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, […]
Shuttle Passing Drill with Melissa Wolter – Univ. of West Florida
Watch as Coach Melissa Wolter explains, and players demonstrate the Shuttle Passing Drill. This flexible drill can be timed or completed through a certain number of touches. Players will group in threes and the outside […]
Timing Drills for Pins & Middles with Erin Glickert – SUNY Cortland
Watch as Coach Erin Glickert explains how to work on timing with attackers. Athletes work on timing, footwork, and step-close in this drill.
Pre-Game Pass & Shuffle Drill with Becky Edwards – Lancaster High School (NY)
Watch as Coach Becky Edwards explains her pre-game drill. There are multiple variations to warm up different game-like movements and skills. Getting many touches and reps in quickly is important.
The Decisive Intangible for All College Athlete Recruits
Originally published in an Adam Sarancik Book Most college coaches have similar goals, philosophies, and priorities when recruiting athletes for their program. In short, they want people, athletes, and players who tangibly have sports skills […]
Hula Hoop Setting Drill with Renee Saunders – Skutt Catholic High School (NE)
Watch as Coach Renee Saunders explains, and players demonstrate this hula hoop setting drill. Two players standing on boxes and holding hula hoops above their heads are the targets. The objective of the setters is […]
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 […]
Drill to 15 with Kayla Allen – LC Anderson High School (TX)
Watch as Coach Kayla Allen explains, and players demonstrate the Drill to 15 warmup drill. This drill is used at the beginning of practice, has high reps, and the players practice all skills regardless of […]
Setting Routine with Kamalani Akeo – Univ. of Pittsburgh
Watch as Coach Kamalani Akeo explains the setting warm-up routine used to prep their setters for all the skills they’ll be using. This drill is useful to learn footwork, warm up the arms/hands, and get […]
Out-of-System Hitting Drill with Jen DeJarld – Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School (IL)
Watch as Coach Jen DeJarld explains the out-of-system drill used to improve players’ skills in challenging situations. Players switch around positions after certain touches, making it so everyone gets reps in different positions, and it […]
Parents and Guardians
By: Rainer Martens & Robin S. Vealey Originally Published in: Successful Coaching Many coaches find that the most challenging relationship to manage is their relationship with their athletes’ parents. This includes guardians, but we will […]
The Sports Nutrition Challenge Hiding in Plain Sight
By: Greta Jarvis, MS, MPH, Founder of: Center for Active Women It was around sophomore year of high school when my classmates, teammates, and friends started restricting their eating: the Flat Belly Diet, the Cabbage […]
Consistent Parent Communication with Nathan Emrick – Carterville High School (IL)
Watch as Coach Nathan Emrick discusses the importance of consistent parent communication: Communication must be consistent Everything goes back to your standards and focus Positive & Negative Feedback Encourage parents when their kid does something […]
Can You Be Too Positive? with Jon Gordon – The Jon Gordon Companies
Watch as Jon Gordon responds to the question, “Can you be too positive?” He states that you can never be too positive because you need that positivity to elevate your state of mind. He cites […]
Communication
Originally Published in: The Coach’s Bulletin Board It’s not what we say, but what they hear. “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” (George Bernard Shaw) NEGATIVE words […]
Running Effective Meetings
By: Rainer Martens & Robin S. Vealey Originally Published in: Successful Coaching Provided by: Human Kinetics Let’s face it, everyone would prefer fewer meetings, but they are necessary at times, and you need to be […]
Educating Athletes That Social Media Is Their Life Resume with Kim Karr – ICANHELP
Watch as Kim Karr emphasizes the importance in communicating with your athletes and parents that their posts on social media represent their life resume. Colleges and athletic departments are checking potential recruits’ and applicants’ social […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Team! The Team! The Team!
By: Jamy Bechler Originally Published in The Leadership Playbook The old acronym of T.E.A.M. in which together everyone achieves more is true more often than not. Players need teammates that are willing and able to […]
Transition Movement/Base to Defense with Genny Volpe – Rice Univ.
Watch as Coach Genny Volpe explains, and a player demonstrates how they train base to defense transition movements. Coach has her players touch the floor before they dig which reinforces speed and helps the defender […]
Leadership is Authentic, Relentless, Selfless Service to a Cause with Colonel Craig Flowers – Sideline Leadership
Watch as Colonel Craig Flowers explains that the term leadership is often clouded by clichés. He explains that in its simplest form leadership is service to a cause. Many times, Coaches fail to define leadership, […]
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 […]
Defensive Drill vs. Live Attacker & BOSU Ball with Kaylee Prigge – Univ. of Wyoming
Watch as Coach Kaylee Prigge explains this defensive drill with the defense vs. live attackers and a BOSU ball. This is a 20-minute drill with the defenders facing a three-ball sequence twice for a total […]
Show Up and Don’t Miss the Game with Randy Fox – FoxPoint.Net
Watch as Randy Fox explains that leaders need to pursue excellence, not perfection, as perfection is not attainable or sustainable. He states that an individual can always be searching for the highest and best level […]
A Hard Conversation
By: Adam Sarancik Author of: Coaching Champions for Life “Face toward the problems” Sports afford coaches a wonderful opportunity to teach life lessons within the game for beyond the game. The first step in this […]
Arm Swing & Digging Drill Progression with Michael Bynon – Lakeside Volleyball Club (NY)
Watch as Coach Michael Bynon explains, and players demonstrate these arm swing and digging progression drills. The focus of the progression is good arm swing mechanics and good defensive positioning. The defender will use a […]
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 […]
Island Exile Drill with Jenny Glenn – American Univ.
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 […]
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 […]