The Art of Coaching Volleyball

Developing competitive practices: Focus of the day

Russ Rose — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +0000

When looking at your team, it’s important to consider what will make your players competitive. Giving them a “focus of the day” at practice can help you address areas your team needs to work on. To motivate your athletes, you can award bonus points each time players execute a skill that addresses that day’s focus […]

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3 valuable coaching lessons I learned from playing in the Athletes Unlimited pro league

Cassidy Lichtman — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +0000

This past spring, I played in the first season of Athletes Unlimited, the new (and only) professional volleyball league in the U.S. I wanted to share three of the major takeaways that I think apply to coaching at the youth and college levels. If you weren’t able to see the Athletes Unlimited matches, you can […]

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Rethinking the classic back row attacking drill

Tod Mattox — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

While many teams see back row attacks as a backup option, Coach Tod Mattox encourages teams to see back row attacking as a viable offensive option that maintains aggression and power. Back row attackers should prepare for their approach as soon as they know it's a bad pass in order to create an aggressive offensive […]

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Coach Connection 3/16/26: Training smarter during the second half of season

The Art of Coaching Volleyball — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 02:40:36 +0000

Download the notes for this session In this session, Jill Hunt, Director of Northern Kentucky Volleyball Club, shares how NKYVC adapts training frequency, structure, and focus as the season progresses to balance development, recovery, and performance. You’ll learn how to evaluate team progress mid-season, make intentional adjustments based on goals and competition schedules, and structure […]

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Terry’s ultimate six person pepper drill

Terry Liskevych — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 09:16:00 +0000

Terry Liskevych describes six-person pepper as “a great example of a player-oriented drill.” It’s cooperative, and it emphasizes ball control. The format is simple: Six players on one side of the net. A player in either right front or left front enters the ball by hitting to the middle back. The middle back passes to […]

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How Christy Johnson-Lynch trains offensive skills at Iowa State

Christy Johnson Lynch — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 19:25:30 +0000

Christy Johnson-Lynch shares a detailed look at how Iowa State develops the offensive skills that fuel its system, starting with the fundamentals of ball control and building toward more complex attacking concepts. The training begins with simple but precise progressions in passing and setting, emphasizing details such as early, straight platforms, efficient footwork, and creating […]

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Jim Stone: A coach who made a difference

Terry Liskevych — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 21:40:00 +0000

Jim Stone, who passed away on March 10, 2026 at age 73 after battling pancreatic cancer, was a dear friend of mine and a key contributor to the success of The Art of Coaching Volleyball. One thing I always admired about Jim was his endless curiosity … about volleyball and life. His hunger for learning […]

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Disrupt the opponent by serving short

Mark Rosen — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Mark Rosen is all about finding ways to disrupt the opposition's flow. One of those techniques is executing a short serve to slow down the offense, giving your team ample time to set up a stuff block. When teams are faced with a short serve, the pass is often rushed and the hitters are taken […]

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Post-game talk: Stay consistent, win or lose

Ben Josephson — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:23:00 +0000

Art of Coaching's Terry Liskevych and Ben Josephson discuss the importance of the post-game talk. The key? Be consistent whether you've won or lost. What did your team learn, and how can you move forward? It's important as a coach to remain level-headed even after losses. Josephson encourages coaches to take 24-48 hours if a […]

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The left arm’s role in training a more powerful swing

Mark Barnard — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Coaches often focus on the right arm when teaching players to swing. But the left arm is equally important! In fact, the non-hitting arm needs to be just as active as the one hitting the ball. During the approach, the left arm plays a key role in the jump and body rotation. It also provides […]

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Developing a serving routine

Ray Bechard — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 09:24:00 +0000

Ray Bechard talks in this video about important keys to a good serving routine. It should be repeatable. Simple is better than complex. Toss should have minimal motion. The routine should have a mental component to it. For example, a deep breath or a phrase that you repeat before every serve. Finally, Bechard notes that […]

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Training for transfer

Jenny Glenn — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Jenny Glenn talks in this video about how to design practices in a way that speeds up the learning process. “A lot of athletes are not very patient,” Glenn says. “They want results quickly. If we’re in a (practice) and I say, ‘You’re going to get a lot better in a month,’ I’m not going […]

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