Watch as Coach Jaylen Reyes explains, and players demonstrate this blocking warmup that focuses on high block reps and eye work. The drill starts with a pass to a setter and the middle blocker works […]
I’m Stressed and I Have the Capability of Calming Down with Dr. Colleen Hacker – Team USA / Pacific Lutheran Univ.
Watch as Dr. Colleen Hacker explains that when you are angry, frustrated, stressed, or have lost focus, your next word or thought should be “and”. Whatever the negative situation is that you need to announce, […]
Hazing/Bullying in Athletics
By: David T. Morris Originally Published in: Student-Athletes: Control Your Own Destiny Definition of Bullying: As defined by the organization, stopbullying.gov, “bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a zeal […]
Setting: Face and Square with Luka Slabe – North Carolina State Univ.
Watch as Coach Luka Slabe explains how he studied every set of his team’s 39 matches to determine the hitting efficiency when the setters are too close to the middle or the net. He determined […]
Head Coach Blueprint: Cover Letters Are the Key to Getting Interviews with Chris Fore – Eight Laces Consulting
Watch as Chris Fore discusses how to get that first head coaching job. The key factor of getting an interview for the head coaching position is the cover letter. A great cover letter can make […]
Hourglass Ball Control Drill with Jenny Glenn – Metropolitan State Univ. of Denver
Watch as Coach Jenny Glenn explains, and players demonstrate the Hourglass Ball Control Drill. The drill can be scored by total points, or it can be timed. The court is manipulated by moving the antennas […]
Middle Hitting: Arm Swing Drill with Phil Nickel – Dallas College Eastfield Campus
Watch as Coach Phil Nickel explains, and players (middles) demonstrate this arm swing drill. This drill has four parts and starts with a player receiving a toss from the coach and hitting the ball under […]
In Season Maintenance: Med Ball Circuit with Jon Kosrow – JK Strength and Fitness
Watch as Jon Kosrow explains, and athletes demonstrate this in season med ball circuit. The circuit consists of the med ball scoop toss, ice skater hops, and lunge wood chops. These drills work on generating […]
Empowering Coaches: Strategies for Supporting Youth from Struggling Homes in Athletics
By: Scott Garvis, CMAA Provided By: NHSACA As a coach, it’s essential to support students who come from struggling homes. These kids may face various challenges, and coaches can play a vital role in providing […]
Hustle Pepper Drill with Christi Posey – Univ. of Missouri-Kansas City
Watch as Coach Christi Posey explains, and players demonstrate this Hustle Pepper Drill. The players will buddy up and the drill starts with player #1 at the 10ft line starting with a swing and player […]
Middle Blockers Hand-on-Ball Contact Drill with Laura Johnson – McGill-Toolen Catholic HS (AL)
Watch as Coach Laura Johnson explains, and players demonstrate this drill for middle blockers that trains hand-on-ball contact. Coach wants players to focus on drawing their hands up fast and getting their elbows tight and […]
Setting: Efficient Feet with Zach Weinberg – Tennessee Tech Univ.
