Watch as Coach Haley Kindall talks about commit blocking and how it helps her team control the game. Knowing which opponent needs to be stopped and who on your team can do it is key. […]
Great Teams Don’t Happen by Accident with Robert Grasso – La Jolla Country Day School (CA)
Watch as Robert Grasso discusses La Jolla Country Day School leadership programs for athletics and how developing a culture is the key for a successful team. He explains great teams don’t happen by accident and […]
You Have to Teach Culture and Leadership with Joe Sagula – (Retired) Univ. of North Carolina
Watch as Coach Joe Sagula talks about team culture and how you must teach people what you expect. Coach explains that the more turnover you have, the more time you will need to develop leadership […]
Middle Attacking: Self Toss to Attack Drills with Dan Meske – Univ. of Louisville
Watch as Coach Dan Meske explains, and players demonstrate this drill progression that works on middle attacking. Middles will control the pass by tossing to themselves then setting to the setter. This helps players to […]
Mental Toughness: A Skill That Can Be Developed with Dr. Colleen Hacker – Team USA / Pacific Lutheran Univ.
Watch as Dr. Colleen Hacker explains that mental toughness is a skill, and it can be developed. It is about how an individual responds to adversity, difficult situations, setbacks, and failure. Mental toughness is not […]
The Mental Side of the Game
By: Adam Sarancik Author of: Coaching Champions for Life With regard to athletic and sport skill development, what a player does with their mind, both on and off of the field, is at least as […]
Blocking Footwork with Mackenzie Chrisman – Northeastern Junior College
Watch as Coach Mackenzie Chrisman explains, and players demonstrate this blocking drill that uses multiple tennis balls. Players will grab and drop the balls, alternating hands, and focusing on short arms and sealing the net. […]
Improving Your Players’ Confidence with Zack Etter – Univ. of Massachusetts
Watch as Zack Etter discusses improving your players’ confidence. It is key that the players understand that the conversations they have in their head (self-talk) can be either beneficial or detrimental. The words you use […]
2-Contact Game with Shay Goulding Meurer – Salt Lake Community College
Watch as Coach Shay Goulding Meurer explains, and players demonstrate this competitive two-touch game that encourages productive communication. Players focus on digging a hittable ball — hitting high and off the net. When a team […]
Middles Warmup: Tracking the Ball with Jessica Burke – St. Thomas More Catholic High School (LA)
Watch as Coach Jessica Burke explains, and players demonstrate this warmup for middles which helps train ball tracking. Middles start by hitting off a toss, following the ball in to attack. Coach adds a setter […]
Serving Breakout Sessions with Kaylee Prigge – Univ. of Wyoming
Watch as Coach Kaylee Prigge explains, and players demonstrate the breakouts they use to train game-like serving. The first breakout is 5 minutes and players are limited to 6 reps. Coach uses chairs on the […]
Assistant Coach Checklist
By: Denise Corlett – (Retired) Stanford University Originally Published in: Winning Ways of Women Coaches Provided by: Human Kinetics ☐ Always be loyal to your head coach, staff, and school. At some point you might […]
Training Outside Hitters Using Pool Noodles with Lyndsey Oates – Univ. of Northern Colorado
Watch as Coach Lyndsey Oates explains, and players demonstrate how they use pool noodles to help train their outside hitters. Using pool noodles is great if you are short on bodies or to save your […]
Model, Teach, Test, Reward with Stephen Mackey – 2Words Character Development
Watch as Stephen Mackey discusses how leadership is critical in the teaching progression of athletes. He explains “Model, Teach, Test, Reward” as a method of teaching that produces results. How you work as a coach […]
Blocking Technique with Mick Haley – Volleyball MasterCoaches
Watch as Coach Mick Haley explains, and players demonstrate proper blocking technique. Coach describes blocking as a gymnastics move that requires a strong core. Timing and movement are most important, and players need to focus […]
Blocking Progression Training with Jordana Price – Tulane Univ.
Watch as Coach Jordana Price explains, and players demonstrate this flexible blocking progression which starts with slow reps and allows Coach to add layers and get creative. First, the focus is on spacing and footwork […]
China Ball Handling Drill with Terri Neujahr – Waverly High School (NE)
Watch as Coach Terri Neujahr explains, and players demonstrate this ball handling drill which focuses on communication and can be varied for all players. Players will travel end line to end line in a continuous […]
Teaching Three Mistake Routines
By: Colleen M. Hacker Originally Published in: Achieving Excellence Provided by: Human Kinetics Flush It The idea with this routine is that it is important to flush a mistake or error. A toilet is flushed […]
Attack vs. Gloves Hitting Drill with Todd Chamberlain – Univ. of Louisville
Watch as Coach Todd Chamberlain explains, and players demonstrate this hitting drill that works on tooling the block. Attackers will approach, focusing on arm swing and their in-system and out-of-system footwork. Hitting off a blocker […]
Leadership Drives the Culture with Jon Gordon – The Jon Gordon Companies
Watch as Jon Gordon explains that leadership drives culture. It is important to identify what you stand for, what you want to be known for, and what you value. Culture is not static, it is […]
Pre-Game Hitting Lines with Becky Edwards – Lancaster Central High School (NY)
Watch as Coach Becky Lancaster explains, and players demonstrate this quick pre-game hitting series. Coach has players run through all of their rotations with middles rotating through all different attacks. This fast-paced series eliminates the […]
2-Ball Drills with Renee Saunders – Skutt Catholic High School (NE)
Watch as Coach Renee Saunders explains, and players demonstrate these 2-ball drills which focus on ball control and help players filter out distractions. Players partner up and start by passing and rolling balls to each […]
Setters: Band Wall Warmup with Adam Brewster – Tabor College
Watch as Coach Adam Brewster explains, and players demonstrate this wall warmup for setters. Bands placed around the setters’ wrists help to keep hands close and prevent them from moving independently. Players start by facing […]
Being a Good Teammate
By: John Klessinger – South River High School (MD) Originally Published in: A Coach’s Manual Provided by: Championship Productions “Great players and great teams want to be driven. They want to be pushed to the […]
The Setting Window with Zach Weinberg – Tennessee Tech Univ.
Watch as Coach Zach Weinberg explains, and players demonstrate this setting drill that has players focus on hand shape, position, and finish. The Setting Window is the area between the hands after the ball has […]
Setting a Ball Close to the Net with Steve Pike – SUNY Brockport
Watch as Coach Steve Pike explains, and players demonstrate a few options that will help setters deal with tight passes. Coach suggests rotating the shoulders, using one hand, and always finishing where we want to […]
Remedy for Hitting the Ball Into the Net with Joe Sagula – (Retired) Univ. of North Carolina
Watch as Coach Joe Sagula talks about serving and shares his remedy for serves that are going into the net. Coach has players slow down their first step when serving which helps with control. Being […]
Setter’s Tempo Drill with Lyndsey Oates – Univ. of Northern Colorado
Watch as Coach Lyndsey Oates explains, and a setter demonstrates this setter’s tempo drill. Setters must be aware of where they are on the court and be able to adjust their tempo accordingly. The closer […]
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 […]
Coaching Yourself: Managing Your Emotions
By: Rainer Martens & Robin S. Vealey Originally Published in: Successful Coaching Just like athletes, coaches must manage their emotions to perform effectively. Your personal example of managing your anxiety is a powerful model for […]