversation with one coach about player jump counts. He was starting to use the VERT device to track jumps in training.

It gave him a guideline as to when to shut things down. I had a similar conversation during one of the Volleyball Coaching Wizards interviews. It became the basis for a podcast.

All of this came after Volleywood posted something which suggested what I saw as a ridiculously high average player jump count. They said, “Most volleyball players jump about 300 times a match.” With no supporting evidence, I should note.

I posted a comment contesting that idea. As this article shows, however, that idea somehow spread.

So what’s the truth?

The folks at VERT published a set of figures based on NCAA women’s volleyball. The following comes from an email they sent out which I received.

So setters jump the most, followed by middles, then outside hitters (probably including right sides). Notice none of them are anywhere close to 300. Yes, these are averages, but I’m hard-pressed to imagine any player in even the longest match getting to 300. Maybe, maybe hitters got that high back in the sideout scoring days when matches could go very long. Even then, that would be on the very high end, not the norm.

And according to the article I linked above, research indicates the average is significantly lower for beach players than indoor ones. Though for them you have to factor in playing multiple matches per day.

Training implications
So what does this mean for us as coaches?

It means it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to have players do 150 or 200 jumps a day in practice when they will do far fewer in matches. If we do, then we are likely over-training, which puts us at risk of injury as a result of either fatigue or overuse. And we shouldn’t just think about jumps in practice here. We also have to consider jumps from strength training as well. It all adds up.


Top 5 Weight Training Exercises for Volleyball Players

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If you are putting together your off-season training program, here are five great weight training exercises for volleyball players that you should include.

By Joseph Taraborelli

Coach Taraborelli is a certified strength and conditioning coach (NSCA-CSCS). He also a former all-conference collegiate player, all-state high school player and state champion high school coach.  For more tips on training volleyball players visit www.jtabstrength.com.

Today we want to cover some of the more beneficial lifts to increase your vertical (‘cause what volleyball player doesn’t want to jump higher?) and get a stronger swing. I am going to give you my top 5 weight exercises for volleyball.

1. Trap Bar Deadlifts- probably the best overall bang for your buck this lift is perfect increasing your vertical. It teaches you that great starting position to “create” your blocking vertical. It also decreases lower back strain by utilizing the higher handles and neutral handle position. This is your main lift for strength, so it makes sense to do these with heavy weights for low reps most of the time. Once in awhile pepper (see what I did there?) in some lighter weight for high reps to get that crazy hamstring/glute pump!

2. Bulgarian or Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats – This is the best quad builder for increasing your vertical, plus it’s really safe for those that want to avoid spinal loading (by not having a bar on your shoulders). It also incorporates a single leg training which will help strengthen each leg individually, leading to less imbalance. We know as volleyball players your dominant leg (the one opposite your hitting arm) gets taxed more from the approach take-off. Strengthening your legs individually will lessen your chance of injuries that occur from a one-sided dominant sport. Since this is your main “quad” exercise it should be done with medium weight for lower reps. On occasion you can switch it up and do high rep sets to really burn those quads and glutes!

3. One arm Push Press- Keeping with the single side work from #2, this is an upper body focused single arm overhead press. Again, most volleyball players are one side dominant, leading to imbalances and injuries. Work each arm individually so you can’t cheat with your dominant arm (like you may do using a barbell). These can be done with high/medium weight and low/medium reps.

4. Face Pulls- Volleyball players are front side dominant and need to build lots of strength posteriorly to stay balanced. Face pulls are one of the best for strengthening the back of the shoulders and upper back. These can be done using a pulley/cable machine, TRX suspension straps, or with bands. High reps work great for this exercise. Done religiously they will keep those shoulders healthy for years of great swinging!

5. One Arm DB Rows- The old/new adage of strength coaches is “more pulling than pushing” so we are including another “pull”, the One Arm Row. This is one of the most classic exercises and is also great for volleyball players to strengthen that posterior. Coupled with face pulls you hit all the angles needed for strengthening the back of your shoulders. These can be done for heavy/low reps or light/high reps but make sure only one of pulling exercise is used for heavy/low reps to build a good base of strength. When wanting to switch it it up, it’s best to use these for heavy/low reps and face pulls after for light/high reps.

You can get more tips on training volleyball players by visiting Coach Taraborelli’s website

www.jtabstrength.com.


Volleyball Strength Training: Cossack Squats

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The Cossack Squat is a great addition to your volleyball off-season training program. In not only enhances hip, knee, and ankle mobility while also strengthening the glutes, thus allowing them to move more efficiently during competition.

This article was provided by Training-Conditioning

Chances are you have your athletes engage in squats during their weight room workouts, and they are most likely ones that utilize the traditional up and down motion. But did you know there is a type of squat that can better prepare your athletes for competition? It’s called the Cossack squat, and it can help increase athletes’ strength and flexibility through a full range of motion.

