Three Ideas Newsletter – 10/28/25
Hey everyone!
I recently tuned in to my favorite jazz show, and the host started talking about the late, great jazz vocalist Tony Bennett. Some of the younger coaches—or those more into heavy metal or rap music—might not know him, but Bennett was an absolute legend in jazz. The host mentioned that Bennett started every practice and every performance throughout his 60-year career with vocal scales. Repetitive, right? But it turns out those scales were key to keeping his voice sharp—improving his pitch, expanding his range, and building his tone quality. It’s hard to believe that such a simple routine played such a big role in his success. Or, is it?
It got me thinking about how that same mindset applies to volleyball. Bennett didn’t just warm up—he prepared for performance. That’s what our athletes need, too. Are volleyball warmups preparing the athlete for performance, or are we going through the motions with lazy ball control drills or half-hearted queen-of-the-court games? Should coaches be organizing targeted, focused warmups—sharpening movement, precision touches, communication, visual cues—the stuff that really gets them ready to play at their best? I encourage coaches to consider having their players do a volleyball version of scales. Repetitive movements and ball contacts lay a foundation for skill development and prepare them for game-related activities in practice.
Thanks for reading!
~Jim
Quote for the Week: “Leon Russell could eat me for breakfast when it came to playing the piano. But, that’s okay, if you aspire for greatness, you have to have someone to measure greatness with, or you’ll never achieve it. ~Elton John, 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction of Leon Russell.
Idea #1 – Who’s Your Best Server? – Most coaches measure serving effectiveness by using a numerical system (3,2,1,0). That’s okay, but it’s easier than that. The server with the highest score (for example, 2.80) doesn’t mean they are scoring points. Your best server is the player who serves the most times in a match. By serving the most, they are scoring the most points on their serve. That’s the measure you should consider when evaluating servers. How the points are being scored (stuff blocks, transition kills, service aces, etc.) doesn’t matter. If you have a server who scores points when serving, they should probably be one of your first servers when organizing your rotation.
Idea #2 – Many coaches are not confident teaching blocking because they are not sure what to look for in blocking technique. First, to become a good blocker, you need to practice blocking. The fact is, coaches do not practice blocking enough for their players to become adept at it. Blocking is the hardest skill to learn, and at the higher levels of play, it demands a lot of repetition. It also demands that the coach know what they are asking their players to do while performing the skill. Here is a great video of former Wisconsin All-American Carolyn Crawford, demonstrating excellent footwork and air-blocking mechanics. VIDEO
Idea #3 – Jinh Hou Setting Drills- Jihn Hou is an excellent coach, especially when it comes to training setters. Here are a few of his drills that emphasize player and ball movement. VIDEO
Video of the Week – A Few Setting Activities – Spice up your setter training with a few activities that will challenge all setters. VIDEO
Archive Blog Post – Don’t Assume Your Players are Learning in Your Practice – For players to learn and retain information takes effort on the part of the coach. The goal is to transfer the information necessary for skill acquisition as efficiently as possible. How best to transmit the information the coach may possess and its impact on the student’s learning is a constant subject of debate, as it should be. Teachers and coaches should continually test and experiment with new and better instructional methods. In this blog post, we examine the components of a practice that facilitate long-term learning and retention. READ MORE
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
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~Jim