Watch as Coach Zach Weinberg explains, and players demonstrate this setting drill that trains efficient feet. This concept ensures the team will get the majority of killable balls. The Setter will first set themselves off […]
Point Blank Defense with Kellen Petrone – Univ. of Pittsburgh
Watch as Coach Kellen Petrone explains, and players demonstrate this point blank defense drill. This digging drill starts with a defender in the back corner, advancing a step closer to the hitter after every dig. […]
Create a Positive Self-Talk Routine with Zack Etter – Univ. of Massachusetts
Watch as Zack Etter discusses creating a positive self-talk routine when communicating with players. He recommends sharing positive information everyday as today’s players are surrounded by negativity. Create an environment that focuses on the positive […]
The Mental Approach to Coaching
By: Adam Sarancik Author of: Coaching Champions for Life “When evaluating your team, look first in the mirror with honest intent.” What is your mental approach to coaching? By your mental approach, I’m not asking […]
Blocking: Creating a Seal Over the Net with Mackenzie Chrisman – Northeastern Junior College
Watch as Coach Mackenzie Chrisman explains, and players demonstrate the Creating a Seal Over the Net Blocking Drill. The goal is to create a good seal over the net to limit a hitter’s options. Coach […]
Athletes’ Stressors & Resilience with Dr. Peter Ormsby – Univ. of North Carolina at Pembroke
Watch as Dr. Peter Ormsby discusses athlete stressors and resilience. Nearly 33% of athletes report mental health symptoms which is higher than general population samples. He will explain some of the types of stressors that […]
Hand Contact Drill with Simone Asque-Favia – Siena College
Watch as Coach Simone Asque-Favia explains, and players demonstrate how spinning the ball on tosses helps with their hand contact. Instead of tossing the ball with two hands, toss with one hand, through and up, […]
Prime Our Posture Drill with Kelly Hunter – Univ. of Nebraska
Watch as Coach Kelly Hunter explains, and players demonstrate the everyday ‘Prime Our Posture Drill’. The player will stand on a BOSU ball and hit the ball off a tilted board. She will do 50 […]
What Are We Doing to Create a Championship Culture? with Robert Grasso – La Jolla Country Day School (CA)
Robert Grasso asks the question, “What can we do to create a championship culture?” Every team has a culture – are you working to develop the kind of culture you want? Robert states that if […]
Best Versus Worst Performances
By: Dr. Colleen M. Hacker Originally Published in: Achieving Excellence Provided by: Human Kinetics By examining your best performances and comparing and contrasting them with your worst performances, you can identify the key elements of […]
Setters: Weighted Ball Wall Warmup with Adam Brewster – Tabor College
Watch as Coach Adam Brewster explains, and players demonstrate this weighted ball wall warmup progression. Players start by going from left to right hand and then setting into the wall, focusing on wrist movement and […]
What Does it Take to Hold Someone Accountable? with Stephen Mackey – 2Words Character Development
Watch as Stephen Mackey explains that it takes expectation, equipping, and encouragement to teach students and athletes to be accountable. You can have a very high standard but if you don’t teach them how to […]
Island Exile Drill with Jenny Glenn – Metropolitan State Univ. of Denver
Watch as Coach Jenny Glenn explains, and players demonstrate this competitive drill that is great for conditioning. This is a narrow court, timed drill and can be played 2v2 or 3v3. Players will compete for […]
Changing Up Your Favorite Drills with Renee Saunders – Skutt Catholic High School (NE)
Watch as Coach Renee Saunders explains, and players demonstrate breathing life into old drills. With 28 years of coaching experience, she has determined that it is not necessary to reinvent the wheel, but you can […]
There Is Nobility in the Struggle with Dr. Colleen Hacker, FNAP – Team USA / Pacific Lutheran Univ.
Watch as Dr. Colleen Hacker discusses mental toughness and how today’s environment and culture do not value and respect the struggles and difficulties that athletes encounter. Not achieving in any form of athletics may be […]
You Are What You Eat
By: Adam Sarancik Author of: Coaching Champions for Life One of the most dramatic and consequential shifts in my lifetime in the personal habits of people, including many athletes, is the casual way in which […]
Middles Must Find the Ball with Kate Wood – McGill-Toolen Catholic High School (AL)
Watch as Coach Kate Wood explains, and players demonstrate how they train middles to track the ball. Middles need to be able to come off the net, turn and find the ball, and enter back […]
Leadership: What Type of Team Do You Want to Be? with Robert Grasso – La Jolla Country Day School (CA)
Robert Grasso discusses how coaches must determine with their players what type of standards and values they must set that define their teams. It is important to ask questions so that players understand why they […]
Blocking Vision: Don’t Close Your Eyes with Rocco Lucci – Niagara Frontier VB Club
Watch as Coach Rocco Lucci explains, and players demonstrate this blocking vision drill. Blockers will first focus on ready position, making sure they are elbows-distance from the net. Keeping thumbs up and fingers out wide, […]