The Art of Coaching Volleyball

Moneyball offense and defense drill

Chris Willis — Sat, 12 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Moneyball is a 6 v 6 volleyball drill that works on two things: free-ball offense and defense against an in-system offense. A total of five free balls are delivered to the teams, alternating sides so one team gets three and the other team gets two. Points play out with regular volleyball scoring. After five points […]

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Fun, fast-paced warmup drill

Chris Willis — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:17:00 +0000

In this video, Chris Willis shares three volleyball warmup drills that are both cooperative and competitive. The first drill starts with two players on each side of the net. A ball is entered with a toss from across the net and the teams play over-on-one cooperatively until there are 10 touches. Each time the ball […]

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Passing movement: Shuffling instead of reaching

Ron Kordes — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 22:45:00 +0000

Ron Kordes of Assumption High School says many players would rather reach with their arms to finish a pass rather than shuffle to the ball and get their body around the pass. He says that shuffling to center the ball in the body allows for greater accuracy and control. A simple drill to practice the […]

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Imperfect pass back setting drill

Diane Flick-Williams — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 19:20:00 +0000

When your setter receives an imperfect pass, she may need to back set the ball from a position off the net. This drill allows your setters to practice this out-of-system situation. As your setters run through the drill, look for good body position, high hands above the head, and an even follow-through. Your setters can […]

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0 vs 18: Minimizing unforced errors

Caitie Ratkowski — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 08:03:00 +0000

Purpose: Give one team the pressure of having to reduce unforced errors in order to win the drill. How it Works: Side A starts with 0 points and Side B starts with 18 points. A coach initiates free balls from the side of the court to either team to start the points. Side A can […]

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The importance of building a strong team culture

Jenny Glenn — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 22:13:24 +0000

Jenny Glenn discusses developing team culture with today’s athletes in this video. “Everybody’s talking about doing culture well now, but to do culture well is to make a commitment,” Glenn says. “You can’t half do culture. You can, but it’s not going to work for you.” One important aspect of creating a good culture is […]

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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 […]

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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, […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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? […]

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