The Art of Coaching Volleyball

Diagonal drill for youth attacking

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 […]

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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 […]

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First team challenge drill

Jim Stone — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Clinician: Jim Stone, head coach of the US girls' youth national team Purpose: To challenge the first string players to put the ball away quickly and efficiently. By allowing the second string of players more opportunities to create points, the need for two equally-matched teams is eliminated. How it Works: Have your first string of […]

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Preparation during the 90 minutes before a game

Championship Performance — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000

During pre-match preparation (90 minutes prior to competition), one of your goals is to help players achieve the right frame of mind. You want players "psyched up" to meet the physical demands of the game, but also mentally attuned to the complexities of the match. Athletes preparing for a match are under real pressure. As […]

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Zero rule drill for a fun, competitive warmup

Holly Motheral — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Holly Motheral teaches a 4 v 4 warmup drill in this video that rewards teams that don’t let the ball hit the floor without a touch. Play can begin with a coach initiating either a free ball or a down ball. Once the rally starts, teams rotate every time they put a ball over the […]

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Handle the heat, hit the box

The Art of Coaching — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000

In this drill, introduced by La Jolla Country Day High coach Peter Ogle, players are challenged to pass tough serves to target -- in this case, a box that's positioned where the setter would stand.

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Russ Rose: 5 v 5 drill

Russ Rose — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 09:27:00 +0000

Russ Rose shares a 5 v 5 drill in this video that emphasizes one-on-one blocking and digging behind a one-person block. On each side, there are two outside hitters, a back-row setter, a libero in left back and a middle back. Hitters are not allowed to tip or hit roll shots. Coaches enter the ball […]

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Half-court volleyball drill

Michael Henchy — Sun, 31 May 2026 07:01:00 +0000

Michael Henchy shares a 4 v 4 drill in this video where hitters can only score on one side of the court. This drill also works as a 3 v 3. Ball entry can be a serve, free ball or down ball. In this video, the drill starts with hitters being restricted to cross-court shots, […]

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Setting deception: Be tricky? Or be consistent?

Christy Johnson Lynch — Wed, 27 May 2026 21:34:00 +0000

Head Coach at Iowa State University, Christy Johnson-Lynch, talks about the mental game of being a setter. The key is to have a neutral stance no matter if you are setting behind to the right side hitter or in front to the outside hitter. The setter's hands should be neutral and above the head before […]

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Ball control digging sequence

Terry Liskevych — Sun, 24 May 2026 10:15:00 +0000

Purpose: To warm up players and increase ball control skills How it works: Players partner up and each pair should have a ball. One player lines up on the 10-foot line with their back to the net (Player 1) while the other player is a few steps up from the end line (Player 2). Players […]

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Drill simulating 6 v 6 with fewer players

Dan Fisher — Thu, 21 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Dan Fisher introduces a drill that allows teams with less than 12 players to simulate 6 v 6 and work on rotations. To demonstrate, Fisher puts six players on one side and represents the other side by himself, throwing balls across the net each time the team hits a ball to the other side. By […]

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Opinion piece: The hardest position in volleyball

The Art of Coaching — Mon, 18 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Grad Assistant Blog

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