Warm-Up: A Hot Topic

Warm-Up: A Hot Topic

By: Ken Kontor

Originally Published by: Coaching Volleyball - Provided by: AVCA

The warm-up has been practiced in some form as long as volleyball has been around. It's taken for granted and usually not a part of any volleyball conditioning program discussion, but warm-up is a dynamic, critical activity with important developmental opportunities offered that most volleyball coaches overlook. It also offers challenges. In this article, we'll take an in-depth look at the warm-up and the many aspects of this activity. But overuse doesn't just happen - it's an unfortunate outcome of the process in the way players are developed based on the culture of the sport of volleyball. Can this culture be changed?

The Cold Facts
• A good general warm-up can reduce injury by 30-35% according to research.
• Warm-up raises body temperature, increases muscle elasticity and neuromuscular function, and mimics the actions used in competition. It is performed in three stages starting with general exercises and ending with volleyball-specific activities. Always perform a complete warm-up before every practice, match or conditioning session.
• Don't do static stretching as part of warm-up. Research as far back as the year 2000 found that passive static stretching reduces strength up to one hour after the session - not good just prior to practice or match.

Now Let's Turn Up the Heat
Let's talk about the challenges. Rob Rose and Bruce Tran of True AP and the pre-senters of an excellent and well-received session at the AVCA convention in Oklahoma City presented ways to deal with the challenges of tournament warm-up. They described what they faced at the Capital Hill Volleyball Classic (CHC) with over 850 teams on over 200 courts, filling the convention center to capacity. The efficiency in the way the venue was set up provided for uninterrupted play from wayward balls, parental sitting, walkway, etc. There was everything but space for warm-up. As soon as one match ended, the next teams had a total of 10 minutes to warm up, including waiting on the sidelines as one team hits and one shags. This is not really true warm-up. What Bruce and Rob came up with is a 16-station warm-up that could be done in a broom closet. Truly innovative, TrueAP's Volleyball Tournament Stationary Warm-up in limited space addresses each exercise and offers a simple program.

They break down the warm-up into four distinct areas:
• Foam Rolling
• Shoulder Band Routine
• Mobility Prep
• Movement Prep It's total-body and gets players ready.

The next point here presents a look at taking warm-up and transitioning it into a conditioning opportunity.

2013 AVCA Hall of Fame member John Kessel's 2 v. 0 warm-up is an interesting approach to the problem.

The exercise is a game-like form of pepper, using the net or a ribbon and hitting over it every third hit. If the net is not up, you still do the same pattern as if there is a net, and the better you get at defense and ball control, the more you can move and keep the rally going. You pass the ball, your partner sets it and then you hit the third hit over the net. If you have only one net, you can get three groups playing 2 vs. 0. To watch this on the USA Volleyball website, go to "Grassroots," then to "Multimedia." Click on "Skills and Drill Videos" and look for "USAV Drill Video 2 vs. 0."

Conditioning can be incorporated into this exercise, creating a time-efficient opportunity to train. The intensity can be increased by the nature of the hitting that takes place or increasing the size of the court and the distance each player must move. The hitting is done as a progression. In the beginning for eight-year-olds, the activity is done continuously by set, set, set (a.k.a. overhead pass) over the net.

Something else to think about is a medicine ball routine, making it volleyball-specific to add to your menu of exercises. It is always a good idea to introduce different exercises into your warm-up to offer additional movement developmental opportunities. If you want to add some spice to your warm-up program, Performance Volleyball Conditioning is for you and is available as a one year subscription on the AVCA membership sign-up portion of their website.