“Three Ideas” Newsletter 7.2.25
Hello, everyone! I hope the summer is going well for everyone. All is well here in Colorado. The club season is winding down, and the high school season is getting started with open gyms, team camps, and practices beginning, so it’s time to get back into the swing of the “Three Ideas” newsletter. I intend to push out a newsletter every Tuesday throughout the high school season and leading into the club season.
One of my goals is to expand our community. I encourage you to pass on the newsletter to colleagues. They can join the mailing list on my Jim Stone Consulting homepage. My second goal is to supply members with relevant and valuable content. If you have suggestions relative to video topics, feel free to pass them along.
So, we’re starting a new year! Thank you for reading, and let’s go!
~Jim
Quote for the Week: “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. —DR. SEUSS
Three Ideas For This Week
Idea #1 – Train Your Players to Land On One Leg Safely: Players spend a great deal of time working to increase their vertical jump. They don’t spend very much time learning how to land. The nature of the game promotes a lot of lower extremity injuries. Some ankle and knee injuries can be avoided if we teach players to land correctly. We want players to land on two feet as much as possible. However, sometimes landing on one foot will happen, so we train for both scenarios. First, our basic rule is to land with knees over toes. Second, land softly with good balance, absorbing the force with thighs, hips, and the core.
Here are a few ideas:
- Single or Double-Leg Box Jumps: Start with a low box (12″). First, jump off the box and land on two feet, progressing to landing on one foot. Then, jump onto the box, landing softly (imagine eggs under the feet; don’t break the shells). The point of emphasis is landing softly with the knees tracking over the toes.
- Lateral Jumps – side to side (similar to speed skating, use the arms). Take off and land on one foot. Go slowly, making sure the player has good balance when landing.
- Jump off two feet, turn 90 degrees in the air, land with balance on two feet. Make sure players are rotating when landing.
- Remember a core workout. The core is a great stabilizer for the lower body. Additionally, use a tension band above the knees and perform controlled lateral shuffle steps. This will assist in hip mobility.
- Here is a video to demonstrate jumping and landing drills. VIDEO
Idea #2 – Developing Mental Toughness in Your Players: One of my goals for my teams was to gradually build the mental toughness needed in the Big Ten. Don’t wait until you lose a match you might have won because your team couldn’t win the big points. Mental toughness is not a genetic trait. You can assist your players in developing this asset. I like to incorporate mentally demanding activities into the practice sessions. I especially like any drill that mandates in-a-row success or plus-minus scoring. At Ohio State, we often would finish practice with the primary passers having to do five sets of five perfect passes in a row. For any out-of-system pass, the team returns zero in that set. Or, from a team perspective, we needed to sideout 3x in a row before we rotate. In all plus/minus or in-a-row drills, your team must win “big points.” Practice winning these big points every day. Here is a sample of an in-a-row drill from Kelly Sheffield at Wisconsin (Courtesy of Art of Coaching). VIDEO
Idea #3 – Whiteboard – Developing Flexibility in Attack Approaches – One of the keys to a quality attack is quality approaches. In this whiteboard, we examine how you can facilitate quality approaches from the defensive phase of the game. The key point of emphasis is “get off before getting out” to start your approach. VIDEO
Video of the Week: The ability for your middle hitter to attack different areas of the net will make defending them a little more challenging. In this week’s video, we look at executing the 31 set. One of the advantages of implementing a 31 set into your offense is the ability to execute this set when your setter comes off the net. You can also run this at various tempos depending on the abilities of your hitters and setters. VIDEO
On a Different Note: In a recent update, Vimeo, the platform for our videos, now offers the ability to make comments or ask questions on all the videos. The comments button is located at the top of the screen. Using this tool is a great way to ask questions, comment on what you’re seeing, or suggest future videos.
Current Blog Post – In the most recent blog post, I examine the various teaching methods used in volleyball practices nationwide. The title is “Are You a Sage on the Stage, Or A Guide On The Side.” There are a lot of teaching methods in place that encourage coaches to facilitate activities that promote “self-discovery” on the part of the learner. I encourage coaches not to get locked into a specific method, as there is a time in your sessions to implement various methods to maximize the learning. READ MORE
Archive Blog Posting: I titled this blog “Practice Like Skateboarders.” I recall sitting in a park on a Sunday afternoon watching a group of skateboarders doing their thing. I was fascinated by the willingness to challenge their current abilities and exhibited no fear of making mistakes while learning new skills. That is exactly what we want from our players. Challenge them to the edge of their current skills and minimize the importance of mistakes. READ MORE
Sideout Foundation Interview- I had the pleasure of sitting down with Janice Kruger from the Sideout Foundation for an extended interview about my coaching journey. For those unfamiliar with the Sideout Foundation, it is a non-profit breast cancer charity that raises awareness and funds for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. A huge thank you to Janice for reaching out. It was a very enjoyable way to spend an hour! Watch the video in its entirety. VIDEO
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
To join the newsletter mailing list, visit the Jim Stone Consulting Homepage (link below).
~Jim