In a blog for DeFranco’s Training, Joe DeFranco, CSCS, NASM-CPT, explains why going beyond the “regular” squat is important for athletes. He writes that sports are played in three dimensions—think about the volleyball player who lunges to the left for a dig or the baseball player who stretches off the plate to snag an out. While still useful, DeFranco points out that traditional squats don’t completely prepare athletes for these types of motions, increasing their chances of injury, especially groin pulls.

The Cossack squat adds this third dimension. In a blog for TrainHeroic, Mike Dewar, CSCS, NSCAS, USAWL2, explains that this exercise enhances hip, knee, and ankle mobility while also strengthening the glutes. This will not only help athletes move properly during competition, but will also allow for better movement in other squatting exercises as well.

“Unlike the side lunge, this squat variation really forces an athlete to work the hip throughout the entirety of the end range, which is important for runners, wrestlers, and other full range of motion athletes,” writes Dewar.

But the benefits of the Cossack squat extend even further. According to a blog by Strength and Flexibility Coach Angie Fliehser, this squat not only stretches the hamstrings and hips, but it also helps to strengthen the core and improve balance—all of which are important to help athletes play their best.

As with any exercise, it is important that your athletes learn the correct technique in order to decrease the chances of injury and to gain every benefit. Here are the steps to correctly carrying out the Cossack squat, laid out by Fliehser:

Begin with a wide stance.
Keep the leg you are squatting over aligned from hip to knee and down to the foot.
Keep the foot on this side flat on the ground.
Point your other toe upward with the heel down, rotate at the hip so your knee is pointing straight up.
Sit down into your hips, keeping your back flat.
Push up to standing through the planted foot, distributing the weight evenly.
When implementing the Cossack squat, Dewar suggests starting with 10 sets per leg. To further increase strength and hypertrophy, he also recommends adding weight for 3-5 reps, such as a kettlebell. Other variations include using straps for assistance or using a barbell to add weight. However, this exercise can also be done with just bodyweight, which according to Dewar, makes it perfect for warm-ups or even as an active recovery movement.

The YouTube video below is from Onnit Academy. There is no audio with this clip, but it does show very clearly how to execute this exercise.


Three Foundational Exercises for Volleyball Players

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If you want your volleyball players get the most out of a strength training program, oyu have to build the appropriate amount of mobility, stability, strength, and motor control before you can ramp up the complexity of the training.

In the video below Reid Hall, a volleyball specific strength and conditioning coach, demonstrates a simple three exercise workout that will build the foundation for more complex training. You can get more volleyball training ideas at Reids-Workouts

Here is a brief description of the workout:

1. Single Leg Squats from a Box- 6 per leg
you need to select the appropriate height of a bench for the athlete. The higher the box the easier it is the lower the box the tougher it is.

2. Bird Dogs- 8 to 10 total switches with 5 secs pause
Do not get extended in your lower back. Squeeze glutes and keep core tight.

3. Hip Raise Leg Extensions- 3 to 5 per leg with 5 secs pauses
Keep the hips up and your glutes clenched together. Make sure you are just extending at the knee and not raising your leg through your hip.

Learn more about volleyball workout programs here: reids-workouts

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


Volleyball Agility Drills

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Agility is important in every sport and volleyball is not any different. The ability of your players to quickly change directions while maintaining their balance will allow them to be more effective on the court. Here are 10 Volleyball Agility Drills that you can incorporate into your daily practices and/or your offseason training program.

In th clip below Keyatta May, head coach at Coppin State, shares 1o different volleyball agility drills that she uses with her teams. Each drill has multiple variations that require the athlete to execute a wide variety of movement patterns. All of the volleyball agility drills can be executed with very simple equipment like cones, mini-hurdles and poly spots making them easy to set up and take down.

These are simple yet effective drills that could easily be incorporated into the first 10-15 minutes of a practice session. They could  simply become part of your daily pre-practice warm-up routine. While you certainly would not want to do all of the exercises and their varitations each practice,  you could simply pick a 2-3 different drills  to do each day.  Taking 10-15 minutes each day to do agility work will pay big dividends. Despite spending just a few minutes each day you will see improvement in the movement of your athletes. The better they move, the better they will be at executing their volleyball skills.

The clip is just a small portion of Coach May’s presentation on Volleyball Specific Agility Drills at a recent Glazier Volleyball Clinic. For information about how to gain access to her entire presentations, as well as hundreds of other great clinic presentations, just click the link Glazier Volleyball Clinics. 

The YouTube video below has audio, so please make sure that your volume is turned up and that you have access to the site. Note that some schools block access to Youtube. If you are having trouble viewing at school, please contact your network administrator.