The Art of Coaching Volleyball

Rhythm blocking drill

Dan Meske — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Purpose: Drill to teach players to control their blocking movement by performing multiple blocks within a span of seconds. How it works: One blocker starts in middle front. Two coaches in middle front and right front are on the opposite side of the net hitting balls at the blocker. The blocker will block one ball […]

Source

Helping athletes overcome a fear of leadership

Jenny Glenn — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Jenny Glenn talks in this video about some of the challenges associated with developing leaders. One big one is overcoming fear of not being liked. Leaders must make tough decisions and serve as the intermediary between the coaches and players, which can change their relationship with their teammates. Other factors contributing to fear in leadership, […]

Source

Defensive shifts: Defending tips

Marie Zidek — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 18:01:00 +0000

Purpose: A diggers versus hitters drill that encourages hitters to be precise and tricky about their ball placement, and requires diggers to adjust to the hitter's shoulder and tendencies. How it Works: Three diggers are on their knees in front of the ten foot line. On the others side of the net, one setter feeds […]

Source

How to coach this generation

Jenny Glenn — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Jenny Glenn shares strategies in this video on how to better connect with today’s athletes. After reading the book “Marching Off the Map,” Glenn says she better understands the challenges faced by this generation. “When you start to understand where people are coming from, you can lead them better,” Glenn says. “I love the title […]

Source

Attack landing mechanics: How to stop the one-leg landing

Kerry Macdonald — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Many players get used to landing on one leg throughout their club years; however, this bad habit can leave players prone to injury. Learn techniques to re-train players to land on both feet. How it works: There are two basic components to avoid the one-legged landing: Stay stable and level through the shoulders by avoiding […]

Source

5 keys to effective practice planning

Glenn Hoag — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Good practice planning is crucial to a team's success, as Glenn Hoag explains in this video. For Hoag, the starting point for effective planning is determining where the athlete is at - in other words, the "status." Is the player a beginner? Is the player a girl or a boy? What age? How much experience? […]

Source

How to build self-esteem and confidence by controlling the factors you can

Juliann Faucette Johnson — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 23:12:00 +0000

Julianne Faucette, former athlete with the Women's U.S National Team, talks about fostering individual confidence: a critical component of building a strong athlete. Whether you are the tallest or shortest player, the weakest or strongest player, the player with the highest volleyball IQ or the lowest volleyball IQ, Faucette says to ground your confidence in […]

Source

End-of-set pressure game

Russ Rose — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 09:53:00 +0000

Purpose: To put teams in pressure situations to score in the final points of the game How it works: Start with evenly matched teams on both sides of the net in base position. Three games to 15 are played out, the beginning score of the first is from 9-9, the next from 11-11, and the […]

Source

Advantages of having a tall blocker on the right side

Jim Stone — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 20:40:00 +0000

What are the advantages of putting your tallest block on the right side? Jim Stone describes just a few ways a tall right side blocker can be the secret key to a great blocking lineup: Most of the opponent's attacks will be hit by the outside hitter, so your biggest blocker should be on the […]

Source

Passing and setting progression with beginner players

The Art of Coaching — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Ruth Nelson of Bring Your Own Parent walks players through a passing and setting progression. One player (or a parent or coach) starts with their back to the net facing a young player on the 10 foot line. The person at the net alternates tossing short and "deep" balls (for younger players, this is about […]

Source

Diagonal attacking drill for young hitters

The Art of Coaching — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 09:12:00 +0000

Purpose: Interactive hitting and digging drill to practice proper hitting form and location. How it Works: Two players are self-tossing and attacking from left front. Two players stand diagonally from the attackers in left front on the opposite side of the net: these two players are digging and then catching the attacks coming from the […]

Source

John Dunning’s 3-box drill

John Dunning — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000

The drill you’ll see here, where three coaches initiate the action from boxes at the net, is a great example of a training exercise that emphasizes teamwork and serves multiple purposes at once. As coach John Dunning explains, his team uses this drill to work on specific areas of the game based on notes they’ve […]

Source